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Practice Mind vs Performance Mind

How to Bring Your Golf Game From the Range to the Course

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

You finish a range session feeling encouraged. Your contact is improving, the ball is finding its target, and the swing change you have been working on finally seems to make sense.

Then you step onto the first tee.

Suddenly, you are checking your takeaway, reminding yourself to turn, and trying to make sure you do everything correctly. The swing that felt comfortable a few minutes ago now feels like a project.

One possible reason is that you have carried the mindset for building a skill into the moment when you need to use it.

In The Modern Psychology of Golf, I explore the mental side of bringing your ability to the course. A useful distinction is Practice Mind versus Performance Mind. Understanding their different purposes can help you make better use of practice and give yourself a clearer focus when you play.

Two Different Jobs

Practice Mind is concerned with developing your skills. It asks questions, examines movement, and uses feedback to guide improvement.

Performance Mind is concerned with applying the skills you have available. It selects a shot, commits to an intention, and allows the movement to unfold.

These are useful descriptions of two approaches to the game, rather than two separate brains or an on-off switch. You need both. The challenge is learning when to use each one.

DimensionPractice MindPerformance Mind
Primary purposeDevelop and refine skillsApply available skills
Main focusMechanics, feedback, deliberate adjustmentsTarget, shot intention, feel, conditions
Approach to movementExplore and rehearse a changeCommit and respond athletically
Response to a mistakeInvestigate what needs workAccept the result and prepare for the next shot

Give Your Technical Work a Clear Purpose

Suppose you and your coach are working on the clubface at address. During a practice session, you might check its position, rehearse the setup, and use an alignment reference to see whether your perception matches reality.

That attention serves a purpose. You are learning what needs to change and developing a more reliable way to do it.

The difficulty begins when every shot becomes an inspection. A golfer can become so occupied with monitoring the movement that there is little attention left for where the ball should go.

Technical work remains an essential part of improvement. Give it a defined place in your practice, with a clear priority and useful feedback.

Then spend time learning to play with the skill you are developing.

Performance Mind Still Involves Thinking

Playing with trust does not require an empty mind.

You still need to assess the lie, consider the wind, choose a club, and identify a sensible target. Those decisions are part of playing golf well.

The shift comes after the decision. Once you have chosen the shot, let your attention settle on an intention you can use: the starting line, a landing spot, or a familiar sense of rhythm.

A simple, well-rehearsed cue may help. A running checklist of body positions can make commitment more difficult.

You do not need to feel completely confident before you swing. You need a reasonable decision and a willingness to give that decision your attention.

Train the Transition During Practice

If your range time consists entirely of corrections and repeated shots with the same club, the first tee may be the first place you ask yourself to perform without constant rehearsal.

Build that transition into practice instead.

After a period of focused technical work, put away the training aid and create a few individual golf shots. Change clubs and targets. Step away between balls. Go through your routine and give each shot one attempt.

For example, imagine a hole you know well. Choose a target for the tee shot and hit it. Then select an approach club based on the result you imagined or observed, and play toward a different target.

Before each shot:

  1. Choose a specific target and a realistic shot.
  2. Complete your usual preparation.
  3. Settle on one clear intention.
  4. Swing, observe the result, and reset.

You can record how many shots finish within a reasonable target area. Also notice whether you stayed with your routine and intention. A good process deserves recognition even when the result is imperfect.

This gives you practice making decisions and committing to them, alongside the work you do on mechanics.

Let the Warm-Up Prepare You to Play

Before a round, it is tempting to search for a perfect swing or squeeze in one last repair.

Instead, use your warm-up to become physically ready, find a comfortable rhythm, and observe the ball flight you have that day. Finish with a few shots played through your routine toward specific targets.

If your shots are tending slightly right, that information can guide your club and target choices. It does not automatically call for a new swing theory five minutes before your tee time.

On the first tee, give yourself a playable task: choose a sensible target, prepare, and commit.

Respond to Mistakes Without Starting a Swing Lesson

A poor shot can pull you straight back into Practice Mind.

You may want to diagnose the miss immediately, rehearse several corrections, and carry a new instruction into the next swing. One disappointing result can become a series of competing ideas.

During the round, begin with a simpler question: What does the next shot require?

Acknowledge what happened. Take any useful information from it. Then assess the situation in front of you.

A ball that misses right may leave you with a recovery decision. Make that decision first. If a pattern continues, note it for later review rather than repeatedly rebuilding your swing between shots.

Acceptance means recognizing the result so you can respond effectively. You can care about improvement while giving the next shot your full attention.

Make Room for Both Mindsets

You do not have to wait until your swing is finished to practice playing with trust. Golfers continue developing their skills throughout their playing lives.

