Hey Fellow Golfer - 

Thank you for reading this week’s More Pars Than Bogeys Newsletter. If you find it valuable, could you forward this email to a fellow golfer?

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You can click here to read the online version of this week’s newsletter. 

And be sure to catch up on this week’s podcast episode:

• #72: [Inside the Mind] Gary Christian: Cultivating A Competitive Edge and the Intangibles of Winning Golf

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about how mindset coaching and hypnotherapy can help you get unstuck from the proverbial bunker of poor performance on (and off) the course, click here to schedule a coaching discovery call with me. 

You’ve likely felt it before—a tight grip, a racing heart rate, and a flood of tension as you stand over a tee shot with people watching. 

Your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, your thoughts scatter, and you find yourself wondering why something as simple as a golf swing suddenly feels so heavy.

Fear is often the culprit for feeling this way.

And while it may appear to be about the shot in front of you, what’s really happening runs far deeper.

Fear is more than merely an emotion. 

It’s a primal, subconscious reaction rooted in the instinct of survival.

Although modern life no longer demands you run from sabre-toothed tigers, our biology has not evolved at the same pace as our environment. 

What once protected you from danger now undermines your ability to perform at your best—on the course, in business, and in your relationships.

In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn more about the origins of fear, how it influences your behavior in high-pressure situations, and why, if left unchecked, it quietly limits your progress and potential.

Let’s tee off!

Fear is Biological - But It’s Also Programmable

Fear originates in the amygdala, one of the oldest parts of the brain, which is responsible for detecting threats and initiating survival responses. 

When you perceive danger—whether physical, emotional, or psychological—this part of your brain activates your fight, flight, or freeze response.

On the golf course, that “danger” might be…

• A short putt with a match on the line

• A tee shot with water looming right

• The pressure to impress a prospective client in your weekend foursome

Off the course, it may take the form of raising your prices, giving a keynote presentation, or having a difficult conversation with your spouse.

Logically, you understand you’re not in actual danger. 

Yet your subconscious doesn’t operate on logic—it’s irrational and operates on pattern recognition. It scans for anything that resembles past moments of judgment, rejection, or failure and responds accordingly, often flooding you with doubt, hesitation, and tension.

This is why fear can feel so overwhelming, even when the stakes are seemingly low. 

The physical sensations are real, but the perceived threat is often imagined.

Most Fears Trace Back to Three Core Threats

Fear shows up in numerous ways.

• Fear of failure

• Fear of success

• Fear of embarrassment

• Fear of love

• Fear of connection

• Fear of acceptance

• Fear of spiders (my number one)

• Fear of being wrong

• Fear of commitment

• Fear of being exposed as an imposter

• Fear of speaking up

Which resonates most with you?

Although fear shows up in countless ways, nearly all stem from three primal fears that I refer to as the Fear JAR:

• Judgment

• Abandonment

• Rejection

These three fears date back to tribal life, where survival was contingent upon belonging to a group. If you were judged or rejected by the tribe, your chances of survival dropped dramatically. While we no longer live in tribes, our biology continues to treat social threats as existential ones.

This is why the fear of topping your drive in front of a low-handicap group feels disproportionately intense. It’s not about the shot—it’s about the deeper, unconscious fear of being judged or rejected by your group for how you performed.

Consider a few common examples from my work with clients:

• Fear of chunking a chip in front of others? Often rooted in judgment.

• Fear of “blowing it” in a member-guest? Typically tied to rejection or abandonment.

• Fear of raising your business prices or pursuing a bold goal? Frequently linked to all three—especially the fear of being perceived as too much, too greedy, or not enough.

Until you name the true fear beneath the surface, your reactions will remain driven by unconscious programming rather than deliberate choice.

The Cost of Living in Fear

There is a critical distinction between feeling scared and living in fear.

Scared is a temporary state—a natural physiological response to a perceived threat. It heightens awareness, increases focus, and can be useful in the right context.

Fear, by contrast, is a sustained way of being. 

It shapes how you think, act, and decide. It exaggerates what could go wrong, minimizes what could go right, and blinds you to the cost of inaction. Left unchecked, fear alters your swing decisions, corrodes your confidence, and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. 

But its reach extends well beyond the course. 

• Fear of judgment might prevent you from pursuing new business opportunities. 

• Fear of rejection might hold you back from meaningful relationships. 

• Fear of failure might keep you playing small—in your game, your goals, and your life.

If you’re serious about taking your game to the next level - on and off the course - click here to schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call to learn how I can help you make playing to your potential a habit. 

Fear is a Compass, Not a Cage

When fear arises, it often signals one thing: you are standing at the edge of growth.

Avoiding fear may feel safe, but it keeps you stagnant. 

Leaning into fear, on the other hand, builds self-trust. 

It tells your nervous system that discomfort is survivable—and that you are more capable than your fear wants you to believe.

Whether it's standing over a pressure putt or preparing for a critical business decision, fear offers you a choice: shrink or expand.

Your job is not to eliminate fear, but to understand it—and move forward anyway.

A Tool to Unpack and Dismantle Fear

One of the most effective exercises I’ve used—both personally and with clients—to neutralize fear is called Fear Setting. Introduced by Tim Ferriss, this structured reflection helps you clarify what you're actually afraid of and reframe the perceived consequences.

Here’s how to begin:

1. Define the fear. What is the worst-case scenario you're envisioning? Be specific.

2. Prevent the fear. What actions could you take to reduce the likelihood of this happening?

3. Repair the outcome. If the worst did happen, how would you recover? What resources, relationships, or solutions would help you bounce back?

Next, assess the actual consequences of inaction. What is the long-term cost of staying stuck, avoiding risk, or playing small? 

Consider this across your performance, relationships, health, and sense of purpose.

Most golfers are surprised to discover that the cost of doing nothing far outweighs the discomfort of action.

Read that again…

Work with a golf hypnotherapist and mindset coach to unlearn the beliefs, programs, and behaviors that are no longer serving you so that you can play to your potential. 

Click here to schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call to learn how I can help you make playing to your potential a habit. 

Final Thought

You cannot outrun fear, but you can outgrow it. And the more you understand how fear operates within your mind and body, the less control it has over your performance.

As a Golf Hypnotherapist, I help golfers like you dismantle the subconscious patterns—fear, doubt, hesitation—that undermine your ability to play to your potential. 

Through hypnotherapy and mindset coaching, we defuse the strong emotion of fear so that you have the energy, sense of ease, and confidence to take action anyway. We also identify and unlearn outdated survival mechanisms and replace them with patterns of trust, focus, and composure.

If you're ready to stop letting fear hold you back, click here to schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call with me today.

Let's make playing to your potential—on and off the course—not just possible, but habitual.

Your Next Step

Every newsletter will conclude with a suggested action step and further resources on the topic we discussed.

After reading today’s newsletter, set aside 30 minutes and complete the Fear Setting exercise I shared above. 

If you have any questions, feel free to DM me on Instagram (@thegolfhypnotherapist) or send me an email directly: [email protected]

After reading today’s newsletter, I want you to take the time to complete each step in my goal-setting process. Then, share it with me via email or on social media.

Thank you for reading today’s newsletter.

If you found it valuable, share it with a fellow golfer ready to take their game to the next level.

Until next time,

Paul

P.S. What did you think of today’s newsletter? Reply back / drop a comment below to let me know.

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