Host Josh Nichols shares from his own 20 years of competitive and golf psychology coaching experiences, along with years of learning psychology, as well as inte...
On today’s episode we’ve got special guest Gary Christian.
If you haven’t heard of Gary, he’s a former PGA Tour player. In fact, he was the oldest rookie ever on the PGA Tour at 40 years old.
We get into that story and more in depth to Gary’s history, but first we jump right into the importance of the mental game. Then we get into Gary’s personal journey and the way he improved his game. Gary has a great perspective on struggles and success, and some very unique methods he used to have his pro golf breakthroughs
And Gary is also an author. He recently published the book Beat the Course, Not Yourself. Most mental game books could also read like a text book, where you’re presented a concept, why that concept is important, and how you can improve that concept to help you play better. But Gary’s book Beat the Course, Not Yourself is a story. He subtly introduces mental game and golf improvement concepts through the story of Jack, a 15 year old amateur golfer who’s trying to get recruited to play college golf. Which may sound unrelatable to those non-15 year olds out there, but the way this reads is highly relatable. A very interesting approach to the mental game.
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Gary Christian's book: Beat the Course, Not Yourself
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Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code 'MentalGolf10' to get 10% off your purchase
Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏
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Mental Game Newsletter
Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your inbox every week.
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Assessment
Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement.
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📚 2025 Book Club!
Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info.
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Improve how you practice!
Custom Weekly Practice Plan
Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently.
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1-on-1 Mental Coaching
Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Golf Psychology Coach? Email Josh directly at [email protected] or head to joshnicholsgolf.com.
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Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at [email protected]
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Follow Josh on social:
X/Twitter: @joshlukenichols
Instagram: @joshlukenichols
YouTube: Josh Nichols Golf
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Music credits:
“Study” by Chillmore from Pixabay
Creative Technology Showreel ****Music by Ivan Ohanezov from Pixabay
“Thoughtful Contemplative Documentary Piano” Music by from
“Inspiring Thoughtful Piano” Music by Ivan Luzan from Pixabay
“Jazz Happy” by Music_For_Videos on Pixabay
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59:47
How to Move On from Any Bad Golf Shot
There's not many more important skills than being able to move on from a bad golf shot. Which is why it's so important to actually have a plan for how to do it, and a way to train that ability. Because like any other part of the game, this mental skill is trainable.
In this episode we go through a systematic, evidence-based 4-step plan for moving on from bad golf shots.
-----
Get 10% off a Divot Board!
Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code 'MentalGolf10' to get 10% off your purchase
Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏
-----
Assessment
Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement.
-----
Newsletter
Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your email inbox every week.
-----
📚 2025 Book Club!
Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info.
-----
Improve how you practice!
Custom Weekly Practice Plan
Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently.
-----
1-on-1 Mental Coaching
Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Golf Psychology Coach? Email Josh directly at [email protected] or head to joshnicholsgolf.com.
-----
Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at [email protected]
-----
Follow Josh on social:
X/Twitter: @joshlukenichols
Instagram: @joshlukenichols
YouTube: Josh Nichols Golf
-----
Music credits:
Creative Technology Showreel ****Music by Ivan Ohanezov from Pixabay
“Waterfall” Music by Roman Senyk from Pixabay
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16:59
3 Ways to Increase Your Odds of Hitting the Fairway
I've always struggled with driving accuracy. Even as a relatively short hitter compared to my peers, for large portions of my golf career I only hit around 50% of my fairways.
But there are some key psychological reasons for that, and processes that have helped me tremendously be able to swing more freely and hit more fairways (and hit it further). We go through 3 of those processes in this episode.
-----
Get 10% off a Divot Board!
Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code 'MentalGolf10' to get 10% off your purchase
Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏
-----
Assessment
Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement.
-----
Newsletter
Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your email inbox every week.
-----
📚 2025 Book Club!
Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info.
-----
Improve how you practice!
Custom Weekly Practice Plan
Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently.