Give Practice Mind time to investigate and improve. Give Performance Mind opportunities to choose, commit, and play with what is available today.

During your next practice session, reserve the final few shots for that second job. Change the target, follow your routine, and play each ball once.

The transition from practice to performance becomes something you work on deliberately, instead of something you hope will happen when the round begins.

Adapted from concepts in The Modern Psychology of Golf by Kevin Cotter, PGA.

Want to learn more about the mental side of golf? Explore The Modern Psychology of Golf by Kevin Cotter, PGA.

Available on Amazon

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Why Golf Lessons Don’t Always Stick: A Tale of Two Brains

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

You just had a great lesson. Your pro explained exactly what you were doing wrong, showed you the fix, and it made perfect sense. You even hit a few good ones before you left.

Then you stepped onto the first tee Saturday morning — and the old swing came back like it never left.

Sound familiar?

It’s not a lack of effort. It’s not poor instruction. It’s neuroscience.

Your brain has two very different systems at work every time you swing a golf club.

The first is the Prefrontal Cortex — the thinking brain. It understands logic, processes instructions, and grasps new concepts quickly. When your pro explains the fix, this is the system that nods and says, “Got it.” It’s fast to understand but slow to execute, and under pressure it has a critical vulnerability — it collapses.

The second is the Motor Network — the Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia. This is your execution system. It controls timing, smooth movement, and automatic performance. It’s slow to encode new patterns, but once it does, it executes with lightning speed. Better yet — it’s highly robust under pressure. This is the system that swings the club when it matters.

Here’s the problem most golfers never hear about.

Golf instruction almost exclusively engages the first system.

Your pro explains the change. Your Prefrontal Cortex fully understands it. You may even feel it briefly on the range. But understanding a movement and encoding it into your Motor Network are two entirely different neurological events. Explanation activates one system. Only structured repetition encodes the other.

This is why the swing you understood on Tuesday disappears by Saturday. The thinking brain got the message, but the executing brain never did.

This is the void The Subconscious Swing was written to fill.

Not another book about what to change — but a science-backed, in-depth exploration of how golf skills become automatic. How the Motor Network learns. What structured repetition really means. And why the learning process itself, when understood correctly, changes everything about how you practice and play.

Because the goal was never just to understand a better swing.

The goal was always to own one.

The Subconscious Swing by Kevin Cotter, PGA — available now on Amazon.

Learn it. Trust it. Play it.

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What Everyday Golfers Can Learn From Aaron Rai’s PGA Championship Win

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By Luke Olson, PGA

Published on Monday, May 18, 2026

This was a major championship defined by unpredictability.

At Aronimink Golf Club, 30 players entered Sunday within five shots of the lead, creating a logjam with little separation.

The 108th PGA Championship — featuring a mix of stars and first-time major contenders — ultimately came down to who could limit mistakes under pressure.

Aaron Rai (-9) did that, emerging as a first-time major winner by doing what Aronimink demanded most: staying disciplined, keeping the ball in play, and avoiding costly errors. He overcame three bogeys on the front nine, carded an eagle at No. 9, and closed with a bogey-free back nine that included four birdies.

A meticulous approach has long defined Rai’s game, even reflected in his signature two gloves.

Here are three lessons from the winner’s performance at Aronimink.

1. Distance Control on the Greens

The large greens and subtle slopes at Aronimink were a major talking point all week at the PGA Championship, making distance control — especially on longer putts — vital.

Rai produced one of the defining moments of his final round on the par-3 17th. Protecting a two-shot lead, he rolled in a 68-foot birdie putt that effectively secured his position heading to the final hole.

Rai had taken a conservative line off the tee, aiming for the right side of the green with a tucked pin on the left. The intent was a safe two-putt opportunity, but instead found the back of the cup.

Rai’s putting was steady all week, averaging 28.75 putts per round and ranking fifth in the field in strokes gained: putting (1.738).

For everyday golfers, putting is less about making birdies and more about putting yourself in position for an easy two-putt when needed.

1. Finding the right pace
Distance control matters more than perfect reads. The goal is to leave every first putt within a comfortable range. Before a round, spend time hitting long putts to calibrate speed. Every course plays differently.

2. Convert the short ones
Distance control is important, but so is capitalizing on makeable putts. Work on putts inside 15 feet with a variety of breaks to build confidence from different looks.

2. Pick Smart Targets Off the Tee

Rai’s back nine on Sunday offered a glimpse at the kind of ball-striker he is. He consistently put himself into scoring opportunities.

