Many of the young readers of these columns are playing on high school or college golf teams. In this month’s column, I’d like to address some of the mental challenges that face golfers when they are a part of team.

Golf is played largely as an individual sport. From the time a young player picks up a club until he or she gets into high school, the vast majority of competitive experience in the game is as an individual. Because of this, most players are far more comfortable and familiar with playing “for themselves” than they are playing for a team or a school. Indeed, many of my clients, when they make the jump from junior golf to high school golf, and particularly when they jump from high school or junior golf to collegiate golf, are challenged mentally and emotionally because of some of the differences. Here are a few of the challenges, with attendant adjustments and approaches:

1. The coaches direct the activities, practices, and competitions. This can be extremely challenging for players (and their parents!) as the player has historically had either significant input or complete autonomy to choose their own practice plan and competitive schedule. In most high schools and the majority of colleges, this is not the case. For some, this feels constricting and frustrating as they are not able to work on “what they want to when they want to”, and for others, they simply do not have the level of faith and trust in the coach’s golf knowledge base to follow the orders. My recommendation is two-fold.

First, before making a choice to be a part of any team, I strongly advise that the player and/or parents have a conversation with the coach to discern if the coach’s style and philosophy is a fit for the player and whether or not the player is willing to work within the system. This is not an invitation for a debate. The coach’s philosophy is at their discretion, and their system is their prerogative. The player has the option to opt in or opt out. If you don’t like what you hear, then opt out and explore other options and opportunities. If you opt in, then recognize that you are bound to the coach’s philosophy even if you don’t always agree with it, and that you are choosing to do this in advance of the season. Be prepared to make adjustments from what might be familiar to you and embrace the prospect of growing in your game while out of your comfort zone.

Second, if you do opt in, make sure that you communicate clearly with the coach what you feel has worked well for you in the past. Most coaches appreciate getting input about what works for each of their players, and many are willing to make some adjustments in their approaches if there is mutual benefit for the player and for the team. Again, as I stated before, this is not an opening for a debate, but rather a chance to articulate what has benefitted you in the past so that the coach can make fully informed decisions about your developmental and competitive process.

My point in all of this is to make sure you do due diligence by asking the important questions and getting clear answers before you choose to be a part of the team. This will help reduce frustration down the road and will likely get you aligned with your coach at the start and for the future.

2. Many players when the become part of a golf team take the obligation to their team very seriously. This is a very good thing! For some however, this extra “obligation” feels like added “pressure” they put on themselves to “not let their teammates/coaches down”. This actually may be at or near the top of the list of challenges for the collegiate players with whom I work. My recommendation here is that every round of golf is really about the player vs. the golf course- whether competing as an individual or as a part of the team. As thoughts about team obligations and recognizing it’s not “all about me” flood into your mind on the course, get back to playing the course. The best way to help your team is for you to play well. The best way for you to play well is to not give too much power to the thinking about your teammates or your coach. The best ways to play well is to make quality decisions about your next golf shot, execute a practiced and consistent routine, find a quality target, and execute a golf shot. Don’t make it more complicated than that!

3. Related to #2 above is the distraction that is common from focusing too much on pleasing your teammates or coaches or avoiding their displeasure. If you find yourself thinking about the consequences of your outcome (e.g. What if I don’t play well and my score doesn’t count? What if we lose because of me?”), remember that you are on the course to play golf, not to get the approval of others. It is nice for if people appreciate your accomplishments and it can be painful if they are disappointed in your performance. Recognize that your job is to control what you can- namely your attitude, concentration, and effort. All you can be held accountable for ultimately is whether or not you are doing the work and making great effort. If others have an opinion about your performance beyond that, work on reducing how much weight you put on their opinion. If you recognize that you are overly distracted by what others might think of you, some additional work on redefining your goals and your purpose for playing the game might be beneficial.

Overall, playing golf in a team setting can be extremely fun and rewarding, and can add elements of excitement that individual play cannot equal. Recognizing some of the mental adjustments to be made when in a team setting can increase the likelihood that you will have an experience that is gratifying and enjoyable!