CONFIDENCE
IS A WORD
GOLFERS
USE A LOT
By: Paul Dewland
BGGA Mental Performance Coach
Confidence is a word golfers use a lot - particularly
competitive players. It appears to be golf’s holy grail.
Most players who win golf tournaments are full of
confidence - but if you dig deeper and ask, “confidence
in what?” you may get a blank stare.
Webster’s Dictionary defines confidence as “the
quality or state of being certain”. Yet we can all agree
that much of what happens in golf is uncertain - there
are too many outside factors at play.
In my view, there are two kinds of confidence: false
and authentic confidence.
False confidence is like building a house on a foundation
of sand. It’s based on a player “being certain” in things
they can’t guarantee - like how well they’re hitting the
ball, how they’re putting, how they’re playing, how they
feel on a particular day or the comments they get from
others. No player in the world has complete control
over these things. These players will feel constant
pressure to perfect their game and they will depend
heavily on quick fixes and tips. Players basing their
confidence in these things will experience significant
fluctuations.
Players with authentic confidence base their
foundation on “being certain” about things they
control. They base it on things like a strong worth ethic,
being honest with themselves, being fully prepare for
events regardless of how good or bad their game is.
When they play, they get everything they can out of
whatever game they have that day. Ironically, they’re
not afraid to fail and learn from their adversity. They
also accept that their game will fluctuate (let’s be clear
- they don’t like it, but they accept it). More irony –
these players experience fewer fluctuations, and those
fluctuations don’t last as long because they operate
from a solid foundation that they trust.
This not only applies to golf, but every aspect of life
(especially education). Junior golfers who adopt this
approach early in their career will see a significant
payoff when the stakes get higher in college and
amateur events.