Golf IQ How to stop negative thoughts over tricky shots
Nov 17, 2025
Will Irwin, Golf Digest Social Media Editor and scratch golfer, opens up about the mental challenges all golfers face. He shares compelling insights on how past mistakes can create 'scar tissue' that influences future shots. Irwin provides three actionable strategies to combat negative thoughts: stepping away to reset, acknowledging fears, and focusing on specific targets instead of broad outcomes. By adjusting expectations and easing into games, players can improve their mental game and enjoy golf more.
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Negative Thoughts Even For Good Golfers
- Will Irwin regularly gets negative thoughts over tricky chips and putts that
Pros Reset; Amateurs Get Stuck
- Pros experience indecision from processing many small factors which makes them more likely to reset before a shot.
- Amateurs often stay in the routine and cannot recover once a negative thought appears.
Skill Brings Scar Tissue
- Improved players can carry more pressure and thus more negative 'scar tissue' from past bad shots.
- Younger players without that baggage play freer and recover from mistakes more easily.