He was one of the most accurate drivers on tour last season, a strength displayed this week at the PGA Championship, where he ranked fourth in driving accuracy (67.86%).

Rai separated himself on Sunday by staying disciplined and committed with his targets, and Aronimink rewarded him.

While most everyday golfers won’t match that level of driving precision, the process can be the same.

1. Take trouble out of play
Good target selection isn’t just about picking a line — it’s about removing danger. If there’s trouble on one side, factor it into your pre-shot decision.

2. Play to the widest part of the landing area
On tight or penal holes, choose the part of the fairway that gives you the most margin for error.

3. Trust your go-to ball flight
Forcing a shot shape that isn’t natural often leads to tentative swings. Under pressure, commit to your most reliable ball flight to hit the fairway.

3. Avoid the Big Number

The defining theme all week at Aronimink has been that big numbers are more damaging than missed birdie opportunities.

Donald Ross’ design is not overly tight from tee to green, but missed fairways and greens have quickly turned into costly numbers when players have been unable to recover.

For everyday golfers, protecting against big numbers is essential. A par is a good score, and sometimes bogey is an acceptable outcome when trouble arises. Conservative targets and smart misses can be the difference in posting a decent round.

Rai made just one double bogey on his way to becoming a major champion, a reflection of how effectively he limited damage throughout the week.

Here are three ways everyday golfers can avoid big numbers:

1. Aim for the center of the green
When trouble is in play, prioritize the largest section of the green to eliminate short-siding and reduce the risk of big numbers.

2. Accept bogey early
Too often, amateurs try to salvage par from difficult positions, leading to further damage. Playing for bogey when needed is often the smartest decision.

3. Club down when control is off
If the driver isn’t cooperating, don’t force it. Use a fairway wood or hybrid to keep the ball in play. The swing can be fixed later on the range, not mid-round.

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The Myelin Trap

Why Your Brain Prefers Your Old Slice Over Your New Swing

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

1. The Hook: The Frustration of the Lesson Tee

It is a cycle that defines the amateur experience. You spend an hour on the range with an instructor who identifies a clear mechanical flaw. You see the error on video, you digest the logic of the correction, and for a brief window—perhaps the remainder of the session or a single Saturday morning—you experience what feels like a breakthrough. The contact is crisp, the ball flight is true, and you feel you have finally turned a corner.

Then, inevitably, the “Cognitive Stage spike” fades. By the third hole on Sunday, the old slice reasserts itself with a vengeance. You are left with the maddening question identified in The Subconscious Swing: “If I understand what I’m supposed to do, why can’t I just do it?”

If you find yourself trapped in this loop, the issue isn’t your athletic talent or your intelligence. The problem is a fundamental misunderstanding of the biological requirements of change. You aren’t failing at golf; you are failing to respect the architecture of your own nervous system.

2. Knowing is Not Doing: The Biological Gap

In modern golf, clarity is frequently mistaken for change. We assume that once a concept “makes sense,” the skill has been acquired. Neuroscience tells a different story: understanding and execution are handled by two separate, often competing, brain systems.

When you process a new swing thought, you are engaging the Prefrontal Cortex. This region is the seat of conscious logic and language. While it excels at analyzing video or reading a book, it is a catastrophic failure at managing a golf swing in real time. As the source text explains:

“It’s too slow and too energy-intensive for real-time coordination.”

Consistent, high-performance movement is instead the domain of the Motor Control Network, specifically the cerebellum and basal ganglia. These nodes specialize in automatic sequencing and timing, operating at speeds the conscious mind cannot touch. The “gap” exists because your knowledge is stored in the prefrontal cortex, but your movement pattern is still being dictated by an un-reprogrammed motor network. Until that pattern is encoded neurally, “knowing” is merely an intellectual exercise.

3. The Three Stages of Mastery (and Why You’re Stuck in Stage 1)

To move a skill from an idea into an instinct, every golfer must navigate three distinct biological stages. Most stall at the very beginning.

  • The Cognitive Stage: This is the phase of awareness. You are thinking about positions, angles, and sequences. Movement is deliberate, effortful, and erratic. Most golf instruction exists solely here, providing a temporary sense of progress that lacks a biological foundation.
  • The Associative Stage: This is the “Valley of Neural Competition.” The movement feels more natural, but it still requires conscious monitoring to prevent the old habit from taking over. Results are uneven. This is where the majority of golfers quit, misinterpreting natural variability as a sign that the change “isn’t working.”
  • The Autonomous Stage: The objective. The motor control network has fully encoded the pattern. The swing no longer requires conscious monitoring and can withstand the pressure of a Sunday afternoon because it is no longer dependent on the prefrontal cortex.

