A New Approach to Golf Psychology w/ Jared Tendler
Feb 27, 2023
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Mental performance coach Jared Tendler discusses his unique approach to golf psychology, including aligning expectations with reality, the concept of moving average, and managing high expectations. He also explores the psychology behind golf performance and offers tips for improving confidence and handling emotions. The episode concludes with a preview of Jared's upcoming book and opportunities for golfers to share their stories.
Accepting the dispersion of shots helps golfers handle variance and maintain confidence.
Negative thinking and emotions in golf are symptoms of underlying flaws, addressing them is crucial.
Embracing variance and developing mental resilience are key for improved golf performance.
Confidence in golf should focus on control and decision-making, rather than just outcomes.
Deep dives
Understanding the Nature of Golf Variance
The podcast episode discusses how golfers often underestimate the inherent variance in the game and struggle to accept it. Golfers tend to focus on the results and have a strong desire for control, leading to frustration and disappointment when things don't go as expected. The speaker emphasizes the importance of normalizing the dispersion of shots and understanding that your range of performance includes both good and bad shots. Accepting this reality can help golfers handle variance and maintain confidence even during challenging times.
Managing Negative Thinking and Self-Sabotage
The episode delves into the role of negative thinking and self-sabotage in golf performance. The speaker highlights that negative thoughts and emotions are not the root cause of poor performance but rather a symptom of underlying flaws or biases. The tendency to react negatively to bad shots or outcomes can contribute to a downward spiral. The speaker suggests focusing on understanding the nature of these emotions and addressing the underlying causes rather than trying to suppress or eliminate them. By reframing negative thinking and developing a better understanding of one's abilities and limitations, golfers can better manage their thoughts and emotions.
Embracing Variance and Building Mental Resilience
The podcast emphasizes the importance of embracing variance and developing mental resilience in golf. The speaker encourages golfers to prepare for their C game and normalize their dispersion of shots. Instead of striving for ideal, perfect performances, golfers should focus on consistently performing at their best given the circumstances. The speaker also highlights the value of taking pride in one's game, even during challenging times, and maintaining focus and engagement throughout a round. By managing expectations, embracing the realities of variance, and building mental resilience, golfers can enhance their performance and enjoyment of the game.
The Impact of Confidence and Accepting Outcomes
The episode discusses the influence of confidence in golf performance and the importance of accepting outcomes. The speaker highlights that confidence should not solely rely on positive results, but more on the golfer's perception of control and understanding of their own abilities. Golfers who can shift their focus away from outcomes and instead focus on executing their strategies and making objectively better decisions can better navigate the challenges of the game. By accepting the inherent uncertainty and volatility of golf, golfers can maintain a healthier mindset and ultimately improve their overall performance.
Improving performance through external focus
To train ourselves to handle pressure better, it is important to shift our focus externally, such as on our target or shot shape, rather than being internally focused on our own thoughts.
The drawbacks of taking mulligans
Taking mulligans can weaken our game because it removes the training effect and prevents us from developing the ability to play well without warm-up. By purposely putting ourselves in difficult situations on the golf course without any warm-up, we can make our game more resilient and improve our performance.
Understanding and managing tilt on the golf course
Tilt, which refers to suboptimal decision-making after a negative experience, can hinder our performance on the golf course. Different types of tilt, such as entitlement tilt and injustice tilt, can be caused by high expectations, anger, or frustrations. Recognizing the signs of tilt and implementing strategies like disruption, injecting logic, and adopting a strategic mindset can help mitigate the impact of tilt on our game.
Jared Tendler is a mental performance coach to professional golfers, traders, and poker players and a best-selling author. We explore his unique approach and how his methods go beyond conventional golf psychology to get to the root of issues. You're going to learn a lot in this episode about how your mind works on the golf course!
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