Mental Game

Staying Present

Play one shot at a time.

Why it matters

You can only throw the shot in front of you, and attention spent on the last hole or the running total is attention not spent on this one. The practical problem is not knowing that — everybody knows that — it is having something to do with your attention instead.

How to do it

Give your attention a job: the aim point, the line, the feel of the grip. Something specific and present.
Use the walk between shots as the off switch. Think about whatever you like while walking; switch on at the lie.
Breathe out slowly before you step in. A long exhale is the fastest physical route to a calmer head.
Notice when you have drifted and come back without annoyance. Drifting is normal; staying gone is the problem.
Do not check the running total mid-round unless the format genuinely requires it.

Common mistakes

Trying to stop thinking about the score.That does not work, in the same way that not thinking of something never works. Replace it with the aim point rather than suppressing it.

Being hard on yourself for losing focus.Everybody drifts. The skill is the return, and treating the drift as a failure makes the return slower.

Staying switched on for the whole round.Nobody can concentrate for three hours. Switch off between shots deliberately so you have something left at the lie.

Key points

You can only throw the shot in front of you.
Let the last hole and the scorecard go.
Breathe and refocus between shots.

The drill

Drill · Switch on at the lie — 1 round, deliberately switching off between every shot. For one round, give yourself explicit permission to think about anything at all while walking, and then switch on when you reach your lie. Most players find they concentrate better in the moments that matter and finish the round less tired, which is the argument for doing it.

Watch: Disc Golf Mental Game Fix — Eric Jenkins Disc Golf