Yes, you need proper mechanics to hit a golf ball solidly, but your mind has to be in proper shape as well. You’ve heard that golf is 90% mental….well it is! Having confidence is a wonderful thing when your have set your mind in a positive frame of mind. For example, “Look at that water on the left side of the hole! Don’t hit it there!” That’s not good….Instead, it should be “I see where I want to ball the land, and I am going to make my swing and not care where the ball goes — but I know it’s going down the fairway.”  I know you have heard it before…. and I know a lot of players who can be confident on the driving range but all of sudden on the course golf they are tentative and hesitant to be “free” with your swing. Our mind is getting in the way of our motion. There are plenty of golf books out there concerning the mental aspects of golf– and I am going to recommend one — “Golf is not a game of Perfect” by Dr. Bob Rotella.  I can quote from a part of his book: “Golfing potential depends primarily on the player’s attitude, on how well she/he plays with the wedges and putter, and how well she/he thinks.”  If you have the chance to read the book, it will help you. I have a had a few students read the book and now their golf games are not so tense, where if they miss a shot they get frustrated and then try harder to not make the same mistake — which makes them get more tense! It is a vicious cycle you can get caught in and not get out of. I played 4 years of college division I basketball, and if I thought about the mechanics of my jump shot when I shot it, and the consequences of missing it, I would tense up and not make the basket. But if I visualized about the basketball  swishing through the hoop, I would make them because I was freeing my mind and allowing myself to just shoot it without thinking of the consequences. Please take the time to think about your attitude on the golf course. If you allowed yourself the freedom to accept a mishit  and just go chase the ball instead of trying to guide it down the fairway, you would be surprised at how much more fun you would have.