If you want to play the best mental golf you can, you need to take golf tips from the master of golf psychology, Tiger Woods: “My mother’s a Buddhist. In Buddhism, if you want to achieve enlightenment, you have to do it through meditation and self-improvement through the mind. That’s something she passed on to me: to be able to calm myself down and use my mind as my main asset.” He may be needing this attitude more than ever at the moment.

The young Tiger was a keen golfer almost from birth. His parents have been quoted as saying he was playing with a golf club before he could walk, and they encouraged his interest. His father Earl became his coach when he was just 2 years old. He taught him not only how to play the game physically but also spent hours embedding the most important mental golf tips. His natural ability was high and by five years of age, he was appearing in magazines and on television.

Regularly Earl would cause deliberate distractions during practice by making noises and throwing things. Tiger was encouraged to block it all out and keep practicing his mental golf tips. Knowing these distractions were often the downfall of great players, Earl was keen for Tiger to develop this foundation to give him the best possible chance in professional golf.

As a child, he began playing competitively as soon as he was eligible. He spent most of his teen years winning junior tournaments. In 1992 at just 17 years of age he played his first PGA championship. Aged 20 he dropped out of Stanford to turn professional.

His mental golf tactics include rituals such as wearing red on the final day of competition. Tiger believes this color symbolises confidence and assertiveness and allows him to play more forcefully when it matters most.

One of the easiest ways to see how important golf psychology is to Tiger Woods is to examine his career after his father Earl passed away in May 2006. Following a brief break, Tiger returned to playing with mixed results. Immediately it was clear that he had lost his focus, and his game lost its sharpness. While he was still scoring well, it was not the Tiger fans had come to know and love. His play was loose and his moods were erratic and even when winning, his heart and mind were not in the game. With the birth of his first child imminent, some wondered if these distractions spelled the end of Tiger’s domination.

Eventually Tiger reached a point where he accepted his father’s death. Caddy Steve Williams said, "Tiger came back from Carnoustie, and instead of spending hours on the practice field, he just tried to picture how he wanted to swing the club… and went about getting swing thoughts organised and the right mental pictures. He came to Firestone having done little actual practice.” The new Tiger credited the mental golf game he was playing for filling him with renewed vigor and confidence.

Golf psychology is the bedrock of Tiger Woods’ game play. Without the mental game, his success becomes much less predictable. Most average golfers pay little attention to developing the mental side of their game, yet it provides the key to making the biggest long term difference in the shortest space of time.

The question now for Tiger is whether he will return to the game he loves, and if he does will his mental game be up to it? Well, if anyone can…!

If you’d like golf tips on how to develop your own mental golf game, check out my other blogs and free audio tipcasts. Enjoy sharpening your own golf psychology and remember to love every shot!

Adam Sprackling

Mental Golf Coach