The CSGA Links Volume 5 Issue 1 April 2017 | Page 18

PSYCHOLOGY
The Brain Game
By Dr. Josh Brant, Clinical Psychologist and Sports Performance Coach
The Mental Game
What We Can Learn from Elite Athletes to Help Us Play the Best
Golf of Our lives
With the 2017 golf season finally upon us, it’s time to start thinking about what you’d like to get
out of this upcoming year from both from your practice and on course play. What do you want this
season to be about? Increased enjoyment of the game? Lower scores? Improved performance
in tournament play? More effective practice time? Regardless of your motive, one thing is for
certain if you want to achieve your goals, the development your mental game needs to be a top
priority.
In a previous article I wrote for the CSGA Links titled, The Mental Game: Why we resist the very
thing that could make us great, I asked readers to respond to a survey about the mental game.
Although the sample size was small (N=42), the results were quite telling and consistent with
what I’ve found in the past. Below is some data worth noting:
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “very important”,
how do you rate the mental game in terms of your
success as a golfer?
How often do you practice the
mental game?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
With a weighted average of 9.52, it’s pretty clear that the golfers who responded to the survey
believe the mental game is of significant importance to their success in the game. Amazingly,
in spite of the high value golfers place on the mental game, only 14% of respondents reported
practicing it on a regular basis. This data is not surprising given the lack of exposure and
understanding most golfers have of the mental game, as well as its benefits, and how to
incorporate it into their play.
18 | CSGA Links // April, 2017
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