One of the foremost mistakes made by golfers is the psychological effect that they allow the golf ball to have on them. When you approach the ball during your setup routine, the presence of the ball tends to throw you off your routine. Your mind starts racing -‘the lie of the ball’, ‘the distance to the target’, ‘ fade or draw’ etc.
I call this racing of the mind as ‘Reacting to the golf ball’.

This is bad for various reasons – the first one, outlined above – ‘throwing you off your setup routine’.

The second one, which primarily affects amateurs, is even more harmful – I call it the ‘fear factor’. Unlike the mindset of pros (who have conquered their fear of the ball), amateurs tend to retain a huge memory bank of failed execution of golf shots. This, of course, is not a problem for the professional golfer, who has the opposite type of memory bank – one containing spectacularly, confidently pulled off golf shots.

So – how does an amateur get around this? Btw – if you are doubting this psychological effect of the golf ball, I urge you to take your stance and practice swings WITHOUT any golf ball. Notice how perfectly you go through your setup – and notice how effortless your swing seems. Then, repeat with a golf ball. Especially on the golf course. Your setup will be a lot more hurried and a lot less perfect.

Getting around ‘reacting to the golf ball’

I have tried many (actually only two) ways to get around this problem.
The first one is simply ignoring the ball while you start your setup routine. In fact, start thinking about your routine even before you have walked up to the ball- and try to stay in the ‘routine mindset’. This works well – and once you are sufficiently along into your routine, you can bring your attention tom the ball – and tweak what little you need to ( usually just the distance from the ball).

The second technique is ‘acknowledging but not reacting’ to the ball. In the first technique, you simply forget that there is a ball ( do not acknowledge it while you go through your routine). In this second technique, you slowly – as slowly as you can – observe the ball. There is a Buddhist technique called ‘acknowledging without reacting’ – and that is what one is ideally after. Granted, it sounds difficult, but it isn’t really. Simply slow down your approach to the ball – stand still if you need to – while acknowledging the ball. Once you do so, you are ready to get into your routine.

Do you have any tricks / techniques that can help overcome golf ball induced fear? Please share if you do. Happy golfing!

Amateur golfer with no real claim to fame (unless club championships count). Sharing knowledge obtained from (far too many) golf lessons – from far too many pros.

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Golf Tips – who has written posts on Anuj Varma, Hands-On Technology Architect, Clean Air Activist.