Most golfers fail because they abandon the process in the Associative stage, never allowing the cerebellum and basal ganglia to take full ownership.

4. The Scaffolding Trap: Why You’re Better When the Pro is Watching

Many golfers lament, “I wish you could be here for every shot, because when you’re here, I can do it.” This is not a compliment to the teacher’s personality; it is a description of External Scaffolding.

During a lesson, the pro’s presence serves to offload your cognitive load. The instructor is essentially acting as your external prefrontal cortex, artificially narrowing your focus and filtering out distractions. This creates “provisional success.” You aren’t actually “better” in that moment; you are simply less autonomous. You haven’t “owned” the skill; you are merely performing within a temporary support structure. When the scaffolding is removed on the first tee, your divided attention causes the fragile, unencoded movement to collapse.

5. The 12-Week Rule: Why You Must Finish What You Start

The failure to automate a swing often stems from “scattered intentions.” Consider the case of a professional golfer who spent three years trying to fix his driver swing without success. Despite hitting thousands of balls, his focus shifted daily—takeaway one day, transition the next. Because his repetitions were never concentrated on a single node, his nervous system never received the consistent signal required for automation.

Contrast this with the mid-handicap golfer who tried to change six things in one season. By the end of the year, his ball-striking was unchanged. He famously remarked:

“I feel like I’m gathering swing thoughts rather than actually building a swing.”

The central truth of motor learning is that true automaticity requires protecting a single intention for an extended period—typically 12 weeks. To move a skill into the autonomous stage, you must commit to a single pattern for 3 consecutive months without switching, adding, or modifying it. Biological integrity requires finishing what you start.

6. When ‘Getting Worse’ is Actually a Sign of Progress

The most common point of failure for a golfer is the onset of “awkwardness.” When contact deteriorates, they assume the change is wrong. In reality, they are experiencing Neural Competition.

Your old swing is supported by heavily myelinated neural pathways. Myelin acts as a biological insulator; the more a path is used, the more it is insulated, making the signal faster and more efficient. Your old slice is literally “better wired” than your new swing.

When you introduce a new move, the brain enters a phase in which it activates a “confused mix” of the old, myelinated path and the new, weak path. This discomfort is the feeling of your brain deciding which path to trust. If you quit because it feels “wrong,” you stop at the exact moment your nervous system is beginning to reorganize. You are abandoning the investment just as the myelin is beginning to wrap around the new habit.

7. Conclusion: From Awareness to Automaticity

Lasting golf improvement is not about a “missing key” or a secret tip. It is a strategic investment in habituation. To break the cycle, you must shift your perspective from seeking quick fixes to building biological structures.

Mastery demands disciplined patience. You must stop judging your practice by the quality of the shots and start judging it by the integrity of your intention. Real progress is invisible; it happens in the deepening of neural pathways and the thickening of myelin.

The process of moving from awareness to automaticity works, provided you don’t interrupt it. The question is: will you trust the biology long enough to finish the job?

Read the book, The Subconscious Swing, now available for Kindle eBook pre-order, publication date 05/28/2026, paperback releases same day.

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Cameron Young’s Winning Plan: 4 Golf Lessons You Can Use Right Now

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By Brendon Elliott, PGA

Published on Monday, March 16, 2026

Cameron Young’s win at THE PLAYERS Championship was obviously fueled by talent, but that is not the part most golfers should focus on. Yes, he has speed. Yes, he can hit shots most players can only imagine. But his victory at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday came from something far more useful to the average golfer: he played organized golf under pressure. Young started the final round four shots back, shot 68, and won by one over Matt Fitzpatrick for his second PGA TOUR title.

That is why his week is worth studying.

The stat sheet from his performance at TPC Sawgrass tells the story clearly. Young gained 7.075 strokes on approach shots and 4.818 on the greens. He hit 70.83 percent of his greens in regulation, scrambled at 76.19 percent, made 20 birdies and just five bogeys on the week. That is not one club getting hot. That is a player keeping his game in order from start to finish.

For the average golfer, that is the real takeaway. You do not need Cameron Young’s clubhead speed to borrow Cameron Young’s blueprint.

1. Play for position, not perfection

Many amateur mistakes begin on the tee. Golfers fall in love with the idea of a perfect drive and forget the point of the shot. The goal is not to impress yourself or your buddies. The goal is to set up the next shot.

Young’s numbers are a good reminder of that. He gained strokes off the tee for the week, but he hit 60.71 percent of his fairways, which is solid, not flawless. He did not need perfect driving to win. He needed playable driving. He kept the ball moving forward and gave himself chances to attack from reasonable spots.

