Why You Need This:

If you were a caddy, I’d fire you!

OK, maybe you don’t need to fire yourself just yet.

But you likely could use some tips on how to manage your mental game during a round.

Watch this video now to learn TSG Sports Psychology Instructor Dr. Thad Leffingwell’s tips for managing your mental game.

Upgrade your caddy (you!)…

And shoot lower scores by making great decisions on the course!

What's Covered: Learn how to continually monitor your game from hole to hole.

Golf Pros Featured:

Instructors Featured: Thad Leffingwell    

Video Duration: 3:33

Video Transcription:

Hi guys. I’m Doctor Thad Leffingwell, sports psychology instructor with Top Speed Golf.

I have a question for you. Should you fire yourself on the golf course? In this video, I’ll explain how you should evaluate that, and how you can avoid getting fired.

I’ll bet you were like me, and enjoy watching the best golfers in the world compete on television. With HD, shot tracers, and expert commentators, they put on a pretty amazing show.

One of my favorite parts of televised golf is when they pick up the conversations between caddies and their players.

I have a mental game tip today that borrows from the wisdom of these conversations to help you play your best golf and enjoy golf more.

Professional caddies have a simple goal, help their player get the most out of their abilities any given day, and post the lowest score possible.

They don’t get to use a club, or make a swing, so they really focus on the psychological aspects of their players. They make sure their players make good decisions, remain relaxed, positive, and confident, and focused on the next shot above all else.

The best caddies choose their words carefully, and say no more than absolutely necessary. While they are mostly positive, sometimes they deliver tough love. Even when they do that, it is always respectful.

The number one goal for a professional caddy is never be a distraction and make sure everything they say adds value to the player and helps them perform.

Now most of us aren’t lucky enough to play golf with professional caddies, we are on our own out there. When we are alone with our thoughts, most of us engage in what we call self-talk, or the conversations that we have with ourselves.

Unfortunately, for many players the self-talk we engage on is not terribly helpful, it is full of doubt and second guessing, criticism, and often even insults that I can’t repeat on video.

Compliments are pretty rare.

If you were your own caddy, you should probably be fired. Now I could give you simple advice like be positive, but that wouldn’t be realistic or likely very effective. I recommend that you try actually taking the role caddying yourself seriously during your next round.

Talk yourself through decisions. Never let your self-talk drift back to past shots. Compliment yourself when it is deserved, and if tough love is needed, do that too but be respectful to yourself.

One other trick the best caddies often use is a good lesson for us. If you listen carefully, you notice that they often have a last word to their players before they enter into their pre-shot routine.

They might say things like tempo, or target. This last word is used to mark the end of the dialog and transition into the shot with a quiet mind.

I recommend using the same strategy with yourself. Choose a trigger word to initiate your pre-shot routine, and don’t allow any thinking until after the shot has been executed.

So next time you play, take a caddy to the course with you that can help you play your best golf. If you become aware of self-talk that isn’t helpful, fire yourself. Identify a trigger word to initiate the pre-shot routine and quiet the mind.

Play well, and have fun.

If you like this video and want more mental games tips like this, please let us know.