I recently went back to playing golf after a two-month layoff due to a knee injury. In truth the knee was not better but progress was so slow and the golf season coming to an end I couldn’t wait any longer. I strapped up the knee and off I went.  

For me, golf is not just a hobby but also a “look forward to” instrument that helps me put my head down during the week knowing I have something to look forward to on a Sunday morning. Similar if you book a night out or a weekend getaway, it's a treat for all your hard work and keeps you going.  

Golf is also the closest thing I can get to pure mindfulness. When I step onto the course it's like I pass into a curiosity bubble with my only concerns on the shot, the next shot and all the related things ‘N’ stuff I try to master as I go about trying to tame a game that can’t ever be controlled. 

The golf course is a hostile environment from a control point of view and you take full charge and control of around 2% of the technical aspect of the game and that % does little to help you score. I.e., you can rake the bunker or take out the flag, put your ball on the tee, check yardage and walk to the next hole etc. But everything else that enables you to technically score cannot be fully controlled, only worked with. Skill can be gained and you will get more consistent but every shot is different with a different lie. This is why you see outtakes of golfers breaking their clubs and throwing their golf balls into lakes, they are in their heads trying to perfect the shot that cannot be fully commanded while working to stay positive and Zen like. We love to hate golf but we always come back for more because we never know what the next shot will bring. One weekend you can do no wrong and the next weekend you are buying a new driver because the old one must be the problem. 

Now I know professional golfers have supreme command and control over their shots compared to the mere amateur mortals. But Pro’s cannot control their swings 100% of the time and if they step away at all for a time or have a lapse in mindset, it can go wrong for them very quickly especially when their margins for error for a win are so small.   

So where does mindset come into things? Well after returning from my layoff I had little expectations in my form and I knew it would take some time to get back playing well, that’s what I started to tell myself anyway. But I decided that going in with a limiting mindset would do nothing to help the situation so I focused on the only thing I could 100% control and that was my mental performance and elevating it to the top priority over my swing. The plan was a straightforward:

1. A simple and repeatable routine for each shot including putts – stick to it 

2. The Practice swing – the only deliberate technical swing thought
   I had 4 swing movements I wanted to do smoothly for each shot and I thought about these and practiced them in this swing. If the swing didn’t go well, I’d do another practice swing.  

3. The Actual shot – the habit based on feel
   No swing thoughts, only “feel” that I was in the position and ready to release. All based on feel from my practice swing.

4. Operate a “let it go” and “Next shot” mindset between shots - Choosing how you feel and think
   This is where performance and coaching training came to fore and bringing control to the only thing you can on the course, how you choose to feel and think when it doesn’t go your way. I have 8 concepts or tools that I call on and practice as needed. All mindset techniques that over time can become routine with practice. For example: A trigger that signals the end of the shot and any thoughts about it and the start of the walk to the next shot.

So, 4 steps to think about and follow through on during the round and not too many so you will forget or tie yourself up in process thoughts on the course. When you do veer from the approach it becomes very noticeable so you fall back in line with the plan easier than you think. It’s not as easy to do this however when you are in the thick of it and if you are playing well and moving through the 3 mindset zones to winning (concept for another day's article) as the pressure ramps up as you progress. It’s at this time however you need your 4 step process even more with some extra mindset mechanisms thrown in depending on what zone you’re in.

Since I hadn’t played the game in a while, my senses we’re very attuned to how my playing partners were managing their mindset and controlling their “let it go” and “next shot” approach. Poor mindset and control here nearly always impacted scoring and left untreated always aggregated so graduation through the 3 mindset zones to a potential win could never happen. As happened in both of my first two rounds back where one of my playing partners took to throwing golf balls away and into lakes.

But how did I perform over my first two rounds back?

My first weekend back I played a stableford competition and I scored 34 points and 2 points below playing to my handicap, plus I scratched three holes where I counted no score. All up I was very happy and with my mindset as scratching three holes could have made me lose interest and kick off bad mindset thoughts.

My second round was a strokes monthly medal competition and I beat my handicap by one shot. I had the joint second-best score for the weekend so all up a fine performance. I moved through all 3 of the mindset zones that day but unfortunately when it mattered the most I let myself down and it wasn’t a swing issue but a mindset lapse. But super learning when I reflected on the experience.

Focusing on my golf mindset performance process was a very rewarding experience and I look forward to the next weekend to see if I can stick to the process and catch myself when I veer from it before I do too much damage.

As you get back playing after a layoff your swing thoughts grow stronger and you find yourself tinkering with what is working and a lot of times it results in lacklustre performance. So I will stick to the plan and keep improving the mindset process and leave my swing alone, for now.

Yours in mindset control,