That is a helpful course-management rule for everybody: choose the tee shot that gives you the easiest next shot. Sometimes that is the driver. Sometimes it is a 3-wood. Sometimes it is a club that leaves a few more yards but takes the big miss out of play. Golf gets a lot simpler when you stop trying to hit your absolute best drive and start trying to hit your most reliable one.

2. Aim at greens like a scorer, not a hero

Young’s week was built on iron play. Gaining more than seven strokes on approach at Sawgrass is a huge number, and hitting 51 of 72 greens means he kept giving himself opportunities while staying out of trouble.

That should sound familiar to any golfer who has ever wrecked a scorecard by chasing a tucked flag.

Most players do not need to aim closer. They need to aim smarter. If the pin is cut near water, a bunker, or a steep run-off area, the best target is often the fat side of the green. That does not mean playing scared. It means understanding what actually lowers scores. More greens. Fewer short-sided misses. More putts from 20 feet. Fewer chips from a tricky lie.

Young’s iron play this week was sharp, but it was also disciplined. There is a difference. Good scoring usually comes from repeating sound targets, not from pulling off miracle shots.

3. Make your short game about saving holes

One reason Young was able to keep pressure on the field all week was that his misses did not spiral. He led the field in scrambling at 76.19 percent and went 4-for-5 in sand saves. When he missed, he recovered. That is a skill every golfer can build.

The short game should not just be something you work on when the rest of your game feels broken. It should be part of your scoring plan.

Too many golfers practice chipping in a way that looks nice but does not help much. They drop a handful of balls in one perfect lie and hit the same shot over and over. Then they get on the course, short-side themselves from rough or sand, and panic.

A better approach is to practice variety. One chip from a tight lie. One pitch with less green to work with. One bunker shot. One basic runner. One shot from light rough. Give yourself a score and try to get up and down. That is the kind of practice that actually transfers to the course.

4. Putt to take stress out of the hole

Young also gained nearly five strokes putting for the week, and that matters because strong putting is not only about making birdies. It is also about refusing to give shots away. He made only five bogeys all week, which tells you a lot about how cleanly he managed rounds at a course that punishes loose mistakes.

For most golfers, better putting starts with better expectations.

From 30 feet, the job is to cozy the ball down near the hole. From 6 feet, the job is to make a committed stroke. From 3 feet, the job is to trust your routine and finish the hole. That sounds basic, but so many players make putting harder than it needs to be by treating every putt like a must-make event.

If you want a smarter practice split, spend most of your putting time in two zones: lag putts from 25 to 40 feet and short putts from 3 to 6 feet. That is where scorecards change.

Recap

Young’s PLAYERS win was a reminder that great golf does not always look wild or dramatic. Sometimes it looks steady. The ball stays in play. The irons find the right parts of the greens. The short game cleans up mistakes. The putter keeps panic out of the round.

You may never hit it like Cameron Young. Almost nobody can. But you can absolutely play with more discipline, make better decisions and turn your own game into something more repeatable.

That is the part of his win worth borrowing.

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The Mental Mistake 90% of Golfers Don’t Realize They’re Making

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

Every golfer believes their inconsistency comes from swing mechanics, tempo, or setup.
But the truth is far simpler—and far more powerful.

Most golfers fall into the same predictable pattern:

They react to outcomes instead of committing to intentions.

And this one mental mistake quietly destroys rounds, confidence, and rhythm more than anything else.

Let’s break it down.

The Hidden Trap — Playing Reactive Golf

A reactive golfer plays golf after the swing is over.

They judge the shot.
They tighten on the next one.
They shift their focus.
They lose rhythm.
They chase a “quick fix” mid-round.

The pattern looks like this:

  • Hit a poor shot → emotional spike
  • Try harder on the next one → tension rises
  • Overcorrect → mechanics collapse
  • Confidence wavers → performance spirals

Instead of controlling their state, they let the result control them.

This is reactive golf—and almost every golfer does it.

The Elite Difference — Playing With Intention

Great players aren’t perfect. They miss fairways and greens like everyone else.

But they don’t let the miss define the next swing.

They commit to an intention before the swing and judge success based on:

  • Did I commit?
  • Did I choose the correct shot?
  • Did I stay neutral after the outcome?

Outcome is information.
Intention is control.

This is the foundation of playing intentional golf.

Why Intention Matters More Than Mechanics

Your mechanics don’t break down randomly.
They break down when your mind and body become misaligned.

Intention creates:

  • clarity
  • consistency
  • confidence
  • rhythm
  • freedom

When intention is strong, your movement becomes organized.

When intention collapses, tension takes over.

