Another Mental Golf Question to Ask Yourself

It was great to see Dustin Johnson win the BMW Championship on Sunday. He has experienced a summer that some have called "catastrophic," scoring an 82 at Pebble Beach, blowing his chance at The Barclays three weeks ago, and then throwing away the PGA Championship last month after inadvertently grounding his club in a sand bunker, leading to a two-shot penalty on the last hole at Whistling Straits. Then after all this, he comes through at Cog Hill on Sunday and beats Paul Casey by a shot for the biggest win of his career. A strong mental golf mindset, with some changes and growth along the way, was certainly a key part of this victory. Johnson could have really crumbled and continued to beat himself up over those mistakes and losses, likely distracting his focus and confidence and finishing the season in a slump. Instead, he looked at these experiences in a more upbeat, productive way. He learned from them and moved on rather than dwelling in frustration and negativity. In an interview after the victory, Johnson said, "I've had some failures, but I don't know if I'd call them failures. I've had a few mishaps. Pebble taught me a lot. That's where I learned the most...I (have) learned to be patient and not rush things. I didn't rush any shot today. Just take things slow." Kudos to Johnson for getting himself back on track and finding something good and helpful in some challenging situations. In light of this healthy mental golf outlook, ask yourself this question: Am I handling my own errant shots or poor playing in a positive, productive way or a negative, limiting way? In essence, are you fueling more frustration and mistakes or cultivating something new and better? The answer can give you some great insight and direction for developing new mental practices that are more conducive to positive golf experiences and success rather than frustration and anxiety.

Here's to great golf!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
TheHeartofGolf.com