The mental side of the game of golf can make or break you as a player. We get lessons and work really hard on our swings, hitting ball after ball, chip after chip, and putt after putt. But what are we doing to work on our mental game?

Learning the different aspects of being in the moment and hitting the shot we want to hit especially when the pressure is on is important. Here are some differences of both sides of your brain and what they do.

•  Your conscious mind commands and your subconscious mind obeys.
• Your subconscious mind also does best controlling your motor skills.
• In golf which requires using motor skills, the golfer will get best results when they don’t think.
• Letting your conscious brain get involved can create awkwardness in our bodies.
• When you have doubt over a shot your conscious brain will become involved.
• It is important to keep your conscious mind quiet while performing. Having confidence will help keep the conscious part out of the way.

Webster defines optimism as a hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something. Here are some synonyms of optimism; confident, hope, and positive attitude. When we think of the different situations we get in on the course, using situational optimism or confidence in the situation will help us execute the shot. Situational optimism is just having a positive outcome expectancy for a specific situation. We should have the expectation of a good result rather than a bad result. Trust what your doing and let your subconscious brain work for you. Optimism will not guarantee anything in golf but it does improve your chances.