NO DOUBT!
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Karim Seddiki
Inspired by the singer Gwen Stephanie and her famous 90’s rock band titled No Doubt, the emotion of doubt has no place in our golf games.
When we are afflicted by the emotion of doubt, the mind moves back and forth between 2 possibilities. Should I hit 7 iron or 8 iron? Should I aim at the pin or the center of the green? Should I listen to my ‘Inner Caddy’ or listen to the ‘Inner Critic’? Joe Thiel, my swing coach for over 10 years, and Master PGA Instructor was recently quoted saying that “Insecurity and self doubt can immediately skew your motor skills.”
Because of the pace of the game, golf grants us plenty of time to be indecisive. One way to combat this is to create a quick and effective pre-shot routine. Do not spend very much time over the ball in your pre-shot routine. There will be too much space for doubtful thoughts and indecision to enter. An effective pre-shot routine should be fluid, efficient and create a connection to the target.
As an exercise to combat doubt and indecision, before every shot, simply state your TARGET and COMMITMENT. For example:
–I’m COMMITTING to a smooth tempo.—My TARGET is the pin.
–I’m COMMITTING to light grip pressure and finishing in balance.–My TARGET is the left edge of the hole.
–I’m COMMITTING to a deep breath before I putt.
The COMMITMENT should be:
1.) Something that you have 100% Control over.
2.) Positively stated.
3.) Something you Believe.
As with all the hindrances, doubt is a mental habit built up over many years. It’s our real experience on the golf course looking into our undermining mental habits that gives us the power to redirect our minds. Shifting our mindset to confident tendencies and 100% commitment on every shot. . .and then we can go rock out to the 90’s hits of No Doubt!
Dodie Mazzuca is the founder of Golf PROformance and teaches golf and mindset programs in Santa Cruz, CA.