There is a quote by Bobby Jones where he says “Golf is played on a 5-and-a-half-inch course, the distance between your ears” meaning golf is a mental game played on your brain. If you can think clearly, you play well. When you are playing golf and you have had a few bad shots, your mindset changes to wanting to play better or avoid hitting in the water or just to sink a certain putt. People don’t realize that if you think positive and clear your head or take a second to breathe and calm yourself down you might surprise yourself and hit shots you haven’t hit before or skink putts you haven’t been able to sink before.
A technique that I learned to use is called ratio breathing. When you are disappointed or angry or frustrated with your game if you just take a minute and walk to the side and breathe in for 5 seconds, then breathe out for another 7 and repeat this 5 times you will find yourself no longer worried or scared about a certain shot and you will play it without the element of fear. Something else you should try is simply believing. You should say this putt will drop or this drive will sit in the fairway. If you think negative like saying you can never sink these putts at practice or you can never hit accurately you will play like you are thinking.
Another concept that can help you is called the golden core. There are 3 layers to the core, the outermost layer is what. What are you trying to stand on top of your ball? It could be to hit the shot to the left of the green, so it doesn’t roll off, or to sink a certain putt or to hit a drive so that you have a second shot to the green. Then next layer is how. How are you going to accomplish what you want to do? How are you going to hit the ball the left of the green, how are you going to sink the putt or how are you going to position your drive perfectly for the second shot. The innermost layer is the most important. The why. Why are you standing on the ball. Why are you trying to hit the shot to the left of the green or why are you trying to sink the putt or why are you positioning the ball to the left of the fairway. Thinking like this on every shot helps you understand how and why each shot should be played. If you can stabilize your thoughts and emotions you can easily play great golf.