Now that we have covered how to manage our expectations, it is time to get into how to then take those expectations and turn them into positive pre-round thoughts. 

One of my biggest pet peeves being a golf coach is when I work with someone for a duration of time and they are starting to show signs of improvement and then we go and play golf. Now let me remind you that this is the entire reason that we have been practicing is so that we can come out here and perform and after the first or second golf shot, our entire game plan has went out the window because in your mind, you can already no longer manage your expectations for the round. 

The only way that you have a chance to make it through 18 holes mentally intact, is if you start the round in the right frame of mind. Trying to mentally prepare as you head to the first tee is a recipe for disaster. 

For starters, let's start with not telling ourselves what we are and are not going to do. If we must do so, it has to be done in a manner that failing said statement, can still result in a success. Also with that being said, we need to make sure that before the round, unless of course we haven't played the course before, but think about the good shots you have hit there and the feelings that brought you and live in those moments where your spirits were high. That is is the easiest way to take yourself to a level of accomplishment without having done anything yet. 

Pre-Round Thought Playbook

Spend time in present

Make sure you allow yourself time to accept being in the present. Don't allow your mind to wander into what has happened in the past and definitely don't allow your mind to surge forward into the future. 

Visualize what you are about to be successful at during the upcoming round. 

* I am going to be positive all day. 
* I am going to give each shot the respect and attention it deserves. 
​* I am going to..........etc. 

Remind yourself of your realistic goals

* Make sure that your goals are your own and not something that you feel you "should" do or achieve. 
* Accepting the things that are not going to go as planned. 

​What happens when things start to go sideways? Two options: 
Shut down: 
* This happens when you haven't accepted that you're going to hit bad shots out there.
* Only happens when you arrive to the first tee with the wrong mindset. ​
Adapt and keep pushing:
* Know that you are going to miss
*Pay attention to your bad shots, make minor adjustments
* Stay true to the course (mentally) for the duration of the round. 

Be grateful

Remind yourself how irrelevant the game of golf really is and use that as justification for your actions on the golf course. 

* No golf shot is more important than life itself. Quit acting like every single golf shot is connected to your personal well-being. 
*Is getting upset really worth sacrificing an enjoyable day? 
​* If you can't be happy on the golf course, how can you expect to be happy anywhere else? 

The [W]right State of Mind

Increase levels of self confidence, perceptions of control, and focus on success! 
You and only you have the ability to put yourself on a mental pedestal. Some may call it being "cocky" or "arrogant" but there is nothing cocky about being positive and confident in yourself. I've said it once and I'll say it again, "IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, WHO WILL?! 

Your pre-round thoughts also determines how you will perform as the pressure increases. 

* If you go into a round knowing that you are going to hit some wayward golf shots, get some terrible bounces, receive some awful lies, get absolutely robbed on some putts, and whatever else could happen in the duration of a round, you are going to appreciate the inverse of all these things that much more! 
*It is only when you go out there thinking that you deserve to get all the good bounces, etc that you fail mentally. 

So how do we organize this information? 

    Pre-Round Thought