What goes up must come down! Ups and downs are part of life and one can’t exist without the other. Failure is a part of success and one also can’t exist without the other. Golf is replete with technical challenges to test your skills but it is also filled with mental challenges. Either of these may lead to failure, of a single shot or a full round. Even if we have the technical skills we may react negatively to the circumstance we’re in or it might just simply not be our day. That is the beauty of the game, we don’t have control and not having control is something that humans generally don’t do well. I mean how can we, ‘the most intelligent beings on earth’, be controlled by a game that involves a club, a ball and a relatively open field. Humans have a tendency to overthink. That is why thoughts are arguably the main downfall when it comes to golf. If apes were taught the motor skills necessary to play then even they may prove hard to beat. Many golfers believe that golf is all about technique when as a matter of fact, it isn’t. Technique is essential and without it, success will remain elusive but mental control is the clincher!
So what must we do if fear and anxiety come to play with us on the golf course? Should we simply deny their presence and focus on our swing?
I believe not, I believe we should embrace these two imposter and treat them just the same. (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling) Fear and anxiety can provide the edge we need to take the game to the next level. They will make their unannounced arrival while we play.  The only way past our demons is to quite literally past them! We will encounter them on the course, so listen to what they say and know who it is that is talking. Then decide what you are going to do... they are expressing ‘down’, now you know that direction, so choose up!