The Mental Game of Disc Golf

My mother’s a Buddhist. In Buddhism, if you want to achieve enlightenment, you have to do it through meditation and self-improvement through the mind. That’s something she’s passed on to me: to be able to calm myself down and use my mind as my main asset.

Tiger Woods, legendary golfer

Concentration is a fine antidote to anxiety.

Jack Nicklaus, best golfer in history

When I learned how to breathe, I learned how to win.

Tom Watson, winner of nine golf majors

My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However, down I am, I fight.
Paul McBeth, 6-time PDGA World Champion

Disc golf can become a mirror of yourself once you learn to step back and see that you are the game and the game is you.
Patrick McCormick, book author, Zen & The Art of Disc Golf

Since 2019 I have been the mental game coach to disc golfers who compete on the pro circuit and who have competed in the United States Disc Golf Championships and the PDGA World Championships. It’s been very enjoyable coaching world-ranked disc golfers. I’ve learned a great deal from them. It’s very gratifying helping them work through their mental obstacles to create the best versions of themselves. It’s always exciting watching them compete on television and seeing them come home with cash and trophies.

I have found the transition to coaching professional disc golf players quite seamless, since I have an extensive background as a mental game coach and consultant to top collegiate golf programs, top amateur golfers and professional golfers. During my Hollywood years, I created and produced and shot a television pilot around the mental game of golf:

https://www.mentalgametvshow.com/news_events.html#GolfPilotEpisode

I’ve coached multiple kids who have played in the Junior World Golf Championships, many college golfers in programs such as San Jose State University, Stanford University, Cal-Berkeley and others. I was the golf psychology consultant to the men’s golf program at Cal State Fullerton.

I've coached men and women College All Americans in golf, and players who have competed on both the Men’s PGA Tour and Women’s LPGA Tour and the US Open Championships. I’ve coached a member of the Swiss National Golf Team.

For years, I’ve been delivering my popular seminar and workshop on the Mental Game of Golf:

https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Program-MentalGameOfGolf.html

Here is a 12-minute demo video where I present this workshop:

https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/MeetingPlanners.html

As Founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, I have developed The IMGCA Certified Golf Psychology Coach Program:

https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com/GolfCertification.html

So you can see, I have a very high comfort level and a superb track record when it comes to coaching golfers and disc golfers.

Disc Golf Has Come A Long Way

We can only imagine what was going through the mind of Ed Headrick (known as "Steady" Ed Headrick), when he invented the modern-day Frisbee, and also the sport and game of disc golf. Could he even have envisioned how the game would proliferate through all these years? The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) was formed as the professional association for all disc golfers. In 1982 the PDGA hosted the first World Championship Tournament. Disc golf competition in college is very robust, culminating in the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships.

Two huge names stand out in the ongoing debate over the greatest of all time in the men’s side of the sport (GOAT). Ken Climo won 20 majors and 12 world championships, and Paul McBeth so far, has won 15 majors and 5 world championships. Ken is of course now retired, and Paul is still going strong, so we will see how he ultimately ends up in the record books.

Other huge names in the men’s game include Barry Schultz, Paul McBeth, David Feldberg, Nate Doss, Steve Rico, Geoff Lissaman, John Ahart, Nikko Locastro, Rod Russell and Richard Wysocki. There are many other top names of note out there as well.

On the women’s side of professional disc golf, many luminaries come to mind such as Elaine King, Val Jenkins, Juliana Korver, Anni Kreml, Carrie Berlogar, Paige Pierce and early champions such as Vanessa Chambers, and Michele Marini. Other huge names in the women’s game include Birgitta Lagerholm, Sarah Hokom, Catrina Allen, Des Reading, Evelliina Salonen, Henna Blomroos, Hailey King, and Kristin Tattar.

What Separates The Very Good From The Great In Disc Golf?

The mental game is the difference. Notably, the ability to concentrate when it counts. Anyone can concentrate when things are going well. But can you pull yourself together and concentrate when you’re playing poorly? When the conditions are lousy? When you have people around you who are attempting to rent space in your head? When you have a sponsor putting pressure on you to win more? When you’re in a slump and haven’t been winning much lately? When your bank account is beginning to run low?

All of these situations require the ability to immediately summon deep concentration. That’s what I specialize in.

Let’s take a look at five strategies you can apply immediately to help improve your mental powers of concentration.

1. Make Sure You Have A Game Plan: If you don’t have a game plan, your mind will all too easily wander and create doubt within itself. You need a game plan for the overall day, for the course and for each hole. A game plan stops your mind from waffling and wandering. It gives it a focus and sense of purpose. A game plan helps you commit to your shots. A game plan gives you confidence that you are on the right track. A game plan keeps your mind calm and prevents over thinking.
   
   
2. The Power Of Intentionality: Don’t worry about what the opponent might do to you. Make the opponent worry about what you’re going to do to them. Never think about what you’re trying to avoid. Instead, focus on what you want to achieve. Of course, you need to note any obstacles on the course, and then you’ll make an adjustment in your aim and plan. But too many disc golfers tell themselves to “avoid this” or “don’t do that”. They’re unfortunately negatively programming themselves to fail. Because when they remind themselves of what could go wrong, they’re implanting disaster images and movies and words in their mind. Tell yourself what you are going to do. Then do that very thing. That’s intentionality.
   
