Staying Motivated ...

Crash! The clubs hit the floor in the corner of the changing rooms. Thump! The sound that the golfer made, dropping heavily onto the bench after another bad round. "I am gonna sell those darn clubs and get a new hobby!". The ensuing silence was punctuated only by the others, changing as quietly as they could. They recognised the signs of false discouragement but knew better than to speak at that time. After all, this latest defeat was aginst a gal who could beat the club pro 50% of the time so losing by just 8 strokes was really a good achievement. Trouble was, the golfer had been playing better players regularly for a couple of months now and had not won much.

False discouragement (which is discouragement not based on facts) can place you in a position of defeat. Repeated defeats are not good for your ego. You must have some successes to keep from getting discouraged.

30 minutes later in the 19th, the golfers buddies plucked up the courage to talk. From that conversation came these practical golf tips that any golfer can use to avoid false discouragement ...

Tip 1
Do not play with golfers (on a regular basis) who are better than you are unless the handicaps are such that you win at least half of the time.

Tip 2
Do not limit yourself to players who always outdrive you in the hope that you will learn from them. You won't. Get a golf training DVD and practice as much as you can in the backyard or on the driving range.

Tip 3
Do not increase your betting when you will have to come from behind to win. You will just get more upset about losing more money on the golf course!

Tip 4
Do not bet against poorer golfers if they demand handicaps which will almost certainly ensure their winning.

Tip 5
Do not attempt golf shots you do not have in your bag. Unless you practice a tricky golf shot, it is almost certainly going to fail under the stress of playing it cold in a comp.

Tip 6
Do not lie about your golf score or true handicap. It is better psychologically to win in a lower flight than to lose in a higher one. Play at the right level for your skills.

Tip 7
Do not concede any putts to yourself or your opponent that can be missed. You may think you are playing badly, when in reality you are playing your regular game.

Tip 8
Do not pull against your golf opponent.

Tip 9
Do not play with people who increase your anxiety. Avoid being stressed if you fluff a shot that you normally make. It is OK not to be perfect!

And here is a bonus golf tip - keep a golf journal so that you can see how well you are really playing, especially important when playing out of your league.

So when you are feeling discouraged, think of the good shots that you usually play. Get things in perspective, if you played Tiger or the Great White Shark, would you expect to win? Hey, golf is supposed to be a game of funkeep it that way and you can enjoy it for the rest of your life.

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