Mind Games

Happy National Miniature Golf Day! We're less than a week out from the U.S. Open and I will start my trek South tomorrow morning.

Today's theme is the mental part of a tournament. Get your brain ready because it's going to be put to the test at a miniature golf tournament.  As mentioned earlier you could be looking at making 300-400 putts during a tournament and very few of those will be easy tap ins.  Each putt will require concentration and confidence.  You have to consider lie, course conditions, speed, aim and bounce with every shot.  You also need to tune out the distractions, get a grip on your inner putting demons and somehow remember that you are there to have fun - because it's minigolf!

After the opening rounds, the mental pressure increases as you'll be paired with someone who's around the same score as you. So not only are you playing against the course but each hole that passes you also know exactly how you stand against your closest competition. The key is to find a way to be confident in your putting and to keep that confidence up throughout the round.  It’s easier said than done though.  Take for instance, Hole #1 at Dolphin Mini Golf where the 2008 U.S. Open was played and where the Maine State Dolphin Open is played. Everyone starts on that hole for rounds 1, 4, 7 and 9 (in a 10 round tournament), with rounds 4, 7 and 9 having pairings based on where you are in the standings.  In the video you can see when there are times when one person may get a 3 and another a 1, meaning you're already 2 strokes behind the competition for that round. If you don't have some intestinal fortitude that gap can easily widen to 4, 5 or 6 strokes by the time you're through the first 5 holes.  That can make for a long afternoon if you don't figure out how to put those bad putts and holes behind you.

In terms of preparation prior to the tournament, I've got no real advice other than find what works for you.  Music is my normal method of mental calibration.  I always try to listen to some tunes on the way to play the tournament rounds.  Sometimes I turn to soothing melodies and other times I crank up the arena tunes, hair metal anthems and punk rock (warning link has some bad words). I like to find one song to stick with me throughout the tournament that I turn to playing in my head when I need to center myself for a putt.  

I also try not to practice too much on the morning of the tournament.  I like to take a few putts on each hole to get the kinks out but I feel like you can easily "over practice." I feel like I start to wear myself down and over think what each practice shot means in the scope of the tournament. It's not the way I want to go into the opening rounds.  After getting in those putts I like being able to chat with other players or friends as it's something that can keep my mind off the tournament for a minute or two and center me before it's time to tee-off.  Others like to have a little more solitude to get "in the zone."

Oh - coffee - I always need some sort of coffee in the morning to kick start my putting brain.

I've tried many things during the round to keep my mental sharpness and focus but I haven't been able to find anything that consistently gets me to re-focus after a bad hole or two.  Sometimes it takes a good four-letter word to get out my anger, other times it's a few deep breathes and the chorus to a catchy tune and sometimes I just need a good playing partner I can joke around with to take my mind off the game.  

Short aside - you can also affect the mental situation of your playing partner in a positive or negative manner.  Some folks hate talking during the round while others are constant chatters.  You can really get under their skin (intentionally or unintentionally) if you're the opposite way.  Personally, I try to be as nice as I can to my playing partner and always congratulate a good putt and commiserate on a bad one.  I have a hard enough time dealing with my own putting to spend time on gamesmanship with the other players.