No more bad golf shots

It may surprise you to hear  that there is no such thing as a bad golf shot!  Every shot is the perfect and inescapable outcome of your combined physical, mental, and emotional inputs.

So why waste time labelling any shot as “bad” when instead we should be asking “What just happened?  Did I overlook some physical fundamental such as balance, posture, alignment or tempo? Was I  destabilized by some emotional intrusion such as fear of another mis-hit, worry about some hazard, or excessive self-consciousness?  Was I misguided by too many swing thoughts or simply lose my focus?      

Most golfers are eager to escape from and disown a “bad” shot as quickly as possible.  We’re taught to forget mis-hits immediately and get on with the next shot.  The “common wisdom” of golf is that the only shot that’s important is the next one.  This may be true for tournament play but not for practice and learning.  Stop thinking of any shots as “bad” and instead recognize them as learning opportunities.  

Another reason to eliminate the category of “bad” shot from our vocabulary is that it injects poison into our brain.  The very word itself, spoken out loud or sub-vocalized, triggers mental associations of failure or disappointment which then impact on subsequent shots.  Far too often I see golfers who create their own mental cloud of failure by constant self-criticism.   It’s known that a negative emotional reaction to a missed short putt can affect performance for up to 3 holes.  Let’s get off the emotional roller coaster we create  by the habit of labeling shots as bad. 

So, it’s time to realize that there is no such thing as a bad golf shot.  Imagine transforming your golf experience from one of self-criticism and frustration into a process that is endlessly fascinating and filled with real potential for learning and game improvement.