Last day I said that most golfers are fanatical about mechanics.

They're constantly trying to adjust the mechanics of their swing to make the
ball go where they want it to go.

You can get equally obsessed with the mechanics of your putting.
However, you must resist this temptation.

Breaking 80 (or any other type of golf score barrier) is mentally tough.

But according to the pros, shooting a low score on Sunday to win a tournament is tougher.

When Mike Weir won the Masters for the first time in 2003, he learned that winning required a whole new mental mindset.

Having the “yips” is gut wrenching.

Just ask Germany’s pro golfer Bernard Langer.

Twice afflicted by the yips in his career, Langer overcame the yips only after long battles.

Many newer golfers (and a few older ones, too) have a tendency to misalign themselves when they take their golf stance. Normally, what they will do is aim way right of the target. Players whose golf stance is misaligned from the get go and aim right are usually players who try to swing with their arms. When they do this the ball will almost always take off to the left. So what they are doing with this "right side" target trick is trying to fix a problem before it even happens!

Most golfers are fanatical about the mechanics of their swing. They’re constantly trying to adjust their swing mechanics so they can make the ball go where they want it to go.

As a result, they have a running dialogue in their minds about their grip, their arms, their shoulders, their head-—the list is endless.

This obsession is a huge disadvantage, because you cannot think about the mechanics of your swing and swing properly at the same time.

You, however, can be different.

Fred Couples is one of the best players on the PGA tour, bar none.

Winner of more than 20 professional tournaments, he also makes some of the best pitch shots on the PGA Tour, despite having back problems.

Of course, Fred didn’t always pitch the ball so well. Like most professional golfers, he worked on conquering this part of his game to play professionally.

This article is intended for the first time golfers out there. It's for those who have never hit a golf ball or are still struggling "to" hit a golf ball.

The two words that every golfer dreads hearing about their golf swing are "slice" and "hook."

Ironically, top players actually use these two shots to get around things that may be in their way.

When this happens, those words become "fade" and "draw", and they can be a powerful weapon in a golfer's arsenal of shots.

I've said it often: over-tightness in your golf grip is the most common cause of errors in golf.

Too much tension in your hands inhibits your swing, creating poor wrist action and short-circuiting your power.

The net effect of "tight hands" is that you will be inconsistent on the course.

Using your golf swing to hit the ball on the sweet spot in golf produces a euphoric feeling that is unique.

You just know you've hit the perfect spot on the ball.

Here are two quick tips to hit the sweet spot, which will ensure a powerful, straight shot.

Most players simply shove a wooden tee in the ground, put a ball on it, and start swinging.

Learning the art of teeing up your ball can give you a surprising edge for your long drives.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your golfing life.

With my amazing new multimedia golf training series YOU will lower your current handicap by 30%, YOU will hit your driver 30% longer, and YOU will slash 10 strokes or more off your current score....all in just 4 weeks or less!"

Have you ever frozen up in your short game?

If so, you're not alone. This is one of the most common errors in golf.

Because they look simple, short shots seduce us into focusing on making the shot rather than what we need to do to make it.

Chipping from the rough is a challenge. The problem is the tall grass: it wraps itself around the club and twists it at impact. But making this chip from the rough can turn two strokes into one, so if you’re serious about lowering your handicap, you must master this shot.

When I first started playing golf as a youngster my choice of golf balls was dictated by one thing. Price!

I honestly didn't think there "was" a difference in golf balls. In fact, I felt I was paying more for the brand name than for any technological differences. Well, I was wrong. There are differences in golf balls and they can make a big difference, depending on the type of ball and how any particular ball is used on any given day.

Tom Watson's only win at the U.S. Open in 1982 amazes everyone.

Nicklaus, playing two groups ahead of Watson in the final round, charges into a share of the lead with five consecutive birdies.

I love what Fred Couples has to say about consistency.

He says: “The best way that both you and I can be more consistent on the golf course is to:

a) use a little bit of patience, and

b) realize that you can't hit every shot that stands in front of you the way you think you can. You must play within yourself.”

All golfers know that there's nothing like an excellent start to put you in a confident frame of mind.

