Probably, due to your young age, you haven't had any contact with any of these professionals, who have been working with athletes from different disciplines for many years. The first word that describes us as professionals might confuse you and make you think that athletes who work with a psychologist are only those with some kind of personality disorder, but this isn't the case.

One more coach

The sports psychologist, who must be specialized in this field of psychology, is part of the technical team that surrounds you, among whom we can mention the coach, the physical trainer, the doctor and the physiotherapist.

We should be considered just another coach, although in this case we teach athletes strategies and techniques to directly influence psychological variables such as motivation, self-confidence, stress, focus—everything that constantly interferes with their performance. Learning these kinds of skills doesn't require as much time as developing a good swing, but it also demands work and consistency.

If we take a moment to calculate the actual time you spend executing the shot, out of the approximately three and a half to four hours it takes to complete a round, you're only hitting the ball for about 15 minutes of the entire round. The rest of the time you're interacting with other athletes and spectators, making decisions, setting goals, reflecting on your mistakes and successes, following a pre-hit routine, and so on. All these behaviors and attitudes also need to be practiced to ensure they are performed correctly and don't negatively impact your performance.

Complicated situations

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were playing very well until the 15th or 16th hole, and from that moment on, when you realize you can complete a good round, you started making mistakes and racking up strokes, not achieving what you thought you had a chance of achieving?

In upcoming articles, we'll discuss various situations a golfer might encounter, their underlying causes, and offer advice on how to address them. We'll also further clarify the specific role of a sports psychologist and how they can help, dispelling some lingering misconceptions.

Encarna María Lozano Casero
Psychologist specializing in Physical Activity and Sport