If you want reliable mechanics, you must first control your mental process—because it controls everything else.

The 3-Step Reset to Stop Reactive Golf

Here is a simple, tour-tested process you can use immediately:

1. Pause the Reaction

Right after the shot, do nothing.
No judgment.
No emotion.
Just a breath.

This creates space—it’s the difference between reacting and responding.

2. Ask the Only Question That Matters

“Did I commit to the shot?”

If yes → accept and move on.
If no → reset your process—not your swing.

This question puts you back in control.

3. Anchor the Next Intention

Before the next shot, define:

  • target
  • shape or trajectory
  • feel or cue
  • acceptance

When intention is clear, the body organizes itself around it.

This is the secret to consistent golf.

How This One Shift Lowers Scores

When you stop reacting and start committing, three things happen almost immediately:

1. Your tension levels drop

You no longer “try harder” or “force” swings.

2. Your misses improve

A committed miss is almost always playable.

3. Your rhythm stabilizes

You stop jumping between swing thoughts, fixes, and emotional reactions.

Most golfers think they need a better swing.
What they really need is better intention.

Final Thought — The Shot Matters Less Than the State You’re In

Consistency comes from your mental state, not your mechanics.

If you can adopt one change today, let it be this:

Judge each shot by your commitment, not your outcome.

It will radically change the way you play golf.

Ready to Transform Your Mental Game?

This concept—and dozens of others like it—is explored in depth in my book,
The Modern Psychology of Golf.

If these concepts resonated, and you’re ready to build further clarity, confidence, and consistency on the course, you’ll love the deeper mental strategies inside the book 👉 Amazon.

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4 Essential Golf Tips From Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson & Minjee Lee

By Brendon Elliott, PGA

Published on Saturday, November 22, 2025

The leaderboard at the CME Group Tour Championship tells a story that goes beyond scores and prize money.

After two rounds in Naples, Florida, we’re watching four of the world’s finest players demonstrate what separates good golf from great golf. And here’s the thing: the lessons they’re teaching us aren’t reserved for tour professionals.

Let’s break down what Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson, and Minjee Lee are showing us this week, and more importantly, how you can apply their strengths to your own game.

Jeeno Thitikul: The Power of Precision Over Distance

Leading at 14-under par, Jeeno is putting on a ball-striking clinic. But here’s what caught my eye: she’s hitting 93% of her fairways (26 of 28) while averaging 275 yards off the tee. That’s not the longest distance out there, yet she’s three shots clear of the field.

The Tip: Master Your Personal Power Zone

Jeeno isn’t trying to be the longest hitter. She’s found her optimal swing speed where she maintains complete control while still generating plenty of distance. This is what I call your “personal power zone,” and it’s one of the most underutilized concepts in amateur golf.

What It Helps: Finding your power zone improves accuracy and consistency, and, ironically, often increases your effective distance because you’re hitting more fairways and better lies.

Why It Works: When you swing at 85-90% of your maximum effort instead of 100%, you maintain better balance, tempo, and face control. Your body can repeat the motion more reliably, and your mind stays calmer throughout the swing.

How to Start: On the range, hit a dozen drives at what feels like 75% effort. Note your carry distance. Then hit a dozen at 90% effort. Compare not just distance, but dispersion pattern. Most players find their sweet spot around 85-87% effort, where they lose only 5-10 yards but gain 50% more fairways. That’s your power zone. Practice living there.

Nelly Korda: The Fairway Finder’s Advantage

Nelly matched Jeeno’s fairway accuracy in round two, going 14 for 14, and she’s done it while averaging 283 yards. At nine-under and tied for fifth, she’s proving that when you eliminate one side of the golf course, scoring becomes significantly easier.

The Tip: Commit to Your Stock Shot Shape

Nelly knows her ball flight and trusts it completely. She’s not trying to hit different shapes on every hole. She’s playing her reliable pattern and aiming accordingly.

What It Helps: This approach reduces decision-making stress, simplifies course management, and builds the kind of confidence that shows up under pressure.

Why It Works: Your brain and body can groove one swing pattern far more effectively than trying to hit multiple shapes. When you know your ball is going to move a certain way, you can aim with conviction and swing without doubt.

How to Start: Spend three range sessions hitting only your natural shot shape. If you fade it, fade every shot. Don’t fight your pattern. Learn exactly how much it curves with each club. Then on the course, aim for that shape and trust it. Give yourself a month of this commitment, and watch your fairways hit percentage climb.

