I make a lousy caddy, I call myself all sorts of bad names! I once read about doing that and it said imagine you actually were a caddy and you spoke like that to someone else, you’d soon find yourself without a job and a 4 iron rammed somewhere uncomfortable.
Like so much of golf, you know what to do but can’t put it into practice.
I’m very well aware that I am not good enough to get upset about less than good shots, but . . .
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Try playing a round where you only allow yourself positive self talk. When you hit a bad shot, don’t comment on it and immediately focus on your next one. Only tell yourself how well you are playing and when something good happens really take the time to note it and comment on it. See how this works for you.
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I try and do the thing that Pia Nilsson recommends in ‘Be a Player’ in that you only assign 4 categories to all your shots ~ Good, good enough, very good and not good. There is no bad! Once again, I know what to do, but can’t always do it.
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FINALLY did that today - ie. focus on the process on not on the (possible) result - and while not every shot was “good” there were really only 3 or 4 in a 9 hole round that were, uhhh, “not good” … yea!
The funny part of the story is… About 19 months ago (just checked the date) I’d attended a mental game clinic where this idea was one of the core principles. And it’s finally starting to sink in now…
So I figure the lessons I’m taking now will start to show themselves in Spring of '22…!! 
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Congratulations on your progress. Overcoming mental mistakes is the greatest challenge of golf.
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I talk to the ball! Sometimes it listens, sometimes I cuss it out!
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Just be the ball HennyPenny be the ball nanananananana…
I couldn’t miss this opportunity. 
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Thx!! And, yeah - I’ve always said my biggest obstacle in this game is … me …
So somewhat related: been meaning to, and now I finally will, sit down and draw out a mental game scorecard for myself; I have a few examples to base it off. The primary idea - as many on here are already familiar with - is to outline your shot process and then score yourself on how well you follow and adhere to it … each and every shot (long game, short game, putting).
Helps keep that narrative (aloud or internal) on track!
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You’re not alone. The mental game the biggest obstacle for all of us.
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I put together a Mental Game Prompt and a Post Round review card. I based these on David Mackenzie Golf State of Mind and other research including @jon articles on Practical Golf. Feel free to adopt or adapt.
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I would guess that merely knowing you are going to fill out the post game card helps you make better decisions.
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very cool, thanks for sharing!
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This is good stuff and thx for showing it! Also a big fan of David MacKenzie (have mentioned that elsewhere) and need to go back and re-read his coaching materials.
I regularly tell myself to stop being such a wimp and just hit the shot. Is that the same?
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I need to that every time I’m in a bunker. I really should do it loud!
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Love the idea of a mental scorecard. I think binary is fine. Mark it 1 if you assess your lie, conditions, ideal miss, pick a shot, see it clearly, do your preshot routine, and commit to the shot you’ve picked out. Mark it zero, dude, if you fail to do any of that and instead are thinking of your score or the past or the future or what you will tell people at the end of the round or feel fear about missing it. Pros score consistently 95% or higher. High handicappers on the other hand… Give it a try!
So John if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly do you use this? Is it filled with things you say to yourself or is it filled with how you want to play different parts of the game and then how you did end up playing. Or do you just grade each part on how well you managed on each part.
Hi @teetimejp63 - no problem, when I get home later I’ll post a couple of examples. I adapted the mental game prompts from a similar scorecard where the intention is to score yourself against your process goals. I don’t score myself (hmmm maybe I should?!) but rather just use it to remind myself of things like “Tempo”, “(be) Relaxed”, “Go Long” on approach shots. I pull the bit of paper out my pocket throughout my round usually while waiting for my playing partner to play.
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@teetimejp63 - ok so here we go. Little selection for you. The small ones are David Mackenzie original. Too small for me and I’m not fussed about scoring although after reflecting on my round on Sunday I’m going to reconsider that. Exposing my inner psyche here. Go easy
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Cool Ty for that. I will definitely take a look at them.