I HAVE BEEN PLAYING A LOT OF GOLF LATELY AND IT HAS MADE ME THINK ABOUT THE MENTAL GAME OF SPORTS AND HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THAT FOR SUCCESS.

Golf is known as one of the most frustrating and mentally challenging sports period. If you are an athlete, I am sure you have heard the famous Yogi Berra quote that "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical," but what is true in all sports is the mental aspect is always greater than the physical. Whether it be an 80/20 rule of mental challenge to physical challenge or whatever you may feel like the spread is, you cannot understate and underestimate the importance of the mental game of sport. 

Playing golf is one of the ways I learn to deal with failure, and if I am honest, I have struggled with that in the past and the battle is always one that I face, even as recently as this season during my time with the Gillette Mustangs. I admittedly confess that my time in Gillette, Wyoming did not have any challenge physically or my ability to play quarterback as I played very well during my time as a Mustang, however, I allowed external circumstances, such as rooming situations to add to overthinking and over-analyzing situations that made my life hard to deal with outside from the field. Overthinking and over analyzing is not always the best in dealing with challenges, let alone failure. So to take it back to golf, we tend to overthink things easily in this sport to the point that we begin to create bad new habits that ultimately lead to more sliced tee shots and an even bigger handicap at the end of the 18 holes. Which obviously leads to more frustration.

Anything in life is as complex or simple as we make it out to be. If something is complex and we break it down into simpler parts, we often will have much greater success – but we also don’t want to overanalyze something. In the game of golf, there are so many factors that can impact what we do on every single shot we take. Here are some examples:

ON THE GREEN:

Putting can be a real mental exercise for even the best golfers. We often overanalyze the greens and question our initial read by looking at every nook and cranny of the green. When we question ourselves like this, it often leads to simple mistakes and overcompensation. Trust what you are seeing and keep things simple, overthinking will result in a break that is most likely not there.

SIMPLIFY THE APPROACH:

Approach shots often present a difficult decision: which club do I hit? Maybe you're stuck in between a 7-iron and an 8-iron, and you just aren't sure whether a 7 is too much club or exactly what you need to clear the green side bunkers and land it safely on the green. Stick with what you're comfortable with – if you love to club up and swing softer when you're in between two clubs, go with that! Giving yourself too many options will often lead to inconsistencies and overthinking, and we know what comes along with that. Focus on the club you know you can hit and go from there.

DO NOT FREAK OUT ABOUT THE SCORE:

Nothing creates more frustration in the game of golf than overanalyzing scores. It's easy to get sucked into the trap of constantly thinking about your scores and how far over par you are, but remember that this kind of thinking will only lead to a lack of focus when it matters most. Keep your mind centered on each shot as you go, and try to focus the rest of your attention on a few parts of your game that are working for you – this will help you maintain a positive mindset as the round goes on.

TRUST YOUR PROCESS:

We've all been in a situation where we set up for an approach shot, backed away, set up, back away, repeat and repeat – just trust your first and second read and swing away! You can work yourself up and create even more stress by stepping off repeatedly to realign yourself, so trust your instincts and relax. This will lead to less overthinking and anxiety and will help improve your mental game.

TAKE A LESSON:

We all know the golfer who films every one of their swings, owns every swing aide tool ever made, and is constantly retooling their swing, yet still never seems to get over the hump. Don't be that person! Instead opt for a lesson – a teaching pro will oftentimes pick 1-2 smaller things to work on, so master those before jumping ahead to focus on 10 different cues and exercises.

You have to really trust yourself and your instincts out on the course. Stick to a brief routine and make sure you breathe, as this will help you keep things simple and reduce the risk of paralysis by analysis. Always remember how important the mental side of golf is – I like to think of what golf legend Bobby Jones once said: "competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears”. Keep your mind sharp out there and your game will follow suit!