How to Approach Putting Mentally Like Jack Nicklaus

More than amateur golfers, pros like Jack Nicklaus will tell you that when it comes to putting the mental is everything. Jack Nicklaus has spent decades perfecting his mental game precisely so he can sink putt after putt, and move past the putts he misses. To mentally approach putting like golf superstar Jack Nicklaus follow these steps.

Instructions

1. Start forgetting your putts. Most golfers spend a full week after their Sunday game regretting all the putts that went a little screwy. Even the puts that were actually good putts but didn't hit the hole get put down in the "screw up" column. Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest putters in the game, has a very effective tendency to forget not only bad but simply missed putts. Do the same to approach putting like golf's great Golden Bear.

2. Focus on your good putts. Nicklaus, like so many other successful golfers and other kinds of people, focuses on what went well. Visualizing good putts allows Nicklaus to mentally reinforce the behaviors, both in terms of his putting and his mental state, that produced excellent putts. Replay good putts in your mind as if you're watching your own mental ESPN golf highlights.

3. Monitor your attitude. Putting is both the end of the hole and the culmination of that hole's frustrations, missed shots and disappointments. If you play a poor hole and then internalize the mistakes you are bound to putt badly. Nicklaus, like other top athletes, constantly monitors his mental state, always striving to stay positive and keep bad attitudes out of his game.

4. Put the mental into practice off the green. To get to the point where you're visualizing success you should do a little practice at home. Luckily, this kind of practice is the most enjoyable kind since all you need to do is sit down and think for 15 minutes of your most successful putts. Do this a few times a week. Allow yourself to enjoy the feeling of a good putt and prevent images of bad putting to enter your mental space.