Golf is, as often stated by the pros, mainly decided in the head. To train the head, many professional golfers resort to the help of sports psychologists. You can do something for your handicap by using simple sports psychology techniques in your non-golfing time, too. Goal-setting, for example, is easy to apply with a few tips and can improve your game.
What is Goal-setting?
Goal-setting describes the individual goal-setting process to optimize athletic performance. It distinguishes between three different goals: outcome goals, performance goals, and process goals. At the end of goal-setting is the outcome goal: "I want to become the club champion!" Before you can reach this goal, you have to create optimal circumstances. How is it possible to become a club champion? Performance and process goals help. For example, a performance goal might be hitting more greens in regulation: "I want to hit two more greens per round." A process goal can help achieve these performance goals. For example, knowing the hitting distances of each club and mastering the necessary swing would be helpful. However, in the upcoming club championship, more focus should be placed on the performance and process goals; the outcome goals can be inhibiting in competition and negatively impact athletic performance.
A helpful idea: The performance and process goals also look very good on the scorecard and may help you refocus before each hole.
SMART
You can easily set individual goals by using the SMART formula. The goals should be specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and timely. You can apply this formula not only in golf but also well off the course.
Hopefully, these thoughts will help you to improve your golf game this year.
Best regards and have fun practicing,
Julian Alexander Wehlmann
Psychology in Sport and Exercise - Student
