During the practice of golf, as in any sport and physical activity, there are numerous aspects, physical and mental. The latter aspects and how they influence the player are what we will discuss today.

· The expectations: we all step out onto the links with a series of ideas to do with our game, with the course, with our equipment, with our physical condition, etc. Depending on all of that we anticipate and predict the results. At the end of the game, we involuntarily compare the real results with the expectations we had. Two situations can come about: one positive in which the real results are better than the prospects (for example, a better swing or lower handicap), one negative which is the exact opposite. In the case of players that begin practicing golf the expectations work by “hooking” the golfer. However, for players with a lower handicap the expectations prove detrimental. In this case we must review other psychological aspects which we’ll discuss now, but above all managing to minimize expectations in favour of realistic rationale and judgements.

· Locus of control: this refers to a place in which we locate the origin of the results. For example, if we were in the situation that today we’ve hit more strokes than could be expected, we could consider that the course was in bad condition or that today we’ve had bad luck. These explanations place the origin of the results outside ourselves. An external locus of control is not positive in sport, as our responsibility over external factors is minimal: we can’t change the other players, the course, the climate, luck. It is preferable to centre our reflections on our own capacities, an internal locus of control, as in “today I was not focused” or “I had problems tackling the green” as we can work on our own capabilities, abilities and responsibility.

· Emotion and our dialogue: emotions affect our performance while practicing the game. Coming to the course upset, sad or anxious will make bringing out our best game harder. When detecting our emotions it is important to observe that inner dialogue we all have. Erradicating defeatism, fatalism, extremisms, polarised good/bad situations and “I should have” and the “I should)” is basic. That way we’ll reduce the guilt and we’ll improve our emotional state.

· Attention, concentration and planning: being able to hold our attention the required time is fundamental in golf, especially on the green. We have to fight against distractions, but above all, we must be capable of improving our concentration. To achieve this, there are relaxation techniques (also of interest for managing our emotions) and visualisation techniques.

· Personality achievement motivation: Although golf is a competitive sport, more than anything it is an exercise in self-improvement. The motivation towards success is good. But in certain cases it can be a big problem that can end up limiting our results. Above all, we must remember that we’re playing for fun and that there are better days and worse days. As a recommendation, helping another player, teaching them for a while, not thinking of our needs but of theirs ends up being a very gratifying exercise which can disentangle our own difficulties.

César Lázaro González
Psicosol Marbella