Anthony Kim's Mental Golf Game
A few years ago pro golfer Anthony Kim was making headlines. From 2008 through 2010, Kim was playing great and winning tournaments. But since then, Kim hasn’t seen much of his glory days. Now he’s out to try and reclaim some of his old standings (he’s playing at the Humana Challenge right now). But what was behind his “slump”? You might attribute it to his surgery. Or you might say that his swing needed adjustment. But that’s not the case. The now number 84 (in the world rankings) explains: “[I]t wasn’t my golf swing, it was mental.”
What was it that needed work? It was Anthony Kim’s mental golf game. He knew that he could overcome his surgery. And he knew that his swing was already in great shape. It could only be his mental game. In fact, Kim continues: “I started standing over the ball for 45 seconds at a time and as you all know the more you think, the worse and harder this game gets.” He was getting more mechanical, less mental. That’s why his game was suffering. Read the article by Ryan Ballengee, writer for Golf Channel, where he elaborates on Kim’s situation:
Consider Anthony Kim a bit of a prodigal son. A product of the California desert, the 26-year-old is returning to the Humana Challenge for the first time in four years.
The last time he played the former Hope, in 2008, he finished T-3. That ended a streak of 14 PGA Tour events without a top-10 finish. In 2011, Kim went 16 tournaments without a top-10.
“2011 was a year that I would like to forget very soon, but I learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about perseverance and grinding through those tough times and trying to keep my head up when it looked like I was just taking on water,” he said.
Four years ago, he won twice on the PGA Tour, starred in the Ryder Cup and didn’t look back. In 2010, he went on to win in Houston, contended at the Masters and reached the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The growing resume made him a hot commodity.
“I actually have had some opportunities to go play overseas, it’s been a dream of mine to be a global player, and to be able to travel the world and play the tournaments I want to play and see some of the places I want to see. It’s been special to me,” Kim said Wednesday.
In the summer of ‘10, however, Kim underwent surgery on his left thumb. The three months away led into the worst season of Kim’s career. He had just two top-10 finishes last year but, even worse, lost confidence over the ball.
“[I]t wasn’t my golf swing, it was mental. It was just (tough) to just let it go. And I started standing over the ball for 45 seconds at a time and as you all know the more you think, the worse and harder this game gets,” said the world No. 84.
Rejuvenated by a late-season flurry, including a playoff loss in the unofficial Shanghai Masters to Rory McIlroy in China, Kim’s season premiere is a chance to re-establish himself on Tour.
“I’ll be able to get the ball in the hole. That’s what I’m good at. I need to just let it go, be free, and that’s how I play my best golf.”
He’s right on the ball: it was Anthony Kim’s mental golf game that needed work. He knows where he needs to focus and he’s doing something about it. When some golfers are in a slump (instead of going to the heart of the issue and trying to work on it effectively) – they try to go around the problem. What do I mean? Some golfers may have trouble focusing, or they’re too tense, or they keep slicing the ball… So how do they solve their problem? They’ll buy a very expensive club. Or they’ll pay top dollar for lessons from a private instructor to show them how to swing. And at first it may work – but it’ll never last.
And when that new club stops providing that magic shot, you’re right back where you started. Swing lessons and good clubs are important, but they’re not going to solve these basic problems. You see, you’ve had great shots before. And you don’t ALWAYS get tense or slice the ball. Your body already has the ability to do everything right! So what’s really stopping you from playing your best? You need to address these problems directly. You need to improve your mental game. Your body knows what to do and how to do it, you just have to make it happen. If you master your mental game then you’ll be able to let your body play its best – consistently. You’ll eliminate tension and everything else that’s stopping you from playing like the pros. This is the way to solve your golf slump – directly and effectively.
