Key for me is just having a short memory. You can't change what's already happened so there is no need to keep thinking about it. Just concentrate on what you're going to do next. This works for any sport not just golf.

Agree that it is necessary to forget and carry on. I just seem to dwell on what I did wrong and that creeps into my thought process as I line up for my next shot as in I just fatted a shot so I'll thin the next one because I told myself "don't hit it fat this time stupid". I really do need to just let it go.

It's just mental conditioning. If you ever played another sport I think it makes the mental side of golf easier. I played D3 basketball and played baseball. If I missed a 3 I never once thought about missing the next one. Same with baseball. Last AB didn't matter. Go out there and get a hit this time. Just apply that to golf. Don't dwell on that fat shot. Concentrate on hitting the next one on the green or in the fairway. Also realize golf is hard. If it was easy I'd be on the senior tour right now making tons of money and I'd charge you for this advice. Haha. Seriously though, good luck on getting through this.

A friend of mine is on the Champions Tour, he's a legit +4-6 handicap and his game travels very well, he'll be the first to tell you that even at his level, the mental side is excruciating at times. Rotella says hit the reset button as many times as you need to, just keep grinding. If you watched Keegan on Sunday, the last 4-5 holes, that was nerves showing, and it's perfectly normal. Thank the lord for big leads!

Feel your pain. Had back issues last year and did not know what to do because my game was so bipolar. Went to neurosurgeon in December and put the clubs down, went for Physical Therapy for five months. Have been back playing for the past month. Going to our Senior Center working out with the fitness machines hoping to strengthen my core and assist with my timing. My bipolar has to do with my swing and tempo. Still having that problem with the the high number clubs. Working with a PGA teacher. Trying to get my brain and body in sinc.
At my age, 76, it ain't easy. He keeps reminding me it take time, but "you are improving". Tells me I am striking the ball well, but those bad shots are killing my scores. The positive reinforcement, encouragement and guidance are helpful. Just my 13 cents worth. Time is something I have.

I have a similar issue! it would seem that recently the more i practice the worse i get. this week i am giving myself a week off from golf then going back with a lesson and fresh head!!!

To repeat a line from the movie "Goodfellas".....Fuhgeddaboudit!

Seriously....as JYoung said "focus on what you're going to do next".

My game is the same way, except when I’m hitting good shots I start taking peeks at my shot before I hit them. A bad habit to get out of. I try not to linger too much on that and refocus on the next shot. Still a game in progress. Have fun and bomb down the middle

A good beer and a cigar usually works ")

HaHa. Can't say that this hasn't crossed my mind a time or two.

Sounds like the issue is how you approach the game

Certainly don't dwell on what has gone but think positive for the next shot

We all have those days, rounds, or even shot to shot issues. Proper instruction helps, quality practice helps, a good mental check helps, and sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and move on. If you look at the statistics for armature golfers and what the average is for them to break 100, 90, 80 or even 70, you would not be so hard on yourself.

Enjoy this great game for what it is, smell the fresh cut grass and don't beat yourself up. Life is short!

Jim A.

Check out the Imagine Golf phone app. Imagine Golf features short, mental-game tips and inspiring wisdom from some of the game’s most successful players, teachers, writers, course architects, commentators, statisticians, and psychologists. I enjoy it and listen to a tip a day.

Mine is just Polar. Cold all the time.

It's so hard to stay focused for 4 hours plus. Too much to ask. For me, I try to give my mind breaks during the round. If I am in a cart, and I am away I will start to narrow my focus as I am approaching the ball. From there I get yardage, and any other incidentals needed for club selection. Once the club is picked, I find a target. Here I get a detailed as I can. (Aim small miss small). It could be the flag, a spot on the green, a tree branch in the distance. More detailed the better, same applies to tee shots.

Goal from there is simple, if I "hit" my target the shot is successful. My target is not the flag sometimes or the center of the fairway, it could be a proper place to miss.

After my shot is done, I let my mind wander to anything, mainly things that are light and funny to keep relaxed. When it's my time to hit again, process begins all over again. These little 60 second breaks between shots really help.

Somedays it's easier than others for sure but it's a good place to start.

A good way to practice is talk to yourself as you are opening a door or turning on a faucet. "I raise my right arm, using my right hand I grab the doorknob and turn it to the right, then I pull the door toward me....etc" Yes, sounds silly but the more you can describe to yourself what you are doing the easier you can apply to the course. "I want to start this ball at the right branch of 7 leaves just off the left side of the fairway and let the shot tail off right to the dead spot in the left center of the fairway...."

Hope this helps.

I like the describe what your doing idea. I kind of do that but not to that degree. I'll put a little more effort into it. I laughed when I read that though because I've had to start describing how I lock my door and make sure it's locked in the morning. My senior brain wanders and when I get in my car I start thinking "did I lock the door?" So I get out walk back and check the door. Yeah I'm old.....

I know how you feel! It is so frustrating and impossible to see coming. I have just been through a super rough couple of years with my game - handicap went from 8 out to 14!!
Mine was confidence and getting my mind to believe I can play. My real turning point came when I went back to my first ever golf club, a nine hole course. I played 18 holes on my own just enjoying my old track, I reminisced about how I learnt the game in a place where I had no pressure.
I promise you by the start of the back 9 I was back, my rhythm was back and then I started to back myself and play shots I knew I could - not play them with caution and all the swing thoughts that distract me from rhythm.
This happened in January - my handicap is now down to 9 and I love the game again.

Glad to see you're heading back in the right direction. I will talk to myself after a bad shot. I often say: "You know how to play the game. Just do it." That's why I get frustrated. I know how to play the game and what to do with each shot. It's the connection between my brain and my body that disappears for a while and I get aggravated.