Setting Expectations on the Golf Course and in Life

What are your expectations for your golf game or for yourself in everyday life?

How do you know if your expectations are appropriate?

What effect do your expectations have on you and your performance?

Do your expectations make it difficult to feel satisfied?

How can your expectations work for you?

Expectations are a curious thing. We are told that we should expect more of ourselves and yet expectations can often lead us to put pressure on ourselves which actually undermine our best performance. Our expectations are usually based on past experiences. For example, if you played your personal best round on a particular course you are more likely to expect more from yourself when you play that course the next time.

Finding the “sweet spot” for expectations can be challenging. One extreme approach is to always expect perfection which leads to feeling disappointed and frustrated on the course. Don’t expect to play flawlessly. Mistakes will happen and it’s OK to expect that. On the other end of the spectrum is to not expect enough from yourself.  This approach leads to low confidence and poor performance.

We suggest that you think about the questions above and get clear about what your expectations are. Then spend some time noticing how your expectations affect your play or your performance at work or home and adjust them accordingly. There is no magic formula for having appropriate expectations. Noticing how your expectations affect your performance both positively and negatively will help you dial into what works best for you.

If you’d like to learn more from Elena, clear your calendar for the upcoming Women & Business Golf Series beginning May 16th.  This  is a five- week series that will include four weeks of clinic work to focus on improving your game and learning how to do business on the golf course from successful business women. On the fifth week you will play 9 holes of golf to implement what you have learned and then enjoy networking over hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

Elena King, Director of Instruction, ExperienceGolf at CommonGround Golf Course and Dr. Denise McGuire, Performance Coach, coach golfers of all abilities, by sharing processes that enable students to tap into their own resources to achieve their best on each shot, resulting in a more enjoyable golf experience.   Elena and Denise provide services for individuals, groups, corporate outings and keynote speaking.