Putting With Confidence: Take Control Of Your Putting Identity
What is your putting Identity? Why it matters.
Why does it matter?
A solid putter, a good putter, a poor putter, a streaky putter.
The reality is that your self-perceptions have a huge effect on your performance.
Why?
Because like it or not we unconsciously make our beliefs come true for ourselves.
If you believe you are a good putter you do everything you can to make this a reality for yourself.
If you believe you are a poor putter you are much more likely to experience poor putting. Perhaps this leads you to focus less on the greens as you do off the greens or to try too hard on the greens.
Limiting beliefs can greatly restrict our levels of confidence.
We all know that our confidence has a big effect on our putting performance.
So what if you make it your goal for this coming season to make friends with your putting game and take on the identity of a good putter.
Changing Beliefs
The good news is that you can change how you see yourself once you are aware of the limiting perspective you currently have.
These views of our selves generally come from past experiences that we turn into fixed expectations for our future.
This is where we make a big mistake.
The past does not dictate the future. Just because you have putted badly on fast greens a few times in the past does not mean that you will always put badly on fast greens.
Here is how to change your beliefs
Step 1
Identify your limiting beliefs relating to your putting game.
Step 2
Replace them with more positive confidence boosting beliefs.
Step 3
Apply your new beliefs to your actual game using REFRAMES.
Step 1
Identify and Clarify your current putting beliefs and expectations.
How would you describe your self in terms of your putting?
Some of these we are conscious about and some are more unconscious.
Perhaps……
I am a streaky putter.
If I start poorly then I putt poorly the whole round.
I loose my nerve under pressure.
I can’t put well when others are depending on me.
I struggle on fast greens
Take some time to write out any unhelpful beliefs you have about yourself
relating to your putting.
Step 2
Replace them with more positive confidence boosting beliefs and REFRAMES.
You can create some alternative perspectives.
It’s like putting on a new pair of glasses so you see the world through a brighter more positive filter. This is vital in competition. Leave your critical voice on the practice ground where its more useful.
Take off the gray cloudy judgmental glasses and put on your bright sunny glasses.
This process is called REFRAMING.
It’s just a conscious choice to decide to see it differently and more positively while you compete and this has powerful effects on you confidence and your score.
Examples of positive reframes
“I don’t putt well on slow greens.”
REFRAME: I am open to putting surprisingly well on slow greens today. Lets see what happens.
“I usually mess up my round with silly missed short putts.”
REFRAME: No that’s not helping. The past does not define my future I am going to stay present with myself on my short putts today
“I should not 3 putt.”
REFRAME: Even the best tour pros 3 putt. I will focus on my target and putt
well on the next green.
“I should not miss any 3 foot putts.”
REFRAME: That’s not helping me. Its ok, I know that the more I stay focused on what’s going well the better I will play.
Step 3
Use your new positive REFRAMES before during and after you play
Now that you have some REFRAMES you can pick a few phrases that feel good for you and use them out on the course whenever you hear the negative beliefs coming into your head.
You can also use them before and after your game.
Keep working on changing your old limiting beliefs!
You may also feel inspired to take a lesson and do more practice if you no longer believe that you are defined as a bad putter.
Photo courtesy of Galatians Design
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