10 Ways Soft Anxiety Affects Your Golf

Anxiety
(n.) a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease typically about something with an uncertain outcome
also known as..... GOLF
Ready to save a couple of shots a round?
Of course you are! Who isn’t?
Here’s the thing, most golfers just ignore their emotions on the golf course unless they are HUGE: a club-throwing temper, cuss-filled frustration, or nerves that make teeing up a ball difficult.
These more obvious emotions CLEARLY make scoring difficult.
But what I want you to notice are the soft (subtle) emotions that seem easier to brush under the rug and ignore.
Soft anxiety, as I call it, can ride with you all day or hang around for a few holes.
Perhaps you think it is just “part of the game”, or “no big deal” or you can “muscle through it”.
And then you become numb or oblivious to them.
Yet this could be why scoring your best and enjoying the game consistently are a struggle.
Your emotions (anxious, nervous, angry, frustrated, etc) control your actual swing, your tempo, and your focus. The more time you spend not in a preferred emotional state the less likely you are to take all of your talent to the course, the less consistent your play and the more frustrated you are at the end of a round.
Emotional management is the KEY to playing your personal best golf and it’s a learned skill that you have to intentionally work on just like you work on your short game and full swing.
Over the course of the next few days, you’ll receive an email with a tip or tactic to help you tackle all 10 of the situations listed in the pdf below.
I encourage you to start with simply noticing WHEN soft anxiety impacts your play. (If it is not your golf season then reflect on a previous round. The off season is a great time to work on your golf brain.)
Most likely you notice it after the fact, after the shot.
Then you will notice it during play.
The final stage is to tackle it and be armed with strategies BEFORE you swing.
Think of it…even if this helped on a couple swings or a couple holes, you could save yourself several shots a round not to mention peace of mind.
Stay patient. You got this.