Do you have The Winning Persona to play better golf?

  Golf is back and in full swing.  Courses are packed, ranges are hard to get on to practice.  Since golf really is one of the only things you can do without restrictions due to the Covid virus, are you making the most of your time and effort?  Are you succeeding with your golf or are you still struggling?

An interesting way to assess your golf game is to look yourself in the mirror and see what type of Persona do you portray to others (and yourself) when you play or practice?  Upon reflection of ones self you can easily see you have different personalities in different situations daily.  You have a business personality for work, a family personality if your a parent, a social personality around others.  In golf you also have your unique personality when you practice or play.  Is your current golf persona helping or hurting you?

Lately the growth of the game is surging and with this so are my opportunities to evaluate new players swings.  In a typical Swing Evaluation I give I will ask the golfer is there a particular player you like to watch based on their swing?  Or perhaps is there a player who performs extremely well that they would like to emulate?  A very large number of players really have no player they mention for either the swing or player success.

Yesterday I had a 16 handicap player come to me stating he wishes to break 80 consistently.  This is a very typical scenario I see each week.  Golfers want to improve and become more consistent.  However a missing piece for the average golfer is they believe that if the swing improves, the magical consistent play will follow.
It is true, a better swing will increase your chances of success.  But many golfers will self sabotage themselves because the persona they exude on the course is not that of a successful golfer.  Many times there persona is one of fear, anxiety and doubt.   Winning golfers do not have these characteristics.  

In my Alchemy Series that I coach players in I really push buttons inside each individual forcing them to see what their current inner beliefs they have about themselves.  This is a very difficult task for many because their ego does not like being examined.  Your ego has control of you and it believes its actions and habits suffice enough to be successful.  If this was really true golfers would not keep coming for lessons to be more consistent.

From a mental aspect most players I begin to coach I see have a poor vision of what they wish to create because it is not specific enough.   This allows the ego to stay comfy and in control.  When I press players to be more diligent in practice and the basics of good practice most may improve this diligence but it does not last long.  Of course professional golfers and their caddies know sound practice fundamentals are always needed.  If they slack in any basic area, there paycheck will be less.  It is that simple.

Solid strong players who play well have a winning persona.  It takes time to do this and when someone is younger they learn those traits in other sports.  Successful golfers take those personality traits of success, no fear, determination and unwavering will to win and they constantly apply it in their game on the course and range.  The average player working on their golf game lacks this winning persona.

You are probably one of those who lack this or at minimum you have areas in your golf game you could be better at with a better persona to succeed.  In fact many golfers continue to self sabotage their efforts with poor thought patterns and habits.   95% of your daily actions are subconscious programs you have running in your mind.  Basically this means these habits control you each day.  They control when and how you go to work, what you eat, how you react to work environment or home and of course they control how you react to any situations you face in golf on the course or the range.

This persona you portray must change just like you believe your swing must change to be a better player.
This means your mental outlook must improve.  How you react to bad shots on the course will have to change.  How you practice will have to be evaluated and it too will have to have a persona change to help you improve.

Winning golfers all have a strong vision and will to succeed.  Failure is not an option.  Persistence is needed for success.  A winning mindset is the norm for any good golfer.  This means that if a fairway is missed the hole is not lost.  You can still get to the green and save par or salvage bogey.  It also means that you can strive to make more pars than normal or more birdies than normal.

The trap here is that your ego is in control and it likes things as they are.  Your ego and subconscious programming does not take to change of thoughts and beliefs too well.  But here is where you have to dig in and find a new you.  The winning you, the tenacious you, the successful you.  

A new persona is needed.  A different mindset. It is not all about the swing.  Your mind holds the vision of your path for success. So if you wish to be successful and improve in your golf, your mindset will have to change.

The above picture is of our Winning GOLFTEC Cup team from last October.  The 6 players in the picture with me were determined to win.  They put in countless hours of practice, 2-3 practice rounds at Maderas Golf Club prior to the event.  Each player fed off each other convincing each other they would win.  

They won the Cup by over 20 shots.  Was it just the swing that won.  No, it included a winning persona of success, a will to stay in each hole in each match they played against there opponent.  Our GOLFTEC Cup will be held again this October.  These players and others I coach are starting to prepare to keep the cup and retain our bragging rights of being winners.  Winning successful mindsets are needed in golf.  If you lack this, start to change your persona on the course and the range.  A child loves to emulate a hero, your hero could be a tour player or just the vision of a greater you with longer straighter drives, lower scores and more fun when you play.  Be bold and look for the new you.....the old you will only get yourself so far.  How has that been working for you?

Tighten up your belt, stand taller and take on a new persona!  When you do, your play will improve.