How to Be a Mentally Tough Golfer

Lanny Bassham won an Olympic gold medal shooting a rifle. Now he’s trying to help golfers of all ages and skill-levels shoot lower scores.
Bassham was near the top of his sport when he realized how a mental edge – or lack thereof – could mean the difference between winning and losing.
“Like a lot of athletes, I didn’t pay much attention to the mental aspects of my sport. When I competed in the Olympics in 1972, I discovered that my competition had an advantage,” Bassham said. “I still won the silver medal, but I felt inept and I needed to improve mentally.”
Bassham interviewed several gold medal winners on how they trained mentally, studied the works of mental experts and won the Olympic gold medal four years later. The culmination of his research and positive results drove him to develop his own program and techniques that can be used in all sports.
Bassham’s list of sports clients grew to include PGA pros such as Rich Beem, Justin Leonard and Fred Funk. His audio CD “What Every Golfer Should Know First About The Mental Game” details how golfers at every level can improve their game through better mental management.
“So many mental techniques are applicable to golf,” Bassham said. “I really encourage parents to expose their kids to the mental aspects of golf and any sport when they are young. More and more of the kids they are competing against are adding mental management to their training.”
Bassham’s mental management breaks down performance into three functions:
1.    Conscious – Your thoughts
2.    Sub-conscious – Your skills
3.    Self-image – Your habits, attitudes and how you feel about yourself.
Any weakness or doubt that sneaks into the chain can bring bad habits and negative reinforcements full circle.
“We all have little or no training when it comes to understanding our self-image,” Bassham said. “Do not beat yourself up after a bad shot. This can become a bad habit that negatively affects your game. Instead, reason why your approach or swing resulted in that shot.”
Negative self-image can also come from outside sources. Bassham said children and teenagers are not unlike adults when it comes to dwelling on the worst aspects of their performance.
“After a game, instead of asking your children ‘How did you do?’ ask them, ‘What did you learn today?’ This puts the focus on improvement rather than mistakes,” Bassham said.
Bassham also teaches golfers how to break down each shot in a way that will not hurt the rest of the round. He categorizes each shot sequence into three phases:
1.    Anticipation – Your thoughts before each swing.
2.    Action – Your physical and mental execution during each swing.
3.    Reinforcement – Your thoughts immediately after each shot.
Instead of pounding your club into the turf or shouting out your disapproval of a slice or hook, Bassham instructs golfers to maximize their reinforcements by breaking down each shot into three descriptions:
1.    Okay
2.    Great
3.    Needs work
“When you hit a bad shot, ask yourself how you can improve your next shot,” Bassham said. “If you spend time between shots evaluating each shot instead of having an emotional reaction, you can avoid taking your next shot still feeling those negative reinforcements.”