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Prepare the Mind. Breathe Easily. Commit.
Your practice at a glance
These golf drills are from the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
A familiar preparation routine gives you something useful to return to when a golf shot feels demanding.
Use Mental Golf Training away from the course to rehearse familiar shots, explore a gentle cue with the Breathing Technique Drill, then test your routine with Jack Nicklaus Competitive Practice. This is a preparation-and-practice plan rather than one continuous range session: allow about 45 minutes for the guided recording and complete eighteen attempts in each range drill. Keep the parts that help you focus, without expecting every nervous feeling to disappear.
Drill 1. Mental Golf Training: Rehearse a Familiar Shot
Mental Golf Training gives you quiet time to rehearse a familiar shot and choose one clear focus for your next round.
Imagining the target, preparation and rhythm lets you practise paying attention without needing to hit a ball. The recording offers a structure for that rehearsal, and a short note after your round helps you decide what was useful. Treat it as an option for preparation; this particular recording is not established to improve your swing or score.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Choose a quiet place and a comfortable chair. Allow about 45 minutes and use stereo headphones at a comfortable volume. Follow the original guided recording linked below, which is presented for a right-handed golfer. |
| 2 | Let the recording guide your imagery of familiar, realistic shots. Picture the target and your normal preparation, or focus on the feel of the routine if a vivid image is difficult. Try the session the evening before a round, leaving enough time to finish without rushing. |
| 3 | After listening, write down one short cue, such as “clear target” or “easy rhythm”. Use it alongside your usual routine during your next round. After eighteen holes, record your normal golf score and one brief note about your focus, then keep what suited you. |
Drill 2. Breathing Technique: Give Yourself a Gentle Reset
The Breathing Technique Drill gives you a gentle reset behind the ball so you can choose the shot and return your attention to your routine.
An easy breath is a simple thing to notice when your thoughts start racing. Practising it at the range helps you find a cue that fits your normal preparation. Keep breathing comfortable; if linking the breath to the swing distracts you, use the out-breath before the shot and then let your breathing return to normal.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stand behind the ball and choose the target and shot. Take three comfortable breaths, breathing in through your nose and letting the breath out through your mouth. Picture your intended shot without forcing a deeper breath. |
| 2 | Take your normal stance and grip. Try a small rehearsal, letting an easy out-breath begin as you start the backswing. Keep the movement smooth and avoid deliberately holding your breath. If coordinating the two feels distracting, use the out-breath before the shot instead. |
| 3 | Play eighteen shots in two sets of nine, resetting behind each ball. Notice whether you remembered the comfortable out-breath cue; the original drill counts one point when you remember it and zero when you forget. Judge awareness rather than shot quality. Return to normal breathing if you feel light-headed or uncomfortable. |
Drill 3. Competitive Practice: Make Each Attempt Matter
Jack Nicklaus Competitive Practice helps you rehearse committing to a shot when the result counts, instead of hitting balls without a purpose.
A clear target and a fixed success rule add a simple consequence to practice. Using the same routine after both a good shot and a miss gives you opportunities to practise resetting. Choose a challenge based on your previous results so the task asks for your attention while remaining realistic.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Choose a familiar putting, chipping or full-shot task. Define success before you begin: for example, a putt must be holed or a range shot must finish inside a chosen target area. Set a personal target using your previous results. |
| 2 | Before every attempt, stand behind the ball, plan the shot and picture its finish. Use your normal pre-shot routine, commit and play. Accept the result and reset, giving the next attempt the same attention even after a miss. |
| 3 | Complete eighteen attempts in two sets of nine. Count one point when the shot meets your chosen success rule and zero when it misses, for a total out of eighteen. Keep the rule unchanged throughout this drill, then use the result to set your next challenge. |
