Mental game
Common Mental Traps Related to Mental Game
For a calmer pre-shot routine, the thinking traps that turn one poor swing into several poor decisions.

Where the mind wanders
The mental game gets messy when golfers time-travel. For a calmer pre-shot routine, they replay the last miss, jump ahead to a score, or imagine what the group thinks. For a calmer pre-shot routine, none of that helps the next strike. For a calmer pre-shot routine, golf allows useful mishits, and the card does not ask whether the contact sounded perfect.
Better replacements
| Mental Game trap | Cleaner replacement |
|---|---|
| “Don’t hit it left” (a calmer pre-shot routine) | “Start it at the right edge” |
| “I always fail here” (a calmer pre-shot routine) | “One balanced finish” |
| “I need birdie” (a calmer pre-shot routine) | “Give myself a putt” |
For a calmer pre-shot routine, your body tends to follow the clearest picture you give it.