Top 5 Mental Golfers Of All Time

January 10 2010, 4:24am

Bobby Jones once said, “Golf is played on a course five and a half inches long; the space between your ears.” So who are the greatest masters of golf psychology of all time and what are the key golf tips we can learn from them? As Ben Hogan said, there’s a big difference between playing golf and playing tournament golf. I therefore want to focus on the 5 most prolific major winners as our top 5 masters of golf psychology.

Jack Nicklaus - Top of the list with 18 major wins, possibly the greatest mental golfer of all time, Jack is known for playing calm, collected mental golf. A master of visualisation, he famously said of his putts “I never make the stroke until I know it's going in”. He practiced breath control during pre-shot routines to get into the right state before each shot. He also committed to humbling practice routines with Jack Grout, always hungry to learn, even if it meant regularly going back to basics. Tiger Woods - 2nd only to Jack’s record, Tiger’s tally is now 14 majors. Tiger has captivated audiences with his cool, confident composure. He has used NLP, hypnosis and his Buddhist background to help him play in the moment and trust the process. When asked why he is so good he said it’s because he commits 100% to every shot. Walter Hagen - 3rd in the list with 11, Walter Hagen was touted by players and fans as being consistently relaxed, positive and happy, a master of the mental golf game. Hagen really loved playing golf, and was able to separate his daily life from his game. Gary Player - 4th with 9 major wins over 19 years, Gary Player is a great ambassador for patience in golf and life. Having handled social pressures and sometimes abuse on the course, he still strives to maintain perspective and humility by reminding himself that golf is just a game. He values a holistic approach to staying physically and mentally fit. Ben Hogan - 4th equal with Player, Ben Hogan shows us all the true meaning of perseverance. Self taught over a period of 20 years before he started winning, a one man lesson in dedication!

There are many more contenders I know, but just looking at major wins tells us the degree to which these wizards have mastered their own golf psychology CONSISTENTLY. These are the key traits they have developed above all else: