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- Shiny Object Syndrome
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.
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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.
It happened again.
Last week, you were convinced you finally found the fix - the perfect swing thought that was going to change everything.
You drilled it on the range, watched a few YouTube breakdowns, and felt confident that this was the one.
But today, out on the course, it was a different story. The same old mistakes crept back in.
You started second-guessing, tinkering with your grip, and changing your setup mid-round.
To say frustration built up would be an understatement...
By the back nine, you mentally checked out and began thinking about the next thing to try when you get home.
Sound familiar?
This is just one example of how Shiny Object Syndrome - that impulse to constantly search for a new method, a new tip, a new approach the moment things get hard - bleeds into your round and your game.
And it’s keeping you from making real, lasting improvements. Every time you change course, you erase your progress and start over.
If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, this newsletter is for you.
In today’s newsletter, you’ll discover what Shiny Object Syndrome is and why (and how) it’s sabotaging your golf game and keeping you stuck in a cycle of frustration.
You’ll learn the science behind delayed gratification (including insights from the famous Marshmallow Study) and why patience is the key to lasting progress. I’ll also share actionable strategies to stay committed, trust the learning process, and develop strategic tunnel vision to break free from the constant cycle of starting over.
Let’s tee off!
The Marshmallow Test: What It Reveals About Patience and Progress
If you paid attention in high school psychology, you undoubtedly remember the famous marshmallow test.
The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel in the late 1960s and early 1970s, tested children’s ability to delay gratification and examined the long-term effects of this ability on their success in life.
In short, the participants were given a simple choice: they could have one marshmallow immediately or wait 15 minutes and receive two marshmallows as a reward.
The researcher’s goal was to observe whether the children resisted the temptation or gave in to immediate gratification - and they then took these observations and followed the children well into adulthood to observe the impact later in life.
Would you have eaten the first marshmallow or held out for the second?
The study results shouldn’t come as a surprise: children who were able to delay gratification (wait for the two marshmallows) tended to have better life outcomes, including:
Higher academic achievement
Better stress management and emotional regulation
Greater career success
Improved overall well-being
Those who gave in quickly to temptation often struggled with impulse control and long-term goal attainment.
The takeaway I want you to focus on is the impact of delayed gratification. When you can practice patience and commitment to a process, such as learning how to swing a golf club or score lower on the course, you’re better able to experience the full spectrum of skill development, proficiency, and mastery.
Remaining impatient and struggling to regulate both impulse control and emotions, on the other hand, will leave you stuck hopping from one swing thought, training aid, or coach to another.
If you resonate with the latter, here’s what you can take from this timeless study:
Long-Term Gains Require Short-Term Discipline: Just like the children who resisted the marshmallow, you must resist the urge to chase every new swing tip, training aid, or mental hack. Please read that again.
Success Comes from Consistency: Improvement in golf comes from committing to a process and sticking with it, even when progress feels slow. And, the truth is that progress is not linear - there will be plenty of periods in which you feel progress is not occurring, when in reality it’s occurring beneath the surface.
Patience = Progress: The golfer who jumps from one method to the next, expecting immediate results, never allows actual skill development to take root.
Impulse Control Matters: If you suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome you’re more than likely reacting emotionally to frustration, rather than trusting the process and maintaining discipline.
Just like the marshmallow test, the ability to delay gratification - sticking to a well-defined approach rather than chasing quick fixes - separates those who make real, lasting progress from those who remain stuck in frustration.
Next, let’s further unpack exactly what shiny object syndrome is, and discuss how it’s holding you back from playing to your potential.
Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) in golf is the relentless pursuit of the “next best thing” in the hopes that it will provide the missing link to progress.
Shiny Object Syndrome
Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) in golf is the relentless pursuit of the “next best thing” in the hopes that it will provide the missing link to progress.
It’s when you lack commitment, patience, and focus on a single approach to improvement and, instead of sticking with a process long enough to allow skill development and real change to occur, jump from one strategy, coach, swing tip, or training aid to the next at the first sign of difficulty or stagnation.
Sound familiar?
This cycle prevents true mastery and sustainable progress because no single method is given the time, repetition, or depth of practice required to deliver lasting results.
When you give in to shiny object syndrome, it keeps you stuck in a state of constant frustration, chasing quick fixes rather than building the skills, mindset, and discipline needed to break through plateaus and reach their potential.
Read that again.
Shiny Object Syndrome is a mindset problem, not a lack of information or resources.
The solution is commitment, discipline, and trust - in a proven process, in the compounding effect of consistent effort, and in yourself.
