Golf is, in my opinion, is the most unforgiving sport. You could be having the round of your life and then lose it all on one hole. It takes an extraordinary talent to make a professional golfer. But other than technical talent, what are the top traits that a great golfer must possess?

Discipline

You can’t expect to turn up to the course and just have a good round. Discipline is key. Short game is the most important part of the game and there’s no excuse not to spend time working on it. Find 30-45 minutes in your day to go and practise some chipping and putting. Why not buy a putting mat to roll out at home?!

Other than practice, discipline during play is also essential. Develop a pre-shot routine to help recreate positive thoughts and process before you strike the ball. From grip, to stance, to keeping left arm straight, everyone’s pre-shot routine will be different. It’s important that you develop a pre-shot routine that suits you but keep it simple. You don’t want too much going through your head. That way, regardless of a good or bad result on the last shot, you are coming back to the same thought process on the next shot.

Confidence

Everyone loses confidence on the course sometimes and I know first-hand. My confidence was knocked a few weeks before lockdown when I posted 4 consecutive terrible scores. It’s a horrible feeling, especially when you’re out on the course for a few hours and there’s no way out.

But how do we increase our confidence on the course?

• To reiterate what I’d said earlier – practice. The more time spent practising, the more your confidence and self-belief will grow.
• Be realistic. Set yourself challenging goals but don’t set the bar too high. It’s important to know your limits.
• Positive self-talk. Be kind to yourself and reinforce the positives. Remind yourself of the good shots you’ve played rather than the bad.

Precision

Having to get a tiny golf ball, into a hole not much bigger around 400-500yards away, within 4 or 5 shots is no easy task! On top of all that, you may have to make sure you hit long enough to miss the bunker, but not too long to lose it out of bounds at the back….there’s no other sport like it!

Distance control, line, spin, taking external conditions into account are all essential.

There’s certainly not much room for error but precision, closely linked to discipline, is key.

The ability to problem-solve

It’s safe to say the golf course can cause a few problems. Hazards such as bunkers, heather, water ditches and out-of-bounds are scattered all over courses making the game so tough. We’re all bound to run into trouble several times on any round, but it’s our ability to recover from these positions and solve the problems that count. Is it worth taking a higher risk shot to potentially score a double bogey or even worse if it doesn’t work out? Or it is better to just accept a bogey and play the higher percentage shot instead?

Everyone’s golf personality is different. I’m a lower risk player myself and would rather accept bogey and believe that I can make an extra birdie to makeup for it. During competition play I will rarely (if ever) go for par-5 greens in two even if potentially in reach. Sure, this may mean that I may be slightly holding myself back from a potentially great score, but I often have consistent scores.

Emotional Control

No one can go a whole round without making a few mistakes. But frustration leads to further frustration, bad decision making and more mistakes. Forgive and forget. Reinforce positives and implement your pre-shot routine before your next shot. Try and channel your inner Dustin Johnson, probably the most chilled out golfer on the tour.