Golf mental toughness is an essential requirement of the high caliber athlete. Many professional players, while describing why they hadn’t reached their goals of the season often talk about “trying too hard or even not letting it happen out there,” and similar phrases. Indeed the challenge for golfing professionals is not only to sharpen their swings and putting strokes, but to sharpen their golf mental game as well.

Here are 5 golf mental game tips:

1. Learn to keep each shot in perspective. There is no need to be tensed up by a bad hole or two. There are no life and death shots in golf – only good and bad ones. You are not helping yourself by getting unnecessarily tensed or psyched up. The best golf shots are taken with a relaxed mind and a smile on your face. Remember you have years of golfing ahead. Take your time and learn your shots.

2. You must try and focus on the task at hand rather than on the outcome. This is admittedly the most difficult to do as the mind is focused on the result and its consequences. However this thinking is nothing but a distraction which will not take you any nearer to your goal. Banish such thoughts. Here is an interesting mental golf tip. Try and think of something pleasant like your favorite song. This will drive away the tension and bring you to a proper frame of mind for taking the shot.

3. Even the best players in the world get tensed up while handling tight situations. This tension directly affects their ability to swing their club smoothly. Here is a mental golf tip: stand still and take out a deep breath. Tell yourself that you are breathing out your worries.

4 . Maintain your mental golf cool on the golf green. Remember that as a golfer, you can only control your preparation and reactions, and not every thing else in the universe. Golfing regulars know that something unexpected happens in nearly every round. For example a great tee shot may land in a divot, your golf club may suddenly develop problems or you may miss a simple putt. Give each shot your best and relax. Do not fret or carry any baggage from the shot. Develop mental golf toughness.

5. Experts say that many players are so preoccupied with the thought of avoiding mistakes that it severely affects their play. In contrast, successful players are quietly confident in their abilities, and play to succeed rather than to avert failure.

These simple mental golf tips will help you to develop habits that will stand you in good stead on the golf green and help you climb the heights of golfing.