Chapter 12: Mantras, Cues, and On-Course Tools

What can the right phrase do?

Simplify attention and restore commitment

What kind of thoughts does the 70s player need?

Fewer, better thoughts

When does normal mental noise become a problem?

When it governs the shot

What six qualities define a good mantra?

Short, simple, actionable, nontechnical, trusting, repeatable

Is a mantra a demand or a return point?

A return point

Why is adding mechanics to anxiety risky?

It makes the swing more fragile

What does the player usually need on course?

A return to commitment

What does “Commit” end?

Negotiation after the decision

What follows “Pick it”?

Commit

What follows “Commit”?

Chase it

What closes the core mantra?

Accept it

What question defines the one-job rule?

What is my one job here?

What happens when the job is clear?

The body can perform

What question tests a shot before stepping in?

Can I live with a committed miss?

What happens if the answer is yes?

Proceed

What happens if the answer is no?

Finish the decision

What can half-committed aggression create?

Double bogey

What often produces pars?

Fully committed conservative golf

Pick it and _____ it.

trust

The decision is _____.

over

No late _____.

negotiations

Loyal to the _____.

target

High and _____.

free

Athletic, not _____.

careful

Through it, not _____ it.

at

The ball is not the finish line; the _____ is.

target

When should course-management mantras be used?

Before decisions when temptation appears

Middle of the green is never _____.

cowardly

Bogey beats _____.

double

The pin is not always the _____.

target

Play the shot the lie _____.

allows

What mistakes should strategy especially avoid?

Mistakes that multiply

Win the next _____.

decision

One shot does not get two _____.

swings

Respond, do not _____.

repay

The next shot deserves _____.

me

What is emotional debt?

Letting a bad shot charge further cost

Pars are built from boring _____.

choices

Keep big numbers off the _____.

card

Make par easy, make bogey _____.

safe

The 70s are found in _____.

restraint

What do lag-putting mantras emphasize?

Speed and distance picture

Speed into the _____.

picture

Roll it through the _____.

gate

Is a putt a courage test or read-line-roll task?

A read-line-roll task

Match the club to the _____.

picture

Simple shot, committed _____.

motion

Do not short-side yourself _____.

twice

Why do short-game mistakes multiply?

The player tries to erase the prior miss

Where should bunker attention move?

From hands to sand and finish

Sand first, turn _____.

through

Splash and _____.

finish

The sand is the _____.

strike

Why classify the problem accurately?

To avoid chaotic mechanical chasing

That shot is _____.

complete

How can the body mark “leave it”?

Move, clean club, drink, start walking

What defines a decision problem?

The choice was flawed

What defines a commitment problem?

Reasonable choice, incomplete trust

What is the correction for commitment failure?

Strengthen routine and return to trust

What defines an execution problem?

Sound decision and commitment, poor result

A tucked-pin target was reckless before the swing. Category?

Decision problem

A good target is chosen, but driver is steered. Category?

Commitment problem

Good plan and full commitment produce a mishit. Category?

Execution problem

What remains allowed?

Small playable adjustments

Why is repair mode dangerous?

The course is not the laboratory

Use today’s _____.

swing

Play the _____.

pattern

Contact is thin today. What adjustment fits?

More club and smoother swing

What is the nervous-tee process?

Wide target, start line, rehearsal, finish

Why is the better club often less exacting?

It removes the need for perfection

What should a tucked pin be treated as?

Information, not instruction

Safe side leaves 25 feet; flag risks short-side. What is a win?

The 25-foot putt

A recovery should recover the hole, not the _____.

ego

What should replace demanding a birdie make?

Roll a good putt

What is the short-par-putt mantra?

Start line and roll

What usually makes double worse?

Emotional decisions that follow

What should continue when playing well?

The boring process

What is required near 80?

Nothing special

Same process. Same target. Same _____.

commitment

How is partial commitment marked?

Zero

Why track process beyond score?

Similar scores can teach different lessons

How many themes should govern a nine-hole challenge?

One

What mantra guides the commitment challenge?

No late negotiations

What mantra guides the target challenge?

Safe target, free swing

What mantra guides bogey avoidance?

Bogey beats double

What mantra guides putting freedom?

Roll it, don’t guide it

What mantra guides recovery?

Win the next decision

What is not the pressure job?

Making the feeling disappear

Clear choice. Committed _____.

swing

What is the better goal than perfect calm?

Trust under activation

Pressure is not the enemy; abandoning the _____ is.

process

What does the contract protect against?

Making the round a worth referendum

What does a good caddie avoid?

Flattery, panic, shame

How many phrases should the card contain?

Six to eight

What eight areas can the card cover?

Before, decision, freedom, trouble, reset, putting, pressure, identity

What should happen if a mantra adds pressure?

Discard it

What should happen if a cue becomes mechanical?

Simplify it

What does staying available preserve?

Access to the next shot and patient golf

Why are many rounds lost early emotionally?

The player leaves the present round

The 70s accumulate through disciplined golf and staying _____.

available