How do I control my thoughts out on the golf course?

How do I control my thoughts out on the golf course?

In short, you can't. And we can't. No one can. Life would be massively different if we could.

The belief that we can control our thoughts is erroneous, untrue, and an exhausting pursuit.

Take this for example: Have you ever lost you keys, forgotten someone's name, or missed your turn off of an exit?

What happened then? If we could control our own thoughts, would we have allowed those things to happen?

The evidence of our own life experience directly contradicts the belief that we're in control of what we think about.

This belief that we do control our thoughts and state of mind is exactly why most golfers find the mental game so confusing!

Trust me the irony isn't lost on me. I've spent years of my own golfing career attempting to manipulate thoughts, feelings, and my own state of mind.

When a thought that I didn't care for entered into my awareness, I would attempt to change it or banish it completely.

If you've ever tried to do this, you know how frustrating the pursuit can be. The more I resisted the thought, the more it persisted.

The more we can understand the nature of thought and how it works, the better.

The good news is, we don't need to control the thoughts that enter into our awareness in order to play good golf.

Think back to a round or a shot that you played where you were completely 'prepared' to play, but didn't perform well.

Conversely, I sure we've all had rounds where we were a little tight and anxious, but we ended up surprising ourselves and playing our best.

I'm not suggesting that we don't prepare. What I'm suggesting is that we simply observe our thoughts and feelings casually instead of trying to resist, banish, manipulate, or control them. This is ultimately exhausting and will diminish your overall awareness of the experience of what is taking place right in front of you.