"I came across some great information that I wanted to share with you regarding perfectionism. The reason I want to share this is because I fell victim to this when I was in college struggling to play well in tournaments. I can remember standing on the range at Leon Valley Municipal Golf Course, Belton, TX in 1989 hitting golf balls with a 7 iron. I had hit about 50 balls and so far all of them were within the circumference of the green, but then I missed one left of the green. I stood there wondering why I missed that "one shot" left? That lead me to change the next swing to avoid the left shot. Guess where the next one went?.....You got it.....Right of the green. All of the sudden I could no longer hit the green, because I was so focused on the one shot I had misplaced, instead of just letting that one go and focus on the 49 swings prior to that that were pretty well placed on the green.
As a golfer, you know the challenges of being a perfectionist. You practice hours and hours on the range, yet realize that being obsessive about your swing will create havoc on your game. You possess incredible dedication and commitment, yet get caught in your head, cannot let go of mistakes, and overanalyze - obtaining minimal results from all of your hard work. Let's cut to the chase - there is no such thing as "perfect." It does not matter if you shoot 58, you would still make mistakes. Yet the belief that "I must be perfect" continues to be a primary mental block for golfers.
There is a difference between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism. Healthy golf perfectionists are motivated by success, the possibility of getting better and the opportunity to compete. Healthy perfectionists do experience disappointment, but do not let it rule. They engage in trial and error learning more frequently and are not afraid to make mistakes. To them, golf is an adventure, not a fearful event.
Unhealthy perfectionists, however, experience intense fear about making mistakes, obsess about their errors and feel self-contempt, shame, and severe disappointment more frequently. They have difficulty relaxing, even during great performance, because the possibility of failure is always looming. Unhealthy perfectionists are driven more by a sense of deficiency and possess an urgency that they have to become better now. They "must do" the right thing all of the time, even in front of swing coach. They deny shortcomings because of the damage to their self-esteem and their pursuit of success is based in not being rejected.
The first step toward improvement is becoming aware of your perfectionism - healthy or unhealthy. You can assess yourself in the table below by marking with a dash on the dotted line where you see yourself. Once your traits are recognized, you can then begin to take steps toward becoming a healthier perfectionist, and as a result, play better and score lower. "
Golf Perfectionism
Healthy Unhealthy
Experience disappointment ------------------- Ruled by disappointment
Golf is an adventure ------------------- Golf is fearful
Can let go of mistakes ------------------- Obsesses about mistakes
Motivated to succeed -------------------- Motivated to not be rejected
Feel frustration -------------------- Feel self-contempt, shame
I hope you can use this information to better your game!
T. Craig Pullen
PGA Head Golf Professional
Oakmont C.C.
940-321-5590
May 19, 2015 by Tom Niesen in Sales Process
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