You have heard of an anchor on a ship. Everyone realizes it keeps a boat in place. Despite winds, storms, waves, and other harsh weather conditions, the boat stays relatively in place. Like winds and difficult weather conditions from the ocean, the golf course can have that same feel - the waves or storms of mental mistakes, blown chances, missed short putts, hooking into a hazard off the tee, or coming up just short to miss the cut or make the travel squad. Boats have anchors to keep them in place despite the storm - do you have your mental anchor in place to weather golf storms?

A mental anchor is simply a phrase, word or symbol that keeps you mentally and emotionally centered in this challenging game of golf. Every golfer makes mistakes, but it is how we manage these mistakes that make the difference between scoring and not. A mental anchor is one way of managing mistakes and consistently maintaining your ideal mindset.

Three keys about mental anchors:

1. Know your mental anchor before tournament. You must be aware of your anchor before the tournament starts. It is like a ship leaving land - it is not leaving without the anchor in place and operational. Do not wait until the day of the tournament. Preparation is key and this mental preparation will pay high dividends.
2. Mental anchors are short and meaningful. The more simple your anchor, the better. It might be a swing thought such as "soft hands" or "turn the hips" or "slow at the top." It may also be a mental state such as "loose", "free", or "confident." It can also be a external visual, such as "hit the target." Just keep it meaningful and simple and stay with it!
3. Practice mental anchor before tournament. Use your mental anchor in practice. This experience helps keep your mind in the right place during practice, which leads to higher quality practice and increased confidence. Also, you are more likely to have your mind use the anchor more automatically in the tournament if you have practiced it throughout the week. When it a tournament, we want thing to just happen without much thinking.