Close your eyes and take a deep breath and then exhale.

As you breathe out feel all the tension leaving your body. Feel it leaving your shoulders and neck. Feel the tension leaving your chest and tummy. Your golf meditation is your talisman.

Breathing slowly in and breathing out even more slowly. Your arms and legs are unwinding. Hands and feet letting go of any tension.

Imagine now that you are on the golf course. You are on the first tee and getting ready to tee off. See yourself breathing in and out in a relaxed and confident manner. In your mind’s eye you look around and see the sun shining on the green fairway. You can taste the fresh air and feel invigorated by it. Life is good. Golf is good.

You are a calm and relaxed golfer. You enjoy the peace and birdsong all around you on-course. You feel focused and relaxed, as you prepare to hit off. You can feel the grass beneath your golf shoes and sense your balance centred upon the ground. As you hold your golf club in your hands you feel connected, as if it is a part of your body. Teeing the golf ball up and taking your address before the golf ball you feel completely relaxed within your own space. You take a deep breath and slowly exhale. You take the club back slowly, transferring the weight naturally, and then, slowly, returning the club face back to the ball, sweeping it away effortlessly straight down the fairway. Life is good. Golf is good!

You are a calm and relaxed golfer going about your business. You feel centred and balanced upon the ground. You are ready to meet every challenge. You remember to take slow and deep breaths regularly throughout your round of golf. You prepare for each golf shot precisely and patiently. You sense your balance before playing each shot. You are an adept golfer. You play each golf shot precisely and perfectly.

Whilst playing, you discipline yourself to one swing thought per stroke. You back yourself in to play a good golf shot every time. You are a calm and relaxed golfer whatever the outcome. Golf is best played when grounded and balanced at all times. You remain at peace with your game and yourself. You are a golfer playing well within yourself. Golf is an easy game because you are well prepared and mentally stable throughout your round. Life is good. Golf is good. This is your golf meditation to stimulate the right mindset to make you the best golfer you can be.

You can listen to this golf meditation or just remember a few key phrases, like “You are a calm and relaxed golfer.” Repeating “I am a calm and relaxed golfer. Golf is an easy game because I am well prepared.” will aid you in achieving a good outcome on the course. Having a mantra to repeat, especially when facing potentially stressful situations during your round can be very helpful. You need something to keep you heading in the right mental and emotional direction. Don’t give in to venting and cursing. Refrain from being sucked into the negative emotional vortex, as it will damage your game via a bad mental state. Remember that you are a calm and relaxed golfer.

©Robert Hamilton

Photo by Peter Drew on Unsplash