As summer approaches, you feel it, the anticipation of lush green fairways and the smell of freshly cut grass. Late nine-hole rounds played with long shadows, finishing at twilight. Four hours spent with friends and family, striving and encouraging one another, sharing the occasional ribbing, removed from the busyness of everyday life.
As golfers head into summer, you enter the season with varying goals. Maybe you are preparing for USGA or CGA tournaments, a club championship, or league play. Maybe you simply want to enjoy time with friends and family while playing your best. Regardless of the reason you tee it up, one truth connects you with every golfer who plays this great game.
Golf is never just about the swing. Golf shifts the challenge inward. Golf is a test of the mind.
As Bobby Jones once said, “Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course, the distance between your ears.”
How is it that you can play the same course day in and day out with the same people, and the moment the words “club championship” or “tournament” are mentioned, your muscles tense, your palms begin to sweat, and suddenly every tree, hazard, and out-of-bounds stake on the course comes into focus? Almost immediately, your attention shifts from being in the moment to worrying about score, who might be watching, and what others may think.
The problem begins when focus drifts, as your thoughts wander from the shot at hand. Presence is the answer. Staying present is a skill; it is not a talent some are born with while others are not. It is an incredibly beneficial skill that can be practiced and strengthened over time. Before understanding what presence is, it helps to be clear about what it is not.
Staying present is not standing on the tee thinking about the double bogey on the last hole. It is not stepping into a three-foot putt replaying the last one you missed. It is not glancing at the scorecard with four holes to play and tallying up what it will take to break 70, 80, 90, or 100. While these moments may feel familiar, they are not presence. They are the mind replaying the past or racing to the future, pulling attention away from the only shot that actually matters.
So how do you stay in the present? It starts with the basics, and while it may sound simple, it takes time and practice to develop. The first step, as with any area of growth, is awareness. The moment you notice your mind has wandered, that awareness alone is progress. Simply recognizing it is part of the skill.
On the tee box, when your thoughts begin to drift, you can take a deep breath, focusing on inhaling through your nose for a count of four, then exhaling slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Concentrating on that single breath can act as a reset, returning you to the present moment and calming your nervous system. While walking down the fairway, if your thoughts turn toward score or outcome, you can focus on something tangible, such as counting trees, counting steps, or consciously feeling each foot strike the ground. Coaches and sports psychologists often say, “Be where your feet are,” or in this case, “Play where your feet are,” to help athletes return to the moment.
If awareness helps bring you back to the present, then focusing on the process will help keep you there. This often shows up through strong, consistent pre-shot routines, a simple mantra, or a clear commitment to the shot at hand. How often have you heard a professional golfer in an interview say, “I am just trying to take one shot at a time and focus on my process”? These process-driven goals are always achievable, regardless of the circumstances. Goals such as giving your best on each shot, being grateful for the opportunity to compete, committing fully to shots, and accepting outcomes are all within your control. A great example of this is Rory, who after winning the 2025 Masters commented on how he was trying to “not be so caught up in results, but chase a feeling of joy.” That is a controllable goal!
You cannot control striping a driver down the middle of the fairway only to have it land in a divot, or a putt headed for the center of the cup, only to have it lip out. However, you can control your response. By setting goals that are within your control, you keep frustration from taking over, cortisol from rising, and give yourself the chance for the next shot to be the best of the day. Over time, that response and acceptance matter just as much as the swing itself.
There are many other aspects to staying present and focusing on the process, including breath work, understanding why the mind gravitates toward outcomes, practicing under pressure, and remembering that this great game is just that, a game.
Golf is not a measure of worth, but an expression of passion.
Those are ideas worth exploring another time. But in the spirit of staying present, there is no need to get ahead of yourself.
For now, focus on the shot at hand.
About the Author
Janet Ruma Moore is a mental performance coach and competitive golfer based in South Denver. She played collegiate golf at the University of Arizona, is a former college golf coach, has competed in 35 USGA national championships, is a five-time CGA Women’s State Stroke Play Champion, and is a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. With a Master’s degree in psychology and an approach grounded in faith, Janet works with golfers and athletes to strengthen their mindset, manage pressure, and perform with intention. Learn more at Rumacoaching.com.