   
3. Quiet Your Mind: Everyone wants to get into the zone. We don’t get into the zone every single time we play. But it is important to know how to adjust your internal state so you can call forth excellent concentration. The zone has been intensely studied in the sport psychology literature since the early 1970s. I was privileged to be the first person in the world to earn an undergraduate degree in sport psychology in 1978. I was deeply into studying and researching the zone even back then.
   
   A defining characteristic of the zone and a key entry point to the zone is for the athlete to achieve quiet mind. There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest ways is to sit or stand quietly and to focus on your breath. We’re not talking about breathing deeply per se. We’re talking about first listening to your breath. Then feeling your respiration as your lungs fill up with air, and as they let the air out. Finally, notice the pattern of your breathing, the cadence, the rhythm, the regularity. Do each of these three phases for 10 seconds or more, if you are doing this for the first time. Then you will experience the effects of relaxation, becoming more present, and of your mind becoming quieter. In an actual practice session or a round of golf all of this takes less than five or 10 seconds to achieve. You don’t need any more time than that to calm yourself.
   
   The first time you do this exercise, it would be ideal to set aside up to one minute for it. As you are tuning into these three elements of your breathing, your mind will automatically and naturally become quieter. The goal is not to empty your mind 100%. That’s virtually impossible, even for meditation experts. You only need to get your mind calmer. Once you do that, your concentration will be deep and sufficient for you to be fully present in the here and now. This will then allow you to give everything you’ve got on your next throw.
   
   
4. Make Up Your Mind That You’re Going To Fight, No Matter What: Unfortunately, too many competitors give up when things become difficult. They check out mentally when the course or the conditions begin to push back. When things are going well for them, they can concentrate seamlessly. But when they’re struggling, their mind begins to jump all over the place and they find it very difficult to concentrate. When that happens, they lose their enjoyment of the round, and sadly, begin to give up within themselves. They’re still playing, but they are simply going through the motions.
   
   Your competitive fighting spirit is directly linked to your ability to concentrate. If you lose the fire in your belly, you lose your concentration. That’s why you need to make a decision in advance of your round that you are going to fight, no matter what. You may know that professional disc golfers know that they will have five or more lousy throws in a round. When each of these occurs, they take them in stride because they know that’s simply a reality of playing disc golf. They’re not looking for perfection, they’re looking for excellence. This reality-based mindset allows them to overlook mistakes they make and to remain competitive. When they continue to fight throughout the round, their levels of concentration remain high. So before every round you play, make an agreement with yourself that you’re going to fight, no matter what happens. You will discover that your concentration levels remain far more consistent throughout the round.
   
   
5. Understand The Attentional Grid: You must know where your concentration is at all times. If it’s in the wrong location, you will mess up. Your concentration can be in one of four places at any given time. For example, if you are thinking of some of your swings on the practice range that day, you are in your head recalling those memories. That’s called internal narrow focus. If you are recalling some of the people you spoke to on the range, it’s still internal, but much broader than a swing, so we call that internal broad.
   
   If on the course you are walking up to your disc and looking at your lie, that’s called external narrow. You are no longer in your head. You’re now looking out onto reality. Then when you move your gaze out to the rest of the hole, you now have switched into external broad focus.
   
   So therefore, here are the four dimensions of concentration:

• Internal narrow.
• Internal broad.
• External narrow.
• External broad.

If for example, you are about to pull the trigger, and your mind wanders to the score because you felt pressure from someone to play well that day, you are now in the wrong dimension. You are up in your head. The disc you are about to release is not up in your head. It’s in the real world. So is the hole. You need to be in the external narrow dimension at that moment.

I think you get the idea. All four dimensions are valid depending upon the context of the situation and where are you are in your pre-shot sequence. The important takeaway here is that you need to know what dimension you should be in at any given time. If you are in the wrong dimension, you need to select the proper one.

Go Forth and Create Superb Concentration

Now you have a better understanding of concentration and how it works. You’ve experienced fantastic concentration already in your disc golf, and you know how wonderful that feels. Concentration is the master skill in learning and performance. When you’re concentrating well, your confidence soars and you feel you can do anything. I encourage you to develop a robust tool kit of concentration techniques you can call upon when you learn or compete. Being able to dial-in excellent concentration on command is a total game changer. I wish you the best of luck.

Bill Cole, MS, MA is one of the world's leading mental game coaches who consults with athletes of all levels including amateurs, professionals and Olympians. He has been mental coach or consultant to Olympic athletes who have won bronze, silver and gold medals and has coached thousands of recreational, junior high, high school, college, professional, world champion and world record-holding athletes. Mr. Cole is the founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching Association, the global leader in certification of mental game coaches. Read over 400 free articles on sports www.MentalGameCoaching.com

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For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete mental strengths and weaknesses. Here is a free, easy-to-take 65-item sport psychology assessment tool you can score right on the spot. This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a guide in creating your own mental training program, or as the basis for a program you undertake with mental coach Bill Cole, MS, MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an excellent first step to help you get the big picture about your mental game.