"When you say high standard, I think expectation. And expectations are hidden guarantees." — Jared Tendler

Last week, Jared Tendler psychoanalysed Dave's golf game and uncovered some uncomfortable truths about confidence, insecurity, self-worth and performance.

This week, it's Chris's turn.

On paper, Chris is the golfer most amateurs aspire to become. A low handicap player capable of shooting under par and pushing towards scratch golf.

But Jared quickly uncovers a different challenge entirely:

Perfectionism.

High expectations.

And a mindset that's quietly making improvement harder, not easier.

Why do so many good golfers struggle to enjoy the game?

Why do high standards sometimes hurt performance instead of helping it?

And how can ambitious golfers pursue improvement without becoming trapped by unrealistic expectations?

This conversation explores golf psychology, perfectionism, confidence, expectations, resilience, mental toughness and the hidden mental mistakes that often hold good golfers back.

Whether you're trying to break 100, break 90, reach single figures or chase scratch golf, the lessons in this episode apply far beyond elite golf.

In This Episode:

✅ High expectations vs healthy standards

✅ Why perfectionism hurts performance

✅ Building confidence the right way

✅ How to stop throwing rounds away

✅ Resilience and grit on the golf course

✅ The psychology of scratch golf

✅ The "anchor in the mountain" concept

✅A Game, B Game, C Game - why a better C game can lead to lasting improvement.

Want to go deeper?

Check out Jared Tendler’s excellent golf psychology resources:

🌐 Website: https://jaredtendler.com/

📚 Books: https://jaredtendler.com/books/

🏌️ Everyday Golf Psychology: https://jaredtendler.com/books/everyday-golf-psychology/

Jared’s work provides practical frameworks for building confidence, handling pressure, overcoming fear of failure and performing more consistently on the golf course.

🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW

How Low Can You Go explores how amateur golfers can improve their game, lower their scores, and actually understand what moves the needle — without wasting time on the wrong things.

🎧 Listen now and start turning bad rounds into better golf.

📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/howlowcanyougopodcast/

📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@HowLowCanYouGoPodcast

💌 Contact
howlowcanyougopodcast@gmail.com

“You’re hitting that golf shot looking to feel competent. If you don’t, you get to go into this hellscape of not really knowing who you are or what matters.” — Jared Tendler

What happens when one of the world’s leading mental game coaches starts analysing your golf game in real time?

In this special two-part conversation, renowned golf mental game coach Jared Tendler joins How Low Can You Go? and quickly takes the discussion somewhere neither of us expected.

Rather than talking about confidence, pressure and performance in the abstract, Jared turns his attention to Dave’s golf game and uncovers the hidden beliefs, fears and insecurities that may be driving his struggles on the course.

Why can someone who feels confident in most areas of life still feel embarrassment, frustration and even despair on the golf course?

This episode covers golf psychology, confidence, performance anxiety, fear of failure, self-worth, improvement mindset and the mental game.

Part Two, coming next week: Jared turns his attention to Chris and uncovers a very different challenge—perfectionism, high expectations and the hidden cost of chasing scratch golf.

Want to go deeper?

Check out Jared Tendler’s excellent golf psychology resources:

🌐 Website: https://jaredtendler.com/

📚 Books: https://jaredtendler.com/books/

🏌️ Everyday Golf Psychology: https://jaredtendler.com/books/everyday-golf-psychology/

Jared’s work provides practical frameworks for building confidence, handling pressure, overcoming fear of failure and performing more consistently on the golf course.

🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW

How Low Can You Go explores how amateur golfers can improve their game, lower their scores, and actually understand what moves the needle — without wasting time on the wrong things.

🎧 Listen now and start turning bad rounds into better golf.

📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/howlowcanyougopodcast/

📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@HowLowCanYouGoPodcast

💌 Contact
howlowcanyougopodcast@gmail.com

The new golf season is finally here.

After months of conversations with some of the smartest minds in golf improvement, it's time to stop talking and start applying what we've learned on the golf course.

In this episode, Dave and Chris check in on their current handicaps, revisit the biggest lessons from recent guests, and share exactly what they're focusing on as they chase their goals of single figures and scratch golf this season.

🎯 We Discuss:

✅ Why our handicaps are finally moving in the right direction
✅ The five key components of golf improvement
✅ Scott Fawcett's advice to "own a shape with driver"
✅ Jon Sherman's lessons on process, resilience and not giving up on your round
✅ Karl Morris on mindset, pressure and the "I'll be happy when..." trap
✅ Chase Cooper's swing changes that are already transforming our games
✅ Alex Huang's simple formula for lowering your handicap
✅ The biggest areas we're focusing on this season

Whether you're trying to break 100, break 90, break 80, or get to scratch golf, this episode is packed with practical golf improvement ideas, strategy, mindset lessons, and real-world experiences from two golfers trying to get better.

🗺️ The Golf Improvement Roadmap

If you're serious about lowering your handicap this season, this is the roadmap episode.

⛳ Follow the journey as we put these lessons to the test and find out whether they actually work when the scorecard is in hand.

🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW

How Low Can You Go explores how amateur golfers can improve their game, lower their scores, and actually understand what moves the needle — without wasting time on the wrong things.

🎧 Listen now and start turning bad rounds into better golf.

📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/howlowcanyougopodcast/

📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@HowLowCanYouGoPodcast

💌 Contact
howlowcanyougopodcast@gmail.com

🏨 Big shout out to The Leddie on Scotland’s Golf Coast.