Brooke Henderson: The Short Game Separator

Brooke’s sitting at nine-under, and while her driving distance average of 267 yards is the shortest among these four players, she’s making up for it where it counts. She went 14 for 14 in fairways in round two and has hit 96% of her fairways overall (27 of 28). She’s also hit 30/36 greens in regulation. Here’s the kicker: she’s converted on all but one of her 6 up and down opportunities, that’s an 83% scrambling clip. Pretty solid.

The Tip: Practice Scrambling Like Your Round Depends On It

Brooke understands that perfect ball-striking is a myth. What matters is recovering brilliantly when things go sideways.

What It Helps: A strong short game transforms bogey holes into par saves and par holes into birdie opportunities. It’s the fastest way to lower your scores without changing your swing.

Why It Works: While the long game accounts for the majority of scoring differences between golfers, a strong short game acts as a crucial safety net that prevents round-killing double and triple bogeys. Even great players miss 5-7 greens per round, and your ability to scramble in those moments keeps big numbers off your scorecard and maintains momentum when your ball-striking isn’t sharp.

How to Start: Create a “scrambling circuit” at your practice facility. Drop three balls in different challenging spots around one green: thick rough, a bunker, and a tight lie. You must get up and down with at least two of the three balls before moving to the next green. Do this for 30 minutes twice a week. Your confidence around the greens will skyrocket.

Minjee Lee: The Green (and Pin) Reading Genius

Minjee is also nine-under and has been absolutely surgical with her iron play, hitting 89% of greens in regulation (32 of 36). When you’re giving yourself that many birdie looks, you’re going to score.

The Tip: Prioritize Green Center Over Pin Hunting

Minjee’s GIR percentage tells us she’s not always firing at flags. She’s playing to the fat part of greens and trusting her putting.

What It Helps: This strategy reduces three-putts, eliminates short-sided disasters, and actually creates more birdie opportunities because you’re putting from the green instead of chipping from the rough.

Why It Works: The difference between a 25-foot putt from the center of the green and a 15-foot putt from a tucked pin location is minimal in terms of birdie percentage for most golfers. But the difference between being on the green versus short-sided in rough is massive.

How to Start: For the next five rounds, ignore every pin position. Aim for the center of every green. Track your GIR percentage and your average putts per GIR. Compare it to your previous five rounds. I’m willing to bet you’ll see improvement in both categories, and your scores will drop.

The Common Thread

What ties these four players together isn’t just talent. It’s intelligent, strategic golf. They’ve each identified their strengths and built their games around maximizing those advantages while minimizing weaknesses.

You can do the same thing. Pick one of these four tips and commit to it for the next month. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Just choose the area that resonates most with your game and get to work.

That’s how champions are built, one smart decision at a time.

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Identifying Your Emotional Patterns on the Golf Course

How Emotional Awareness Improves Performance

From The Modern Psychology of Golf — by Kevin Cotter, PGA

Every golfer has a swing pattern — but fewer realize they also have an emotional pattern.

Your emotional pattern is your internal fingerprint —
the recurring thoughts, reactions, and habits that show up when pressure builds.

“You cannot manage what you do not first recognize.”

Once pressure hits, patterns reveal themselves.

Some golfers fall apart after a bad opening hole.
Others tighten up when they realize they’re on track for a great round.
Some go into “attack mode,” trying to force shots.
Others shift into fear-based golf, just trying not to lose.

A quiet moment of clarity — the golfer pauses, visualizes, and commits before the first tee shot.

The key is this:

You cannot manage what you do not first recognize.

Before you can control your emotions, you have to observe them.

Awareness Comes Before Change

Improving the mental game begins with noticing, not fixing.

We don’t judge.
We don’t label.
We simply observe.

Instead of thinking, “I shouldn’t feel this way,”
we move to “Interesting — this is how I respond in this situation.”

That’s emotional clarity.

How to Identify Your Emotional Patterns (4 Questions to Ask Yourself)

Next time you play, carry these with you (or jot them into a journal afterward):

  1. What situations tend to rattle me the most on the course?
    Opening tee shots… recovery shots… protecting a good score?
  2. When do I usually lose focus most often?
    After a mistake… or after something good happens?
  3. What does the voice in my head say when I’m under pressure?
    Is it supportive… or critical?
  4. How does my body respond when I feel frustrated or anxious?
    Tension? Quick tempo? Shoulders tighten? Breath shortens?

The more specific your answers, the faster your growth.

Why This Matters

Once you identify your emotional patterns, you can:

  • Interrupt negative spirals sooner
  • Build routines that stabilize your mindset
  • Stay composed during high-pressure moments
  • Play the round you’re capable of — not one hijacked by emotion

Emotional mastery doesn’t mean you stop feeling pressure.
It means the pressure no longer controls you.

