The Practice Pep Talk
Day 6 on “I Feel Your Pain" by Mike Malaska
95% of Golfers.
Let’s start with a confession: I don’t like to practice.
Mike Malaska believes that 95% of golfers feel the same way. He says, “They feel like practice makes them worse. They feel more confused. Even if they find something that works on the range, it leaves them on the course, so why bother?”
Have you ever felt that discouraged? I have. So how do we stay motivated?
Mike says, “Motivation comes easiest when you sense progress. Acknowledging these signs of progress is critical to stay inspired.”
Here are two simple strategies to help us do that: a checklist and a pep talk.
“Dude, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself.”
My favorite pep talk story comes from the 2022 PGA Championship.
Justin Thomas was near the top of the leaderboard. But on Saturday, the weather turned bad and he fell 7 strokes off the lead. He went to the driving range but felt so frustrated, it was hard to practice. It seemed like all the work wasn’t paying off.
His caddie, Jim Mackay, stepped up and said, “Dude, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself. You don’t have to be perfect. Everything is trending in the right direction. Just keep staying positive so the good stuff can happen.”
Mackay helped him acknowledge that practice was getting results. He pointed out small signs of progress and success. Remotivated, Justin got to work and had a great session.
The next day, he overcame a 7-shot deficit to win his second major.
“Everything is trending in the right direction.”
How do we build that kind of motivation?
Start with a practice checklist. The first line item should read: “I showed up.”
Feel good about that. Showing up is progress. Now work through your list. Check those boxes. Record the small improvements you’re making. That feels good too.
When you’re done, make a note of where today’s session ended. Start your next session at that spot. This creates a sense of forward motion.
Finally, give yourself a pep talk. Here’s one we adapted from Justin and his caddie:
“I don’t need to be so hard on myself. I acknowledge that what I’m doing is working. Everything is trending in the right direction. I stay positive so the good stuff can happen.”
Basketball coach John Wooden said, “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”
We all know people who love exercise. Most of us wish we had that kind of motivation. Today’s lesson can help us love the golf version of exercise: practice.
When you check items off a list, you get that delicious dopamine hit. It feels good. When you give yourself a pep talk, you clear out the negativity. That feels good too. If you do these things consistently, you’ll retrain your brain. Just thinking about practice will feel good—and that good feeling will get you off the couch and onto the driving range; or into the garage, hitting balls into a net; or the backyard, chipping over the hedges; or the bedroom, putting on the carpet.
As Mike says, “Golf is a journey. The key is to be motivated so you’ll try again tomorrow.”
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.