One of the misconceptions that many golfers have about “positive thinking” is that they feel it is “bad” if they think about missing a shot. On the contrary, in reference to making an optimal game plan for a course and in reference to choosing an optimal strategy for a shot, there are times where it is appropriate and helpful to consider a “miss”. As I will illustrate, there is a big difference between thinking helpful “miss” thoughts vs. unhelpful “miss” thoughts.

There is certainly little benefit in paying a lot of attention to the places where we don’t want the ball to go. Many people think obsessively about not hitting it in the water, not pushing it right into the hazard, or not blowing their first putt by and risking a three-putt. This is thinking about misses in terms of what you are trying to avoid. The emphasis on these kinds of misses creates tension, fear, and anxiety. As well, this focus routinely actually creates the shot that one fears- or the exact opposite which can sometimes be as unfortunate. So when thinking about not hitting it right into the hazard, many times players do exactly that or they hit the “anti-right” shot and hit it dead left. This is an unhelpful way of thinking about misses.

On the other hand, when developing a strategy for a course, or a hole, or a specific shot, there is regularly benefit in an acknowledgement about where to miss, if one were to miss. It is my belief that while I want the majority of the emphasis placed on where one wants to hit the ball, it is also typically of benefit to take into account where one would be “OK” if the shot is not hit very well. Examples of this abound, but an example might be a pin tucked on the right side of a green with water on the right. Let’s assume you have been hitting a fade all day. It may be wise to make sure and pick a target that is left enough of the flag so that just in case you miss, your miss will still land on the green.

Listen to the great players of this game talk about their strategy and game plans. They are very aware of where they would like to hit the ball, and they are also very aware of where an acceptable miss could end up. This acknowledgment of “misses” simply assists you in being in acceptable positions so that you can get up and down from reasonable areas if you miss a green or have acceptable shots to the greens if you miss a fairway. Allowing yourself to think about a missed shot in these terms is one key to how you keep big numbers off your scorecard!