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?

Thank you.

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:

• #76: [Inside the Mind] Dr. Bob Winters (The Confidence Doctor): Building Confidence and Playing Mistake-Free 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’re standing on the tee box.

You’ve played this hole dozens of times. 

You know the target. 

You know your club. 

But instead of taking a breath, grounding yourself, and stepping into the shot with clarity…

You swing.

Half-committed. 

Half-focused. 

And before you’ve even looked up, you know—you’ve missed your mark.

You didn’t lack talent. You didn’t lack preparation.

You lacked intention.

In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn how a lack of intention is silently sabotaging your performance—both on and off the course. We’ll uncover how it’s rooted in fear, self-doubt, and avoidance—and how reclaiming intentionality is the fastest path to consistency, confidence, and control.

Let’s tee off!

Where Lack of Intention Shows Up During A Round

Lack of intention is rarely loud. 

It’s subtle. 

It hides in the quiet moments between shots, in routines performed mindlessly, and in decisions made without clarity.

Here’s where it most often shows up:

Mindless Pre-Shot Routines Lead to Uncommitted Swings: You’re swinging because it’s your turn—not because you’re ready. There’s no emotional anchor, no clear target, and no mental cue guiding you.

Warming Up Without a Plan Builds False Confidence: You cycle through clubs, hitting shot after shot without any focus. You walk to the first tee feeling physically warm but mentally scattered.

Letting Emotions Linger After a Bad Shot Disrupts Focus: You chunk a wedge, feel the anger rise, and carry that emotion into the next hole. The spiral begins.

Choosing Clubs Based on Pressure, Not Strategy: You pull driver because everyone else is, not because it aligns with your plan. You abandon intention for the illusion of confidence.

Fixating on Score Instead of Process Breaks Trust: You think about making birdie or saving bogey instead of being present for the shot in front of you. The moment you chase outcomes, you lose control.

Mentally Checking Out Late in the Round Guarantees Wasted Strokes: By hole 13, you’re drifting. You’re no longer setting intentions—you’re surviving. Which means the most important lessons of the day are missed.

Practicing During the Round Instead of Competing Reveals Avoidance: You adjust swing mechanics mid-round, tinkering to fix mistakes rather than committing to what you trained. 

This isn’t practice—it’s protection.

The Hidden Fear Behind Lack of Intention

Lack of intention isn’t random. It’s protection.

And it’s rooted in fear.

Fear of Failure Hides Behind Vague Effort: If you never fully commit, you never truly fail. So you stay safe. But that safety comes at the cost of progress.

Fear of Success Keeps You Playing Small: Committing to success means raising the bar. And part of you fears what that success might require—more pressure, more visibility, more responsibility.

If you feel you may have an upper-limit problem (fear of success), read this past newsletter next.

Avoiding Clarity Helps You Avoid Accountability: Intention requires specificity. And specificity means you now have a target to measure against. If you miss, there’s no one else to blame.

Not Feeling Good Enough Leads to Half-Hearted Effort: Deep down, if you don’t believe you’re capable, you’ll avoid showing up fully. You protect yourself from confirming that belief by never testing it.

Feeling Undeserving or Incapable Makes Ownership Feel Unsafe: If you don’t think you deserve to win, shoot low, or finally break through, you’ll never allow yourself to step into the mindset and behaviors required to make it happen.

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. 

How Lack of Intention Sabotages Life Off the Course

This pattern doesn’t stay on the fairways.

Lack of intention bleeds into your business, your home, your health, and your relationships.

At Home, You’re Present but Not Intentional: You're in the room but not truly with your family. The phone stays in hand. The mind stays on tomorrow. Connection weakens through micro-absences.

At Work, You’re Reactive Instead of Proactive: You chase tasks, emails, and fires—but never define the needle-movers. You stay busy, not effective.

In Your Growth, You Avoid Stillness and Depth: You consume content, but avoid the hard questions. You say you want to grow, but you never pause long enough to hear the answers within.

With Money, You Act from Fear Instead of Vision: You say you want financial freedom or to invest in your game—but you hesitate. You play not to lose instead of playing to win.

With Time, You Confuse Movement with Momentum: You fill your calendar but never slow down long enough to ensure you’re actually going where you want to go.

Read that one again…

How to Practice Playing with Intention—On and Off the Course

Intentionality isn’t a personality trait—it’s a practice.

And like anything in golf, it needs reps. Here’s how to build the muscle of intention, both during your rounds and in your everyday life.

On the Course:

1. Set a Pre-Round Intention: Before you tee off, choose one emotional intention (e.g., calm, focused, curious) and one process intention (e.g., full commitment to every shot). Write them down. Say them out loud. Anchor into them.

2. Build Your Pre-Shot Routine Around Intention: A consistent pre-shot routine isn’t just for mechanics—it’s your gateway into presence. Choose one clear swing cue, one specific target, and one emotional reset (a breath, a word, a visual). Then stick to it—especially under pressure.

3. Use 3-Hole Check-Ins: Every third hole, pause and ask: “Am I still being who I said I’d be?” These micro-reflections help you course-correct before things spiral.

4. Reflect After the Round—Beyond the Score: Did you honor your intentions? Where did you drift? What triggered it? Track your emotional performance as much as your physical one.

Off the Course:

1. Start Your Day with a Micro-Intention: Choose how you want to show up—present during meetings, patient with your family, calm under pressure. Set a timer to revisit that intention midday.

2. Build a Stillness Practice: Journaling. Meditation. Deep breathing. Even five minutes a day can sharpen your awareness and help you notice when you’re defaulting to autopilot.

3. Replace Busyness with Purpose: Before jumping into tasks, pause. Ask: “Is this the highest use of my energy right now?” Intention creates focus. Focus creates results.

4. Use Environmental Anchors: Leave reminders in places you drift most. A sticky note on your rangefinder. A mantra on your desk. A phone background with your weekly intention. Let your surroundings help hold your focus.

5. Get Curious, Not Critical: When you notice yourself drifting, don’t punish yourself. Ask: “What’s pulling me off track right now?” That awareness is the first step back into intentionality.

Final Thought: What Would It Look Like to Play (Well) On Purpose?

What if you showed up to your next round not just to swing—but to lead?

What if you started your next practice session with a target, a tempo, and a tone?

What if you stopped waiting to feel confident… and started choosing to play as if you already were?

You don’t need more tips. You need more intention.

And that’s where I come in.

Whether you’re serious about breaking 80 or breaking free from the frustration, shame, and self-doubt holding you back, I’d love to help.

Click here to schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call and learn how golf hypnosis and golf mindset coaching can help you make playing to your potential a habit.

Because every round is an opportunity to play with purpose. And it starts by deciding to.

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, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself where you can be more intentional both on and off the course. Identify at least one area ane commit to bringing more intention this week.

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

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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