Confidence is such an asset in golf, it can be the difference in having a poor round versus a great round.
When you’re standing over a tee shot and execute your drive to the ideal landing spot? Nothing’s better. When you strike the perfect approach shot with a club you’ve typically struggled with? Amazing. When you limit two-putts and sprinkle in more one-putts? Nothing better. And when things are clicking, it promotes positivity on the golf course.
But what about when you’re dealing with a disappointing loss, or your game feels a little off? How do you restore confidence in yourself to perform your best?
Three-time major champion Jordan Spieth has some thoughts on that.
Asked about his mindset after disappointing losses — specifically at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished tied for fourth at seven under — Spieth said one trick he uses is focusing on the positives and using those to his advantage.
“I look at it as a lot of positives. I hit every putt where I wanted to. I missed a few late. I look back at the greens books afterwards where you can plug them in and see, and I just misread them. That’s a lot easier to swallow than scared bad strokes. This was different.”
Spieth says that he “felt really confident going into every shot and every putt” last week, and that he’s embracing the pressure of performing on the biggest stages to try and win more tournaments.
“I wanted to kind of walk tall and feel confident stepping into every shot. I wanted to be grateful and just embrace like, hey, the way my heart is racing right now and … these difficult holes coming up, I mean, this is why I got into this game. If you don’t like it, then you’re not going to be here very long. So learn to embrace it and enjoy it.”
Spieth’s self-reflection is a good reminder for amateur golfers, too. Whether it’s after a bad shot or following a poor round, focus on the positives and continue to build confidence around the aspects of your game that are working well.
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