Mental errors are avoidable with strong mental performance skills.
Although most people agree golf is a mental game few golfers really work on their mental game skills. To achieve your full potential in sport performance mastery of a variety of fundamental mental skills is necessary and the best way to lower that score. One area of mental performance skill is mental strategy skills. Developing a solid mental game requires mental strategy skills and takes a bit more effort then reading a book however and should be part of an athletes game preparation. There are different mental strategies people use in their performance. We can group them into strategies of prevention, strategies of game performance, and strategies of practice. Ideally there should be overlap.
Why does it Matter?
The Brain runs the body so Mental Strategy is important.
Mental strategy is the intentional thinking, our action plan, or instructions to the brain to produce performance. Mental strategy creates the coordination of required fundamental mental actions and fundamental physical actions. The key in any mental strategy is to send the right instruction to the brain so the body executes properly. Problems surface if we are thinking too much or trying to think when we simply need to be performing. Sending only the information that supports the outcomes we want is essential. This results in better play, increased confidence and consistency, lower anxiety, and lower frustration in game performance without changing the mechanics of your game.