If you want to build consistency, confidence, and emotional control — not just once, but every round — you’ll love:

📘 The Modern Psychology of Golf
Your blueprint for mastering golf’s invisible game.

👉 Learn more here.

And for daily reflection and improvement:

✏️ The Modern Psychology of Golf Journal
Train your mind like you train your swing — one round at a time.

👉 Check out the journal here.

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Practice Like You Compete

The Missing Link Between Range Success and On-Course Confidence

Every golfer knows the feeling—you’re hitting perfect shots on the range, but when the first tee arrives, everything feels different. The swing that once felt automatic suddenly tightens. The rhythm disappears. It’s a reminder that you have to practice like you compete if you want your confidence and performance to hold up under pressure.

Most golfers practice comfortably, not competitively. The range becomes a place to refine smooth motion rather than to recreate the focus and commitment of real play. True improvement happens when your training reflects your playing—when every shot in practice feels meaningful.

Why It Matters

Your brain doesn’t differentiate between the range and the course—it only recognizes the emotional state you train in. If your practice is relaxed, repetitive, and without consequences, your mind learns to stay calm but not to be prepared. When competition arrives, the unexpected rush of adrenaline can disturb your flow.

To close that gap, you need to bring game-day emotions into every practice. Training like you’re competing helps your body and mind perform together under the same mental conditions you’ll face when it matters most.

Focused practice builds confidence under pressure. Every shot is a rehearsal for competition.

Action Plan: Turning Practice Into Performance

1. Structure Every Session.

Warm up as usual, then switch into “performance mode.” Pick one club, one target, and hit just one ball per shot. Follow your full pre-shot routine. This helps build trust and rhythm in realistic conditions.

2. Keep Score.

Track fairways hit, greens in regulation, or distance to target. When you measure results, you build accountability—and accountability fosters consistency.

3. Simulate Pressure.

End your session with a high-stakes shot: one ball, one target, one chance. Whether it’s a wedge to a flag or a drive between two posts, learn to commit when something’s on the line.

4. Reflect Afterward.

Reflect on what you felt, not just what you did. Were you committed? Distracted? Over-focused on mechanics? Honest reflection turns repetition into mastery.

The Payoff

When you practice as if you’re competing, you start to play as if you’re actually in a competition. You’ll notice the same feelings, routines, and flow when under pressure—and your confidence will grow with each round.

Golf isn’t about perfection; it’s about preparation and trust. The next time you hit the range, don’t just swing at balls—focus on training your mind.

Train your focus, not just your swing—and your game will improve.

Read More from The Modern Psychology of Golf

Learn how to elevate your mindset, play with confidence, and perform when it matters most.

👉 Read more now!

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Reflection & Action Plan: Trusting What You’ve Built

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

Every golfer who’s ever faced a critical shot knows the tension between knowledge and trust. You’ve practiced your swing mechanics, rehearsed your pre-shot routine, and refined your mental approach—yet when the pressure increases, doubt creeps in in.

One of the key lessons from The Modern Psychology of Golf’s “Mind Over Mechanics” chapter is that mastery doesn’t come from thinking more — it comes from trusting more.

Reflection: Quieting the Over-Thinker

Reflect on your journey as a golfer. How many hours have you dedicated to refining your grip, stance, and tempo? How many lessons, drills, and rounds have shaped the swing you have today? Most players underestimate that foundation.

When doubt takes over, you’re essentially telling yourself that all that effort didn’t matter. But performance peaks when you stop trying to control the swing and start allowing your trained motion to happen naturally.

You can’t analyze your way through the downswing—you must trust your instincts.

Action Plan: Turning Thought into Trust

1. Define your blueprint.
 Write down three fundamentals that define your swing—your personal anchors, like posture, tempo, or alignment. When under pressure, return to these instead of chasing quick fixes.

2. Rehearse trust under pressure.
 Simulate competition during practice. Choose a target, perform your entire routine, and swing with full commitment—avoid thinking mechanically.

3. Reflect daily. After each round, note one swing where you trusted yourself and one where you didn’t. Awareness builds confidence.

4. Build your confidence loop.
 Each trusted shot strengthens your confidence in preparation. That confidence brings calmness, and calmness leads to consistent performance.

The Payoff: Freedom Through Trust

When you trust what you’ve built, golf becomes flow instead of force. You’ll feel rhythm replace rigidity, confidence replace anxiety. You’ll stop trying to swing—and just swing.

So as you head to the course this week, quiet the mechanics. You’ve already done the work. Now let your game shine.

Read More from The Modern Psychology of Golf

Discover how to build lasting confidence and play your best when it matters most.

You’ve done the work. Now trust it—and let the game flow.