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Ever have a hole that just owns you? Same OB shot, same water ball, same three-putt — every single time? You're not imagining it, and you're not alone. In this episode, Carlos and Laurie break down why your brain keeps recreating the same disaster on the same hole, and share 3 mental game tips to finally rewire it — including the exact approach Carlos used to turn his own nemesis hole into one he actually looks forward to.

In this episode:

• Why every golfer has "that hole" — and why it's not a swing problem
• Tip #1: Visual rehearsal — retraining your brain at home in under 5 minutes
• Tip #2: What is the shot required? — removing the intimidation factor
• Tip #3: Give yourself grace — stacking positive reps to flip the association
• Carlos's real story of conquering hole 3 at Jimmy Clay in Austin
• A Tin Cup callback golf movie fans will appreciate

Chapters: (00:00) Why you keep blowing up on the same hole (00:29) Welcome back, Golf Psychos (01:22) You're not alone — this comes up with 90% of clients (01:46) Why our brains build these associations (02:22) The problem with playing based on what you don't want (03:10) "Don't think about pepperoni pizza" (04:01) Tip #1 (04:36) Why your brain can't tell a visualization from reality (06:08) How to visualize your trouble hole at home (07:24) Pavlov's dog and your pre-shot routine (09:57) Tip #2 (10:14) Our negative-bias brain spots the danger first (12:19) Carlos's hole 3 story at Jimmy Clay (Austin) (15:39) The 7-iron strategy — training your brain to feel safe (18:04) Tip #3 (20:32) The meadow path metaphor (21:43) The Tin Cup moment (25:21) Ready to play to your potential? Book your eval at golfpsycho.com (25:59) Laurie's parting thought: be gentle with yourself

Ready to stop fighting your own brain and start playing to your potential — without changing your swing? Book your evaluation at golfpsycho.com.

Golf Drives You Psycho, or You're Psycho for Golf — welcome to Golf Psycho.

#GolfPsycho #GolfMentalGame #MentalGameGolf #GolfTips #GolfPodcast #SportsPsychology #GolfCoaching #GolfMindset

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Schedule Your Mental Game Assessment Here

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In episode 14 of The Golf Psycho Podcast, Carlos and Laurie tackle one of the most common and least talked-about reasons golfers stop improving: the difference between putting in effort and putting in skilled effort.

Carlos opens up about the 20 years he spent stuck at the same score, and the exact framework (programming, accountability, and support) that finally broke the plateau — including the raw, unedited moment he broke a personal best he'd held since he was 17. Then Laurie and Carlos walk through 5 practical tips you can start using in your very next practice session, whether you're working with a coach or figuring it out on your own.

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Too many golfers guess their way through 100 yards and in. Carlos and Raul break down Raul's wedge play at the Firecracker tournament and build the system for turning that guesswork into confidence — mapping wedge distances by swing speed and clock position, fixing the belief systems that quietly sabotage practice ("my bunker game is trash"), and using the same mental game skills that got Raul out of a first-hole spiral.

Pairs directly with our previous episode on putting under tournament pressure — listen to that one first if you haven't yet.

Book your mental performance assessment at golfpsycho.com.

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You're not missing putts because of your stroke — you're missing them because you're guessing. Carlos and Raul break down how to read grain on the green, how to calibrate your real putting distances instead of eyeballing them, and why the state you arrive at the green in decides how confident you feel over every putt. Includes the alignment-stick distance drill a touring pro taught Carlos, and two real three-putts from Raul's last tournament that came down to grain, not stroke.

NOTE: BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR EPISODE ON POST-SHOT ROUTINE TO HELP TIE THIS IN!

Book your mental game evaluation at thegolfpsycho.com.

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Golfers don't lose tournaments on the back nine — they lose them on hole 1. In this episode, Carlos sits down with Raul to break down a real tournament round at the Firecracker in Austin, where an unmanaged nervous system turned a short par 4 into an 8 before the round ever got going — and the exact adjustments that turned the back nine into five-plus birdie chances.

Carlos and Raul dig into why "just relax" doesn't work, how nervous system dysregulation shows up in your hands before it shows up on the scorecard, and the two pre-round habits — intention-setting and warmed-up breathing — that keep golfers out of the first-tee spiral entirely. Carlos also walks through a live 4-4 / 4-8 breathing demo and the most common mistakes golfers make when they try it.

If you're a competitive or serious amateur golfer who's ever felt your first tee shot slip away from nerves, this episode gives you the actual mechanism behind it — and what to do about it before you ever get to the course.


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🔗 Podcast Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2523086

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📩 DM us on Instagram or email: golfpsychopodcast@gmail.com
🌐 Website: https://www.thegolfpsycho.com/

🎥 Filmed by L&C Media Productions – https://www.lcmediaatx.com/


00:00 – Intro: Why round 1 nerves cost golfers strokes
01:37 – Raul's tournament backstory and pre-round nerves
02:54 – Hole 1 breakdown: wrong club, ruling confusion, blown-up 8
05:15 – Hole 2 struggles and the shift toward breathing
06:46 – Carlos steps in as caddy — the turning point
08:59 – Tip 1: Set an intention before you tee off
10:13 – Tip 2: Warm up your breathing before you warm up your swing
18:43 – Why tournaments only feel like "a different beast"
20:16 – Watch your hands: grip tension, adrenaline, and the "won't this distract me" myth
27:09 – Live 4-4 / 4-8 breathing demo + common mistakes
30:47 – Recap and what's next: mental game for putting

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n this episode of Golf Psycho, Carlos (golf mental game coach) and Laurie (occupational therapist co-host) dissect the psychological battle that raged behind the scenes at the 2025 Ryder Cup. With hostility, heckling, and poor crowd behavior making front page headlines, we dig into:

• Which players showed mental steel (and when)
• How Europe's team seemed more resilient overall
• Moments when U.S. players looked shaken by pressure + crowd noise
• Key mental game strategies you can use when distractions hit
• OT + neuroscience insight: how your brain processes heckling and noise

Whether you're in a local tournament or just chasing personal bests, this is a masterclass in staying composed under fire.

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Struggling with blow-ups on the front 9? You’re not alone. In this episode of Golf Psycho, Golf Mental Game Coach Carlos and Occupational Therapist Laurie break down why golfers fall apart early in the round — and how to turn things around before it’s too late.

We cover:
⛳ The mindset mistakes that sabotage your front 9
🧠 How to reset your mental game after a bad shot or bad hole
📋 Practical strategies you can use on the course today
💡 What tour pros do to stay calm under pressure

This is a no-fluff, real conversation blending sports psychology and occupational therapy insights. If you’ve ever walked off the 9th tee frustrated and mentally drained, this episode is for you.

Chapters
0:00 – Intro

2:51 – Tip 1 - The Mindset Update

10:17 – Tip 2 - Start Doing This

15:18 – Tip 3 - What Pros Do

23:43 – Tip 4 - The Big One

36:18 – Action steps for your next round

37:53 – Closing thoughts & Thank Yous!

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