-----
1-on-1 Mental Coaching
Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Golf Psychology Coach? Email Josh directly at [email protected] or head to joshnicholsgolf.com.
-----
Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at [email protected]
-----
Follow Josh on social:
X/Twitter: @joshlukenichols
Instagram: @joshlukenichols
YouTube: Josh Nichols Golf
-----
Music credits:
Creative Technology Showreel ****Music by Ivan Ohanezov from Pixabay
“Study” by Chillmore from Pixabay
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14:26
The Psychology of Having the Right Equipment (feat. JJ Van Wezenbeeck with Titleist)
As you’ll hear in this episode, over my 20 years of competitive golf experience my relationship with equipment has been hot and cold. Which I believe has left me at a disadvantage not only with quality of shots but also with my confidence in my clubs.
So in this episode I take you through my relationship with golf equipment, how Titleist stepped in and helped me see the error of my ways, and an interview with one of the best club fitters in all of golf, JJ Van Wezenbeeck. So stay tuned to the end to learn what he has to say about the psychological benefits of having the right equipment.
-----
Get 10% off a Divot Board!
Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code 'MentalGolf10' to get 10% off your purchase
Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏
-----
Assessment
Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement.
-----
Newsletter
Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your email inbox every week.
-----
📚 2025 Book Club!
Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info.
-----
Improve how you practice!
Custom Weekly Practice Plan
Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently.
-----
1-on-1 Mental Coaching
Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Golf Psychology Coach? Email Josh directly at [email protected] or head to joshnicholsgolf.com.
-----
Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at [email protected]
-----
Follow Josh on social:
X/Twitter: @joshlukenichols
Instagram: @joshlukenichols
YouTube: Josh Nichols Golf
-----
Music credits:
Creative Technology Showreel ****Music by Ivan Ohanezov from Pixabay
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1:09:08
How to Stay Focused for All 18 Holes
Golf is full of distractions.
In this episode I want to go through two scientifically proven ways you can improve your attention span and equip you with tools to use while you’re on the course and give you the best chance to play well for a whole round, not just part of one.
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Episode mentioned:
How to Quickly Refocus on the Golf Course
-----
Get 10% off a Divot Board!
Go to divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow and use the code 'MentalGolf10' to get 10% off your purchase
Get a great deal AND support The Mental Golf Show. Thank you! 🙏
-----
Assessment
Take the FREE Mental Game Assessment and learn your top mental game traits and your areas in most need of improvement.
-----
Newsletter
Click here to sign up for The Mental Re-Grip ⛳️ Newsletter to receive mental game tips in your email inbox every week.
-----
📚 2025 Book Club!
Click here to join the exclusive group chat where we discuss the books we're reading, questions and struggles about the mental game, and first access to Q&A's and event info.
-----
Improve how you practice!
Custom Weekly Practice Plan
Do you want to get the most out of your practice time? Let Josh hand-build your practice plan using your stats and your time availability so that you can start practicing more efficiently.
-----
1-on-1 Mental Coaching
Are you a competitive golfer? Interested in working 1-on-1 with Josh as your Golf Psychology Coach? Email Josh directly at [email protected] or head to joshnicholsgolf.com.
-----
Want to be a SPONSOR on The Mental Golf Show? Email us with inquiries at [email protected]
-----
Follow Josh on social:
X/Twitter: @joshlukenichols
Instagram: @joshlukenichols
YouTube: Josh Nichols Golf
-----
Music credits:
Creative Technology Showreel ****Music by Ivan Ohanezov from Pixabay
Smart Technology Music by Denys Kyshchuk from Pixabay
Host Josh Nichols shares from his own 20 years of competitive and golf psychology coaching experiences, along with years of learning psychology, as well as interviews with players, coaches, and experts in the golf industry, all with the goal of helping you think better on and off the golf course.
*This podcast is not meant to apply to every individuals’ mental health. And not all opinions expressed by guests reflect Josh’s opinions and experiences.