Confidence building for young golfers

One of the challenges of being a young person is dealing with what feels like constant comparison to other people. This is true at school, in social circles, at home, and on the golf course.

What many young people inevitably do during this time of analysis is begin to feel somewhat insecure about certain aspects of who they are. “I’m shorter than everyone.” “I am taller than everyone.” “I’m skinnier than everyone.” “I’m heavier than everyone.”

This type of thinking seeps into golf, creating insecurities about the game. “I can’t hit as far as most kids.” “I don’t play as well as him.” “We don’t have that much money, so I don’t get the instructions that she gets.”

When this happens inside one’s head, it is very difficult to “play your own game.” Instead, young players often try to be someone they are not, try to keep up with what everyone else is doing, or try to do things that are not in their capacity.

This emphasis on what others are doing not only damages a player’s confidence, but also regularly affects field management decisions. Among the common mistakes:

o Unconsciously pulling the driver out of his bag to hit him as far off the tee as possible.

oAutomatically pull the 3-wood for the second shot on a Par 5.

o Consistently “under clubs” by falsely believing that certain clubs are hit more than the actual results indicate.

oMake high risk/low reward shot selection decisions.

oSwinging the club harder to try to hit it further.

The solution to this is to be honest and objective about the strengths and abilities that you bring to the field as a player. This is what is known as “playing within yourself”. Once you recognize and acknowledge what works for you, you will begin to play the game the way that is best for you, instead of playing the game to try to do what others are doing or the way you think it should be done. . .

The truth is, whether judging others in life or in golf, we will always find someone who is better than us at something. It’s hard to get our ego out of the way and stay when our competitor can get there in two. It’s emotionally difficult to hit a 5-iron on a Par 3 hole when our competitor hits a 9-iron. It’s challenging to continue doing what you’re doing if you see a competitor who is successful doing something different.

In life, those who are constantly following others lose their sense of who they really are. In golf, those who get distracted by others often get lost in constantly changing their game. Be like the best players in the world. The most successful golfers of any age figure out what they’re good at, understand what works for them, and then commit to sticking with it.

Be the best player with what you have, instead of trying to be something you’re not.