The mental game of golf can help to reduce your handicap pretty quickly. Putting is perhaps the biggest part of the game where how you think can make a big difference. Many people develop the putting yips not because they have bad putting mechanics but because they tend to think too much before hitting the ball.

Tip 1: Look and react instead of thinking too much

Sports like soccer and basketball are reaction based and most of the time the players do not have time to think about their mechanics or to even doubt their ability to hit the shot, they simply have to kick the ball or shoot it otherwise it will get stolen. A similar way of thinking in golf might help many amateurs.

You do not need to rush your game before you step over the shot. Instead take your time to pick a proper club or read the green but then once you have made up your mind and stepped up to the ball you need to simply look and react to the target and trust that you will hit a great shot.

Tip 2: Stay in the present

It is easy in the midst of a great round to start totaling up your score and imagining how great it would be if you could keep it going. You need to instead focus on the present and how to best execute the next shot. Try to minimize thoughts of the future and the past. It is difficult to completely block out all future or past thoughts but do your best to focus on hitting the next shot as well as you can.

Tip 3: Do not dwell on missed shots

We all hit bad shots every now and then however the great players are able to learn whatever they can from their poor shots and then simply forget about them and focus completely on the next shot. You need to forgive yourself instead of constantly beating yourself up. It is okay to get a little upset if you hit a bad shot but do not let it last the rest of the round, remember that golf is supposed to be fun.

Tip 4: Manage the course appropriately

One important tip to keep in mind regarding course management is to develop a conservative strategy but an aggressive swing. Most amateurs try to hit shots they have never hit before in the middle of a round. Do not try to be a hero on the course, the pros hit those kinds of shots because they have spent lots of time practicing them and are comfortable with pulling them off with a high percentage rate of success.

Hit shots that you know you can pull off more often than not. If you want to get better then you need to spend more time on the range and practice greens fine tuning your swing and short game, do not try to get a better swing or try new shots you have never successfully hit on the course. Consider some of these golf mental strategies to help you learn how to shoot lower scores fast.