Recently several Tour players were asked, "What's your strategy for psyching out an opponent during match play?"

I'm in the mood to give you a technical tip today. So I persuaded Robert Partain from the Golf Tips Center to let me send you this one for your medium game…

There is a nifty little golf shot called the "bump and run" that is by far the best way to get the ball close to the hole for average golfers.

Most people agree that Tiger Woods is the best golfer with the best golf swing on the planet week in and week out. He is able to focus and produce excellent scores even when he’s clearly not at his best.

This begs the question: why shouldn’t golf instructors teach the average player to have a golf swing like Tiger’s?

If you’re missing your share of short putts, it could be because you’re decelerating the putterhead before impact.

Acceleration refers to the increasing speed at which the clubhead moves through the ball—a critical element of every shot, from driving to putting.

Since my specialty is mental toughness in golf, I rarely send out technical golf swing tips that come my way via pros and instructors.

But, I particularly like this golf swing tip from teaching professional Clive Scarff. I like it because a) it’s simple, and b) he shows that your mind must thoroughly understand a golf shot before you can execute it properly.

Once clouded by personal demons, professional golfer Robert Karlsson is shinning again.

Karlsson is an admitted former ‘head case’ in golf. But, tired of broken clubs and tantrums, he started clearing his mind.

Gradually, his golf game rose the other way. In 2006, he climbed 187 spots in the World rankings, from 217 (in 2005) to 43.

The young Swede found his remedy in an old saying:
What matters is not what happens, but how you react to what happens.

Believe it or not players can actually be disqualified from play if they repeatedly violate the golf rule against distracting other players. That's Rule 33-7, in case you're wondering.

Someone once asked Hank Haney, one of Golf Digest’s 50 Greatest Teachers, what irritated him the most when it comes to teaching golf.

Haney owns six golf school/practice facilities and works with some guy named Woods, helping him with his swing and fundamentals. So Haney knows where of he speaks.

What irritates Haney the most? A student with a bad attitude.

Close behind that student is the student who’s too hard on himself.

I'm always looking for mental game tips that will help you lower your golf score quickly and easily.

Here are two new ones...

Ever wonder what the one big 'secret' to mental toughness in golf is? The one that really makes the difference...

It’s surprisingly simple.

I learned it from a (very) rich professional gambler.

The off season is a great time for cleaning your clubs and doing other repairs and maintenance on your equipment. It's also a great time to take inventory of what golf equipment you have, what you don't have and what you'll probably need to replace for next season.

Golfers often scuffle with sidehill lies---when the ball lies on the side of a hill and is either above or below where it would sit if the ground were flat. These shots, called 'sidehill lies,' make it difficult for you to hit the ball straight.

Most golfers incorrectly compensate for the low ball position and disrupt their swing. With a few minor adjustments, though, you can master this shot.

Despite the hope promised by 'hot new' golf products, the sad truth is that only a small percentage of golfers ever improve.

Handicap statistics compiled by the National Golf Foundation and United States Golf Association show that most golfers establish their level of competency after a few years. After that, they seldom vary their scores by more than a stroke or two.

Bernard Langer was one of the finest distance putters on the PGA tour.

According to Langer, the critical factor in determining distance in your putt is the length of your stroke.

Here are three of Langer's best tips for executing the perfect stroke length for distance putting.

On August 15, 2004 Vijay Singh won the 86th PGA Championship.

In an interview earlier that day Singh said, ‘My mental focus two months ago was the wrong thing.

I was focusing so hard to get to the No. 1 spot that I started not focusing on my own game."

There is a theory that explains why golf is so mentally challenging.

This theory says that that the more 'point of contact' you have with the ball in your sport, the easier it is for you to concentrate.

For example: in tennis, basketball, and volleyball you have more contact with the ball than in golf.

Last day, I explained that one reason golf is mentally challenging is because you have so little contact with the ball.

Unlike basketball, where you dribble the ball for minutes at a time, in golf you only make contact with the ball for fractions of a second over a 4-5 hour time frame.

This lack of contact makes it easier for you to lose your concentration.

