If you love the game of golf and you’ve been around it for any amount of time, you are very aware that the toughest six inches in golf are between the ears. In other words, the hardest part of golf is the mental hurdles you have to overcome.
Maybe you have tee box anxiety – not knowing if the ball is going to go left, right, straight, topped, or pop fly. Or you’re facing a three-foot putt that you would make one hundred percent of the time on the putting green, but when there’s a birdie on the line, you push it to the right and blow it past the hole by a foot. Either way, this game can be brutal. It can leave you standing there wondering, “What the hell just happened?” Especially when it’s a “simple” chip shot to give yourself a nice birdie opportunity, and you end up chunking it two feet or skulling it across and off the green entirely.
And to make things even worse, you can make a perfect shot on the very next swing—the one that doesn’t even matter. You know the one – that “just for practice” shot after you flubbed it… just to prove to yourself that you can actually do it. That’s where the saying “My B-player is a scratch golfer” comes from.
It’s Even Tough for the Pros!
You’ll even see this mental battle play out with the pros. One weekend, they win the Masters, and the very next weekend, they don’t even make the cut. I truly believe that this is part of what makes this game so addictive, because anyone, regardless of skill level, has the ability to hit a shot as good as a pro (even if it’s just once). And on the flip side, even the pros can hit shots just as badly as we amateurs.
Take Rory McIlroy as a perfect example. This past year at the Masters, on Sunday, playing hole 13 at Augusta National—Azalea – he was in a perfect position. He had just 82 yards left. A shot he’d put within five feet one hundred times out of one hundred on the practice green. And what does he do? He shanks it straight into the water.
He had the physical ability. He had the perfect lie. He had the right club in hand. And yet – splash. Double bogey. It dramatically reduced his chances of finally completing the career grand slam.
Fortunately, Rory is mentally strong enough to bounce back. He clawed his way back and ultimately won. But the question is – what do we amateurs do after a shank like that? We beat ourselves up. We call ourselves names. We say things out loud (or under our breath) that we’d never say to anyone else.
And for the sake of keeping this kid-friendly, I’ll let you fill in the blanks with the choice four-letter words you’ve probably heard – or said – after a bad shot. (Of course, you’d never do that…right?)
Becoming “That Golfer” – And Rising Above It
I remember when I first got into golf – it was just after grad school – and I’d be out playing with friends who were significantly better than I was. I’d laugh at them when they cursed themselves after hitting a bad shot. I honestly couldn’t understand how they could care that much or get that angry. At that time, I had no expectations. I was just happy to be outside, hanging out with the guys, drinking beers.
Back then, most of my shots were bad, and I knew it. So when I hit a good one, I was pleasantly surprised. I even remember saying, “I’ll never be that guy who gets pissed off about a bad shot.”
Fast forward a few years… and I started getting better. I started shaving strokes. And guess what happened? Yep – I became that guy. That golfer.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
I’m happy to say that it didn’t last long, though. Around that same time, I came across a quote from Bruce Lee that hit me like a ton of bricks:
“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy, and they cast spells – that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.”
For some reason, that quote really resonated with me. Like, deeply. It reminded me of another one of my all-time favorite quotes, this one from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you can’t – you’re right.”
Let that one sink in for a minute. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard truer words.
Now let’s bring this back to golf.
How many times have you stood on the tee box of a par 3 with water to the right, thinking, “Whatever you do, just don’t go right.” And what happens? The ball takes a huge turn to the right – splash – right into the water. How many times have you had your driver in hand, thinking, “Please don’t slice. Please don’t slice.” You even aim way left to compensate. And then what happens? Boom – banana slice, out of bounds.
This isn’t just a fluke. It’s not bad luck. And no, the water doesn’t have some weird magnetic pull that only attracts your golf ball. What’s happening is you’re reinforcing your own fears with your thoughts. And the more you say it – “Don’t slice,” “Don’t suck,” “Don’t go right” – the more you do just that.
Over time, this kind of negative self-talk can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Most golfers don’t even realize how powerful their thoughts are. Instead of changing the mental script, we just chalk it up to “that’s golf” or mumble, “Man, I suck.”
But here’s the truth: You don’t need a new driver. You don’t need to aim farther left. You just need to put more positive energy out into the universe – and get rid of that negative B.S.
Enough with the Negative
For a lot of golfers I’ve worked with, this is by far the fastest way to shave strokes off your scorecard. Most people are physically capable of hitting consistent shots. The problem is that they haven’t learned how to control their physical abilities, and that lack of control opens the door to negative thoughts and poor results.
Let me explain using something completely different: handwriting.
If you’ve written with your right hand your entire life, you could sit in a pitch-black room, blindfolded, and still write a legible paragraph. Why? Because your brain knows exactly how to control the muscles in your right hand and forearm. It’s automatic. Now try doing that same task with your left hand.
You know what the letters are supposed to look like. You’ve seen them your whole life. You even have the same anatomy in your left arm. But because you haven’t trained your brain to control those muscles in that way, your left-handed writing will look like that of a five-year-old.
You can imagine what to do, but you haven’t trained the movement. And this is exactly what’s happening in your golf swing.
We all have a pretty good idea of what the golf swing should look like. We’ve seen the videos, the breakdowns, the slow-motion replays. But nobody’s ever taught you how to train your brain to move your anatomy to create that swing.
Let’s go back to the handwriting analogy.
When kids learn to write, they don’t start with full paragraphs. They start by tracing dotted capital letters. Then lowercase letters. Then three-letter words. Then five-word sentences. They trace and trace and trace until eventually, they’re able to freehand a word…then a sentence…and finally a full paragraph.
In golf, we skip all those steps and jump straight to golf lessons where someone tells us how to swing. That would be like standing over my daughter’s shoulder, yelling instructions as she tries to write a paragraph, without ever letting her trace a single letter.
It would be an absolute disaster. We’d both end up frustrated and confused.
Sound familiar? Have you ever left a golf lesson feeling worse than when you showed up?
Well, that’s why.
Enter: The Berman Method of Golf Performance
My method is different. I don’t just coach the swing – I teach your body how to trace the letters. I help you train your brain to control your body so you can physically execute the movements required for a consistent swing.
Most of what I teach in my programs is exactly that – tracing letters. I put your body into golf-specific positions and help you recruit the right muscles in that position.
Over time, that builds confidence – because now you know how to move.
And when you step onto the course with confidence instead of doubt, everything changes.
Confidence leads to better outcomes. Better outcomes reinforce your confidence. Confidence breeds positive thoughts. Positive thoughts create positive energy.
And before you know it, that becomes your self-fulfilling prophecy.
Let’s Bring It All Full Circle
Golf can be so much more enjoyable with a simple mindset shift – from negative to positive. And the fastest, simplest way to do that is to “learn how to write.”
Let’s stop the madness of comparing your swing (your five-year-old handwriting) to a pro’s (a college professor’s essay) and just expecting results.
If this article resonates with you, the next step is simple: give me a call. I’ll tell you in five minutes over the phone whether I think we’re a good fit. No B.S., no pressure, and no wasting your time or money.
It’s time to ditch the negativity, stop beating yourself up, and start playing golf that’s consistent, enjoyable, and something you’re proud of.
Visit BermanGolf.com or search Berman Golf on all social platforms to learn more.
Dr. Jake Berman, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist and owner of Berman Golf, where they focus on helping aging golfers increase distance off the tee, shoot more consistently, and play more frequently. If you’re not ready to accept “getting old” as an excuse for a poor golf game, call Dr. Berman at 239.431.0232 to take advantage of a FREE 30-minute taster session!