I love watching the majors on television.  I try and catch full Sunday coverage of every men’s major and most Sundays of the ladies major action. As a matter of fact, I’m watching Sunday coverage of the Women’s US Open as I write this.  What I notice most is how defeatist the narrative is with commentators on television; “it will be interesting to see how she handles thisâ€, “she’s going to have to be carefulâ€, “there are double bogeys lurkingâ€, is literally what I have heard in the two minutes since I started writing this!  Honestly, there definitely is pressure but the mindset of the best players in the world isn’t to consider lurking double bogeys or that they have to be careful.  They have a game plan they are going to try and execute as well as they can.

What I like to do is mute the commentating and watch golf in silence.  Its super interesting!  For one, you can get a real sense of how focused the players are just watching their demeanor and their body language.  More importantly, you can reflect on your own personality and thinking while watching the grind for the big prize.  What is your mindset when facing a high pitch over a bunker at a major on Sunday?  Can you make believe you are them and be in the proper mind state? Which player has positive vibes going?  Who looks the most confident?  Who shows the most resolve after a bad shot?  Do they react to anything or just let it go?  What consequence does their lack of confidence or ill reaction have on their golf game?  Most importantly who do you want to emulate, and can you carry that attitude over into your next round?

What I would love to see on TV is more of a player’s preshot routine versus jumping around from shot to shot to shot but, it’s a short attention span world and one that lives off the drama of other peoples failure, so for that reason we may never see golf coverage change. 

The beauty of watching golf in silence is that you get to create your own narrative without distraction, and in so doing you can formulate what type of player you would like to be if you happened to be in the mix on Sunday at a major championship. 

Alternatives to silence might be your favorite music or a golf psychology audiobook.  Why wouldn’t ya!

The post Watching Golf on TV appeared first on THE GOLF PARK.