6 Pro-Approved Mental Tips to Help You Shoot Lower Scores

Lower scores can be achieved through smarter decisions on the course, writes Dr. Bhrett McCabe. In this GOLF.com article, co-written with Evan Rothman, he argues that golfers should not try to force a “flow state,” but instead create conditions in which effortless, natural play happens more often.

“First things first: I don’t teach ‘flow state’ or anything of the sort. It’s like trying to teach happiness,” McCabe writes. In his view, golfers should train properly, build tools they can trust, stay connected to their intentions and prepare for different situations on the course.

Here are six mental tools that can help golfers play more consistently.

1. Be a realist

Set realistic standards for your game. The biggest mistake golfers make is treating their best rounds as the norm instead of judging themselves by the quality of an average day. Comparing every round with an ideal creates disappointment, frustration and anxiety — all of which get in the way of effortless play.

Your handicap index measures your potential, not the score you should be expected to shoot every time. A 3-handicap golfer may think he should shoot 75 in every round. In reality, his average is more likely to fall between 79 and 82, yet he may view those rounds as disappointments.

1. Be who you are

More effortless golf starts with accepting your individual tendencies and processes. If you hit a draw, hit a draw. There is no rule saying that an effective shot must be a cut simply because it is considered “the right shot.”

Cam Young, the 2026 Players champion, won his first PGA Tour event last year by eliminating his left-to-right ball flight. If the pros do it, why shouldn’t the rest of us?

1. Avoid target scores

Do not set a specific score before you hit your first tee shot. Many players, especially juniors, lose interest or give up on a round once they feel they can no longer reach that day’s goal instead of playing to the finish and making the most of the remaining opportunities.

You simply do not know what you are capable of on any given day or how the round is supposed to unfold. All-or-nothing thinking only creates frustration. If you do not stay fully invested, you will slow your progress and development — and that matters much more than the outcome of any single round.

1. Play the percentages

A competitive round is not the place to experiment. Most golfers do not have much time to practice, and if you are not confident in a shot, the odds of pulling it off decrease further. Do not expect a hero shot to work just because you have managed it once before.

Your B game should be your go-to game, just as a car needs to reach third gear to do the things it needs to do. It is the starting point from which your A or A+ game may emerge.

1. Lose “control”

“I’m about to play in a big event. I need to play great,” is something McCabe often hears from players. Of course, not all rounds are alike. But your approach should be the one you have trained, practiced and prepared.

As the consequences increase, so does the desire to control everything: your movements, mechanics, strategy and every other element of the game. That does not help; it is the opposite of free-flowing execution.

1. Prepare for hard yards

Under pressure, golfers often romanticize the idea that everything will go according to plan. That is unlikely. Preparing for a difficult day is what makes a good result possible at all.

Train for hard days. Understand that golf is a challenge, an obstacle course filled with trapdoors you cannot see coming. Train to stay connected to your body, your preparation and your strategy. As much as possible, separate your process from the result.