Why do I keep screwing up the same hole on my home golf course?

You have an internal trigger that is activated when you approach the hole you have screwed up before.  A trigger is something that produces a memory of a past event(s). It can be a good memory or an upsetting memory. Triggers are activated through one or more of the five senses: sight and touch being the primary ones in golf. When you play a hole badly time after time, and have strong emotions like embarrassment, failure, ineptitude and fear, you will trigger these thoughts and emotions unconsciously when it is your turn to hit.

Screwing up the hole over and over creates a habit which then creates an internal trigger. This kind of trigger is a fearful thought or experience that causes you to experience the fear in the present. Trigger thoughts are thoughts that automatically pop up in your head and set off certain emotions. When you look at a golf hole, you are not just seeing the visual qualities of it. Your brain is also processing the past experiences you had on that hole. It is important then to create new triggers from memories of successful shots.

If you do what you have always done, that is what you will always get.

It is possible to change your behavioral triggers and reduce your negative reactions to them. You can remove the bad triggers and enhance the ones for good shots. Here is a strategy for removing your fearful triggers on the golf course and to create new positive triggers for confidence and trust.

1. Pay attention to your reactions. In the game of golf we are constantly dealing with our emotions based on the outcome of the shots we hit. Look at your golf course and decide which holes have negative emotional charges for you.
2. Write your triggers in a journal. Write down the hole(s) that you have trouble with, what you felt, and your reaction to the missed shot(s).
3. Recognize your emotions. Identify and write down your strong emotions that produced the unwanted golf shots (fear, anger, shame, embarrassment, etc.) Did your heart beat faster because you were anxious? Were your hands shaking because you were nervous? Did you swing faster because of fear?
4. Use repetition to imprint a new behavior. In your mind’s eye, use your imagination to play the hole perfectly over and over. Then go on the golf course and play that hole over and over until you gain confidence in which club to hit, where to hit it and how to hit it. If it’s not feasible to do this on the golf course, imagine playing the hole on the range and go through the same procedure. By repeating a positive scenario you will create a new positive trigger of confidence.
5. Build confidence with strong positive emotions. When you imagine or hit the shot you want, notice the pleasant feelings that make you feel good and enjoy them fully. This will create a new strong positive trigger for success.

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