What is a “Mental Game” ?

David Breslow/Weekly Mental Game Columnist for The Golf Channel and Performance Coach
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What percentage of your overall game would you say the “mental game” is?  I polled professional and amateur golfers from around the world and their responses were:
 

• 95% said it’s highly important

Then I asked, “Do you work on or develop your mental game other than reading books?”
 

• Less than 10% formally develop it

Then I asked, “How much of the game do you believe is “mental”?
 

• The average answer was 75%

Interesting. Ninety five percent believe it’s “highly important” yet less than 10% of them develop it. And…on average, they believe the “mental game” accounts for 75% of their game and yet less than 10% formally develop it.

What if I told you, “the mental game influences your game 100% of the time, without exception? Your initial response might be, “That’s not possible. What about mechanics and managing the course?”  Many golfers believe that mechanics are most important and spend a great deal of time, money and energy on improving them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting the importance of being mechanically sound! It is vital to have a solid swing base in order to play your best. However, many golfers become too wrapped up in their mechanics and it sabotages their game. How many people do you know who have decent mechanics or even great mechanics yet continue to under perform?

As I teach it, the "Mental Game" unquestionably influences you 100% of the time because it consists of 4 simple components. They are:

• The Mind
• The Body
• The Spirit
• The Emotions

Everyone has these components and the truth is; they function together to produce outcomes and you CANNOT SEPERATE THEM. Bottom line: when they are in sync you will perform better. When they are not in sync you will under perform. What is significant about these components is that function via a set of precise, predictable and undeniable laws and principles that operate the same for everyone. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!
 

The 3 Most Common Obstacles

Here are the 3 most common reasons people don’t develop a mental game:

1.    “It’s too confusing and it doesn’t work anyway!”

Let’s face it; I’ve yet to meet a client who didn’t already know that being positive is better than being negative and that being confident is better than lacking confidence. Every client I have has told me they’ve tried the “quick-fix” tips over the years and the most common complaint they have is, “they don’t last”. The key is to understand that your game is under the influence of simple Laws and Principles that are undeniable, precise and predictable.

Performance Insight:
 

• Tips are meant to be temporary solutions, not long term solutions

• Every time you put your hands on the golf club, your mind, emotions and body are involved. There is no way to separate them

• When functioning properly together these elements can raise the level of your game

2.     “I just need to play and it will work itself out”

This is the second most common obstacle. Golfers who say this tend to find themselves doing the same thing yet expecting different results. This often leads to frustration because nothing really changes when we continue to think, feel and do the same but expect different outcomes.

Performance Insight:
 

• Take an honest look and see if what you’re currently doing is getting you what you want
• Those who are willing to see this tend to make the greatest leaps forward

3.     “It’s a sign of weakness”

This is one of the most common obstacles and it is one of the biggest myths as well. Truth is, there is nothing “weak” about it. The best players in the world understand that without building their “inner game”, their outer game won’t flourish. It’s a sign of personal strength and wisdom to learn how to express your talents and skills rather than struggle and under perform.

Performance Insight:
 

• Your outer game is always a reflection of your inner game
• The better your inner game functions, the better your outer game
• Think of a musician. The best and most highly skilled musician cannot make an out of tune instrument play great music. The same is true for us. When our instrument is out of tune (the mind, body and emotions) we sabotage our efforts

The question is; is your game a reflection of the time, effort and money you’ve invested?