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Mental Toughness: Strategies Used by Tour Professionals

Discover the mental toughness strategies that tour professionals use to excel under pressure and learn how to apply these techniques to your own game.

Published

7 months ago

November 13, 2024

Resident PGA Pro

When it comes to golf, the mental game can be just as important as the physical one. In fact, many of the world’s top golfers will tell you that mental toughness is often the deciding factor between winning and losing. As the Resident PGA Pro, I want to share insights into how tour professionals harness mental strength to excel under the immense pressure of competition. Developing mental toughness is something every golfer can work on, and with the right strategies, you can elevate your game to new heights.

The Power of Staying Present

One of the greatest assets tour professionals have is their ability to stay present. The legendary Jack Nicklaus often spoke about how staying in the moment allowed him to focus on each shot as an isolated challenge, rather than worrying about past mistakes or future outcomes. Staying present helps eliminate the distractions that can derail a golfer’s focus, whether that’s a bad previous shot, a looming water hazard, or the pressure of the leaderboard.

To achieve this, many pros use breathing exercises to reset before each shot. Taking a deep breath before stepping up to the ball helps clear the mind, slow the heart rate, and narrow focus. It’s a technique that anyone can use—when you feel nerves creeping in or thoughts beginning to wander, take a breath and bring yourself back to the task at hand.

Visualization: Imagining Success

Mental toughness doesn’t mean ignoring fears or doubts—it means managing them. Tour professionals often use visualization as a tool to build confidence and reduce anxiety. Before hitting a shot, they imagine the perfect outcome, visualizing the ball flight, the landing spot, and even the roll on the green. This creates a positive mental image that can override negative thoughts, building the confidence to execute a challenging shot.

Tiger Woods is famous for his pre-shot routines, which always include visualization. He sees each shot in his mind before physically executing it. Visualization isn’t just about the outcome, though; it can also help you prepare for the feelings and sensations of being in pressure situations, making them more familiar and less intimidating when they actually happen.

Turning Pressure Into Opportunity

Tour players face immense pressure, whether they’re competing for a major title or trying to make the cut. Mental toughness means transforming that pressure into an opportunity rather than a burden. Players like Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka embrace pressure by reframing it: instead of seeing it as something negative, they see it as a sign that they’re in contention, and therefore something they’ve worked their entire career to feel.

One effective way to reframe pressure is to focus on what you can control: your routine, your breathing, and your preparation. Pros understand that they can’t control external factors like the crowd or what their competitors are doing—but they can control how they respond. This ability to control their response to pressure is what keeps them grounded during tense situations.

Managing Expectations and Embracing Failure

A key part of mental toughness is managing expectations and accepting that failure is part of the game. Even the best golfers in the world hit bad shots or miss putts. Mental toughness means accepting those moments without letting them impact the rest of the round. Players like Jordan Spieth have shown incredible resilience by bouncing back from disappointing holes and staying competitive.

By treating each round as a learning experience, tour pros are able to separate themselves from the outcome. They don’t define their abilities by a single shot or round, and they avoid letting negative moments snowball into bigger issues. This mindset is something all golfers can adopt—accept mistakes, learn from them, and move on. Dwelling on mistakes only makes it more difficult to perform well on the next shot.

Establishing a Pre-Shot Routine

A consistent pre-shot routine is one of the best strategies for maintaining focus and mental toughness. Tour professionals use their pre-shot routines as a mental anchor, something that keeps them grounded and focused regardless of the circumstances. Whether they’re hitting a drive on the first hole or a nerve-wracking putt to win a tournament, the routine remains the same.

Routines help block out distractions and keep players in control of their mental state. It might be as simple as standing behind the ball, taking a deep breath, and visualizing the shot. Developing a pre-shot routine and sticking to it is one of the most effective ways to build mental toughness and bring consistency to your game.

Wrapping It Up

Mental toughness is what separates great golfers from the rest. By staying present, visualizing success, managing pressure, embracing failure, and sticking to a pre-shot routine, tour professionals have found ways to perform under intense circumstances. The good news is that these strategies aren’t reserved for the pros—every golfer can work on their mental game and see real improvements.

Start by adopting just one of these techniques, and practice it consistently. You’ll soon see that with a stronger mental game, your performance on the course will reach new heights.

Until next time, stay strong, stay focused, and keep enjoying the game!

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One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

James Fairway

When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.

1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.

2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.

3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.

4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.

5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.

Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.

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The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

Ty Webb

Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?