So, the season is now in full swing, you’ve been playing week in, week out, making the most of the glorious sunshine, but has your golf been as bright? You were playing really nicely, but then out of nowhere, a part of your game suddenly deserts you – perhaps you start pulling the ball left off the tee, or thinning short game shots, so you have to endure watching your ball scuttle through the green. Or missing short putts, which is really frustrating because you feel like that you’ve already done all the hard work when you land on the green.

As you can probably guess, I’ve experienced all the above at one time or another, but the worse one for me is chipping and that unmentionable word s…k! The thing is, when our golf shots go awol, the problem often lies between our ears. If one of those unmentionables happens early on in the round, I try my hardest not to leave myself another chip shot and if I do, I hope beyond hope that I might be able to putt it!

I know that I can chip very well, and in fact, it makes it worse when playing partners say, “That used to be one of your best shots.” On a good day, when these short game shots are working, my confidence builds as the round progresses and I’m so relieved when I get through 18 holes without one dodgy chip! Whatever shot it is that you might be struggling with, I’m sure you can relate to these exasperating emotions.

Of course, this is all about managing your thoughts and all the best golfers learn to stay in the present. Easier said than done, but all the textbooks say that it’s important to develop a process to return to when your attention wanders so you focus only on what is going to help you in the present, such as taking your time, trusting your swing, and committing to your shot. If you find yourself focusing on the past or future outcomes, there’s a nice saying, ‘be where your feet are’ because in the moment, that’s all that matters.

Another tip is to introduce breathing into your pre-shot routine. When you pick your target, visualise the shot and make a practice swing. Be conscious of your breathing because this will take your mind away from the ‘what ifs’ and will help you to play with your senses and become connected with what you want the ball to do, so any self-doubt should start to disappear.

Now I’ve given you, even more, to think about! Learning to have a different mindset isn’t going to happen overnight. We don’t have the luxury of having a golf psychologist like many of the pros, but let’s give staying in the present a try, I want to banish the s…k for good!