As a Golf Hypnotherapist, I use hypnosis to unlearn and upgrade outdated, habitual ways of feeling, thinking, and behaving that are holding you back from 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.
How Shiny Object Syndrome Sabotages Your Skill Development in Golf
Shiny Object Syndrome keeps you in a constant state of starting over - never allowing the time, repetition, and commitment needed for real skill development.
Read that again…
You try a new swing thought, drill, or training aid, only to abandon it when progress isn’t immediate. Then, you jump to the next “game-changing” method, convinced it will be the answer.
This cycle prevents mastery, erodes confidence, and keeps you stuck at the same level year after year.
Shiny Object Syndrome in golf is like yo-yo dieting - constantly jumping from one trendy diet to the next, hoping for quick results, only to end up frustrated and worse off than before.
At first, a new diet feels exciting.
You drop a few pounds quickly, and it seems like it’s working.
But then, progress stalls.
Hunger, frustration, and doubt creep in.
Instead of sticking with it, you convince yourself that this diet isn’t the right one, so you move on to the next big thing.
The result? Short-term weight loss, long-term weight gain. You never give your body time to adapt, and you end up stuck in an endless cycle of starting over.
Golf improvement works the same way.
Chasing every new swing tip, training aid, or mental trick might feel productive, but it prevents you from building the deep, lasting skills needed for real progress. The only way to see real change - whether in your body or your golf game - is to commit to a proven process and stick with it long enough for results to compound.
Golf improvement isn’t about finding a magic fix - it’s about sticking to a process long enough for results to compound.
The best golfers commit to a plan, trust in steady progress, and resist the temptation to chase every new idea. If you’re constantly changing your approach, you’re never allowing yourself to truly improve.
How This Pattern Holds You Back in Life and Business
Shiny Object Syndrome isn’t just a golf problem - it’s a life problem.
The same lack of patience and commitment that keeps you from developing your game also shows up in your career, business, and personal growth. You might start a new workout routine, only to quit after two weeks when results don’t appear. Or jump from one business strategy to the next, never fully seeing any plan through to success.
This habit creates frustration, wasted time, and lack of progress - not because you’re incapable, but because you aren’t giving any single approach the time it needs to work.
The solution?
Commit to a process, trust in consistency, and develop the discipline to stay the course. Whether in golf, business, or personal growth, success goes to those who focus on the long game.
The even better solution?
Hire a mindset coach to help you get unstuck and out of your own way so that you can achieve your potential.
If you’re serious about getting out of your own way and playing 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.
How to Overcome Shiny Object Syndrome
Overcoming Shiny Object Syndrome requires commitment, patience, and a structured approach to learning.
Mastery doesn’t come from chasing every new idea - it comes from sticking to a process and trusting in gradual progress.
Here’s how to do it:
Commit to the Process, Not Just the Outcome: Shift your focus from immediate results to long-term skill development. Accept that frustration and setbacks are part of the learning process. The best golfers aren’t the ones who avoid struggle; they’re the ones who push through it.
If you want to deepen your understanding of commitment to the process, review my previous newsletter on acceptance and how to bounce back after mistakes.
Understand the Adult Learning Model: Skill development follows predictable stages:
Unconscious Incompetence: You don’t know what you don’t know.
Conscious Incompetence: You recognize the gaps in your ability.
Conscious Competence: You can execute, but deliberate thought is required for each step.
Unconscious Competence: Mastery - your skill is automatic.
Stick with one approach long enough to move through each stage instead of restarting at zero every time something feels difficult.
You can learn more about this learning model - and how to accelerate through it - in this previous newsletter.
Develop Strategic Tunnel Vision: Avoid distractions by narrowing your focus. Choose a specific approach, philosophy, or coach, and commit to it fully. Tune out external noise - social media tips, conflicting advice, and the latest swing trends - and trust the process you’ve chosen.
I put together a blueprint for developing strategic tunnel vision for you here.
Measure Progress Over Time, Not in the Moment: Improvement isn’t linear. Some days, you’ll feel like you’re regressing. Track your progress over weeks and months, not just round by round. Small, consistent gains compound into big results.
Also, be sure you’re strategically pausing to look at how far you’ve come - versus how far you have left to go - as often as possible. This is called spending more time in the “gain” - versus the “gap.”
You can learn more about this powerful mindset shift in my recent newsletter.
Final Thought: Shiny Object Syndrome is just a symptom of impatience and self-doubt.
Stay the course, trust the process, and embrace the journey. The golfers who see real improvement aren’t the ones who know the most - they’re the ones who stick with a plan long enough for it to work.
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, double down on your commitment to the one strategy, approach, or skill you’ve entrusted to bring you closer to your goal.
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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