Golfers are prone to three basic emotional responses, and if you let them get out of hand, they can have a big impact on your final score. It's no secret that the game of golf is mental, and your emotions have a direct impact on your mental state.



Anyone who has ever gone to the course with a heavy heart knows that if you go in thinking it'll be a rotten round, it probably will be. Even overly excited players can cause their ball to hook or slice because their body is amped up with adrenaline.

Don't Add Anger to Your Scorecard

Anger is perhaps the most frustrating thing to experience when you're playing a round of golf. You went out to get some exercise, enjoy nature, and hone your skills and you wind up having to go home and de-stress in a bubble bath with candles.

Golf can be frustrating because we always want to hit the perfect shot. Even one slight mishap can irritate us to the point where it affects each subsequent shot. You have to see the game as a whole, and not shoulder the burden of every single shot you make.

Even professionals in the men and women's pro tournaments have days when nothing seems to go right. But you don't see them throwing their clubs in the pond or hear them cursing loudly at the ball as it flies off into OB territory.

Because golf is such a mental sport, it's vital that you keep your emotional frustration minimized so that you can perform up to your abilities on every hole. Some people play as if they can't see anything but the immediate situation.

You might have the absolute worst (and most embarrassing) tee shot of the day. But you can still come in under par if the rest of your game isn't affected by the negativity many golfers carry from one hole to the next.

Take each shot for what it's worth. And really play up the rest of the times you do something right. You have to think positively and breathe through the moments when you feel angry at ever choosing to pick up a club in the first place.

Whatever you do, learn to control your anger on the course to a minimal amount. If it seeps through a bit in your mind, that's one thing, but it's bad sportsmanship to let it overflow into everyone else's game.

Even Excitement Can Interrupt Your Game

Not all emotions are negative. Unfortunately, you might hit an amazing tee shot off the first hole and your enthusiasm boils over so much that you hack every other shot until you're miserable and feel like quitting.

It's easy to get excited on the course. You feel proud when you hit the sweet spot and even more so when other people cheer you on and are impressed with your efforts. It's okay to smile and revel in the moment a bit.

Just don't get so excited that you're overly confident in your abilities and forget to line up right, keep your head down, or stay bent in the knees. Sometimes the thrill of a good shot will cause you to have a faster backswing, which will throw your timing off.

As you do with your angry emotions, after they rise to the surface, give it a moment's pause and then tuck it away to revisit on your ride home from the course. Start every swing over from scratch.

Envy Is the Root of All Double Bogies

Golfers can be as green as the Bermuda they're standing on. It's no secret that each and every one of us wants to be the best player in the foursome. But golf itself is like a scramble ? sometimes your shot is the best and other times the title goes to someone else.

In golf, you're not only playing against yourself, to lower your handicap, but you're also playing against others in many cases. You still have to realize that at the end of the day, the scores of the others in your group won't be handed in to contribute toward your handicap.

All you can do is the bets that you're capable of, and instead of becoming envious over another person's talent, let that inspire you to make an extra trip to the driving range for some more practice.

But in the middle of a game, if you let envy weigh you down, you'll wind up trying too hard to compensate for what you lack in comparison to the other players. This can take you from two over par total to 2 over par for each hole if you're not careful.

Copyright 2006 Lady O' Golf