Three habits that helped me become a single figure golfer in a year
And how to put them into practice
When I reflect on how I cut my golf handicap from 34 to 9 in 12 months, there are three habits that helped me the most. They kept me focused, motivated and most of all, they kept me going – when all I could think was “I’m going to fail”.
In fact, I would dare to say that these three habits will help you achieve any goal you feel drawn to pursue – or at least, get bloody close to it.
Habit #1: Be ruthlessly positive
When you dare to go after a goal – something that stretches and scares you – there is one thing that doesn’t serve you: doubt.
Don’t get me wrong, that voice of doubt – “What if this doesn’t work?”, “What if I look like a fool?” – will be with you all the time but this is where you have to practice being ruthlessly positive.
When a score doesn’t go as you hoped, pull out the positive. When a shot doesn’t go as you hoped, believe you can save it. You can either take something from the round or it will take from you.
In the pursuit of a big goal, there’s no purpose in doubting yourself and there’s no downside to backing yourself. Life is too short not to.
How I practice being ruthlessly positive:
When a negative thought kicks in, I shift my focus to a positive thought. For example: “I’m in that bloody bunker!” (negative) becomes “I can get up and down from there” (positive).
When I’ve had a “blow up” hole, instead of writing off the round in my head, I use it as the spark to finish strong (aiming for pars and birdies).
When I’ve finished a round, I’ll sit with the “not so great” shots for a moment, to draw out the learnings for next time but then I’ll focus solely on the shots or saves I was proud of.
Habit #2: Practice like the golfer you want to be
One thing that confused me as a beginner golfer, was the comments I would get when I went up to practice:“Up here again?” “You’re practicing too much!”
There were times when I would feel guilty practicing and embarrassed if a comment was made. It almost felt like practicing was something you shouldn’t do – but as someone wanting to actively improve, that made no sense to me.
That’s where this habit helped me the most.
By practicing like the golfer I wanted to be, and not the golfer I “was” (whether that’s based on handicap or years into the game), I had a sense of purpose that pulled me into action, even when I didn’t feel motivated.
How I practice like the golfer I want to be:
Before I practice, I think about how a scratch golfer (the ultimate goal) would spend their time practicing? What would they focus on? How would they track how they are doing?
When I practice, I focus on one area of my game in each session, so I can go deep rather than dip into a bit of everything.
After I practice, I reflect on what I learned in that session and what I’m now taking to the course. For example, trust in my bunker technique or a swing feel that clicked.
Habit #3: Trust it’s coming
On my rollercoaster ride to single figures, I’ve learned that golf is a game of many things (patience, frustration, resilience, joy…to name a few) but most of all, I believe it’s a game of trust.
When it feels like you’re putting in the work but it’s not showing up on the course, you have to trust it’s coming.
You have to believe that the goal you’re going after is possible and the practice you’re putting in will get you there.
You have to trust that the scores you’re seeking are so close, you could reach out and grab them.
And in the moments when you fear it might never happen, that’s when you have to trust it’s coming the most.
How I trust it’s coming:
When I’m trying to break 80 but can’t shave those shots off, I look for the evidence that I’m so close. The three putts I could make two putts next time or the approach shots I could dial in better.
When a round runs away from me and leaves me wondering if I’ll ever cut my handicap again, I focus on the one thing that would have made the biggest difference and I go and practice that.
When it feels like the “Golf Gods” are teasing me, keeping those scores just out of reach, I trust that they’ll reward me for my resilience and the rounds I’m dreaming of are coming.
To wrap up
I’ve called these three habits “habits” because I believe they are actions to be practiced not perfected.
I’ll be honest, I have not perfected them and I don’t expect myself to. There have been, and will be, days when doubt creeps in and my ruthless positivity isn’t there. There will be times when my tank for trusting it’s coming is depleted and I end up fearing it never will.
But those moments don’t make up the majority of the journey and as long as I practice these habits most of the time, I know they will help me get there.
I hope you feel inspired to give these three habits a go. I would love to hear how you get on.
You've just said everything I'm working on telling myself and believing it will happen at some future point. And yes I get the "back again practicing" line, that's just something lazy golfers say to make them feel superior.😂