Welcome

Welcome to issue number 39 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing. 

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In this issue:

• Personality Black Holes

• Wellness Tip – Further Advantages of Group Exercis …

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

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Personality Black Holes

Let’s face it, every golfer brings a unique personality mix to the first tee...like carrying a bag stuffed with quirks, superstitions, and possibly misplaced optimism. But while some personality traits can help you channel your inner champion, others are about as useful as a plastic putter. In fact, a few personality traits have the uncanny knack of turning a promising round into a comedy of errors, leaving you demotivated and wondering if golf is really for you. 

Fortunately, not all personality foibles lead inextricably to black holes. Some can be easily managed once they are recognised and accepted as fixable. Here are 7 traits you might recognise that have black hole written all over them. 

The Perfectionist...“Close enough is not good enough”

Profile...You expect your shots to look like they came straight out of a slow-motion golf video. Anything less and you’re convinced the club, the ball, and gravity itself are against you. 

Research says...Perfectionism, especially the self-critical kind, has been shown to correlate with anxiety and reduced performance consistency in golfers (Chambers & Marshall, 2017; Shuai et al., 2023). 

Mini-Test...Hit one shot. Ask yourself, “Did I judge that shot more harshly than I judge the shots of other people?” If yes, congratulations you have taken up residence in the Perfectionist Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Play a “7/10 Round.” Meaning, rate each shot 1–10, and if it’s a 7 or better, move on without comment. You’ll discover 7 is usually pretty good. 

The Historian...“Remember Hole 5, Last Week, at 2:47 PM?”

Profile...You recall every mistake in forensic detail and refer to them mid-round, usually right before repeating the same mistake. 

Research says...Negative emotional carryover between holes strongly predicts performance dips (Hellström, 2009; Relating Competitive Golfers’ Emotions & Performance, 2021). 

Mini-Test...Notice if you’re talking about the previous hole while teeing up for the next. If so, you are walking backward into the Historian Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Between holes, take a deep breath and literally look backward down the fairway. Say, “That hole’s history,” then turn and walk forward and into a fresh start. 

The Over-Thinker...“What If the Wind Changes Mid-Swing?”

Profile...Your brain writes a novel between address and takeaway...grip pressure, swing path, alignment, and what you’ll eat for dinner. 

Research says...The focusing on step-by-step execution of a skill under pressure, called explicit monitoring, interrupts fluid motor performance. (Hill, Barker, & Steptoe, 2023) 

Mini-Test...Count how long you stand over the ball. More than 5 seconds and you are teetering on the edge of the Over-Thinker Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Adopt the “See It...Feel It...Hit It” mantra where you visualise, breathe, swing. Nothing more. 

The Speedster...“Play Ready Golf, Formula 1 Style.”

Profile...You’re allergic to pauses. You hit fast, walk fast, talk fast...and everything else follows suit. 

Research says...Patience and rhythm correlate with better consistency in skilled golfers (Hellström, 2009). 

Mini-Test...If your partners have not finished putting and you’re already halfway to the next tee, then you’re in the Speedster’s Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Before each swing, exhale deliberately and focus on rhythm rather than speed. 

The Drama King or Queen...“I’m One Missed Putt Away from an Existential Crisis.”

Profile...Every bogey is a tragedy...every birdie a redemption. Playing with you is like being in a Shakespearean golf play. 

Research says...High emotional reactivity, often linked with neuroticism, predicts performance variability (Frontiers in Psychology, 2023). 

Mini-Test...After a bad shot, do you gesture and berate the golf Gods louder than your playing partners? If yes, then you are probably living in the Drama King or Queen Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Try the “20-Second Rule.” You can vent for 20 seconds, then silence. After that, you’re onto the next shot or next hole. 

The YouTube Scholar...“I Saw a Pro Do This Once.”

Profile...Every time you stumble on a new YouTube video, demonstrating a new technique, you attempt to build that technique into your game during your very next round. 

Research says...Too much cognitive load or frequent technical adjustments mid-competition disrupt flow and motor execution (Hill et al., 2023). 

Mini-Test...If you change your swing more than once a hole, you’ve entered the Black Hole of a YouTube Scholar. 

A Possible Fix...Pick one technical focus before the round, write it on your glove, and forbid any mid- round changes. 

The Ego Maniac...“If I Don’t Win, Why Bother?”

Profile...You see every round as a test of your self-worth. Losing a game against your partners is an existential failure. 

Research says...Outcome fixation increases pressure and is a choking risk. Having a process orientation predicts resilience (Shuai et al., 2023). 

Mini-Test...When you hole out, what’s your first thought? “Nice stroke” then you’re fine. “Am I still beating Dave?” then you’re in the Ego Maniac’s Black Hole. 

A Possible Fix...Shift to “personal performance satisfaction.” Avoid measuring your self-worth against the performance of others. 

The Black Hole Test...Rate yourself on the following three observations. 

Your inner monologue...is it critical, frantic, scoreboard-obsessed? 

Your tempo...do you rush, pause forever, fluctuate with every emotion? 

Your focus point...are you thinking past/future instead of this shot? 

Take mental notes during your next three rounds. The one negative pattern that shows up most often? That’s your dominant “Black Hole.”

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