Now you can effortlessly and dramatically improve every aspect of your golf game and begin shooting the lowest scores of your life almost instantly... starting today!

The strategy "When it's breezy, swing easy" is simple, but tough to follow.

Here are the mental steps you can use to overcome the temptation to swing harder when it's windy.

Do you know who was considered the best ball striker ever?

He was a Canadian, Moe Norman, and he died in September of 2004 at the age of seventy-five.

Moe was called the Rain Man of Golf because his many eccentricities sparked rumours that he was autistic.

But…Moe could really hit a golf ball straight.

No one likes to be rushed through a round of golf and by following the appropriate course etiquette everyone can enjoy a well-paced 18 holes. With green's fees being the way they are and golf often being the only outside time many of us get these days, we want to enjoy our round. But by that same token, no one wants to wait and wait and wait on the party ahead of us. Luckily, the game of golf has some rules of etiquette and common sense tips that, if applied, should keep everyone happy.

The most common cause of error in golf is over-tightness.

When your muscles tighten, your swing slows, you cannot connect to the feel of the swing, and your drives get shorter and shorter.

Recognizing this, the universal mantra of golf instructors is, "Relax."

Unless you're about as popular as Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy, most of the time you golf with friends... which brings me to a question I'm asked alot:

"Lisa, will my mental game suffer if I chat with my friends?"

My answer is, "It depends."

Brad Faxon knows the value of waiting as part of his mental game.

One of the best putters on the Tour, Brad knows that patience has earned him success as a pro.

The first step to mental toughness in golf is to discover what bothers you most when you play.

A recent study on enjoyment in golf reveals that most golfers find the same things stressful.

Last month I explained that golf is particularly mentally challenging because you have so little contact with the ball.

In tennis, basketball, and volleyball, you have much more contact with the ball. Even in hockey, where players only handle the puck for approximately 14 seconds per game, there is more 'point of contact' than in golf.

When you don't interact with the ball much, it's difficult to concentrate. For most players, this leads to inconsistent performance and frustration.

Do you know who the first professional golfer was to hit the 9 million dollar mark?

My guesses would have been Arnold Palmer or possibly Jack Nicklaus.

It was Tom Kite.

Most golfers are happy to break 80.

Few dream of breaking 60, especially in a tournament or 'friendly' game with business associates.

Assuming you've mastered the fundamentals of your shots, the challenge to breaking 60 is being mentally consistent on every hole.

Whenever you become super-frustrated on the golf course, the first place to look is your expectations. Expectations are at the root of most frustrations.

When you are performing well and suddenly your opponent sinks a long chip or comes out of the woods to make a par, you know what I'm talking about.

The time: 1972.
The place: The British Open.
The combatants: Lee Trevino vs. Jack Nicklaus.

The 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the Senior Players Championship gave Bobby Wadkins his first major title... and a sense of relief.

Wadkins needed to sink the putt to win the tournament.

54-year old Wadkins had made five straight birdies on the back nine to take the lead, but a horrendous bunker shot meant he had to sink the putt to win the tournament.

Wadkins was feeling the pressure.

You probably know of Nick Price’s reputation as one the “nice guys” on the tour.

He is extremely well respected by his peers.

Nick was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.

"The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course."
--Billy Graham

Billy's quote reminds me just how mentally tough golf can be on the psyche.

To make your own luck, you will need to approach your emotions differently than most golfers.

Do you ever feel like you’re “holding on by a thread” in the middle of a round?

I feel your pain.

I’ve been there, just like many, many other athletes.

If you watched the US Open this weekend, you know that Tiger didn't make the cut for the first time in 39 straight majors.

You also know that it was the first tournament he played since the tragic death of his father, Earl, seven weeks ago.

Tiger acknowledged how his Dad's death had affected his mindset before the Open. He said, "I was reluctant to come back to the golf course... my Dad and I shared so many memories here."

Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you work at it, your mental game is never good enough?

I think most golfers feel this way sometimes.

It even happens to the ‘best’ of them.

Golf is played by millions worldwide, and watched by even more. Why is this most civilized of sports so popular?