 |
The Mental Golf ShowAuthor: Josh Nichols
The Mental Golf Show is all about helping serious golfers translate their game when it matters. Host Josh Nichols a U.S. Mid-Amateur finalist and Golf Mental Coach has spent years investigating one question: why do good players struggle to access their best game under real conditions? Through in-depth conversations with players, coaches, and performance experts plus solo topical episodes breaking down what hes learned Josh investigates the gap between a golfers potential and what actually shows up on the course. Language: en Genres: Education, Golf, Self-Improvement, Sports Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
295: Steve Kamb - How to Try Again, Play More Free, and Not Let Fear Wreck Your Game
Monday, 15 June, 2026
Get Steve Kamb’s new book How to Try Again: An Approachable Guide to Navigating Chaos and Making Change THAT STICKS (Amazon link) ----- Steve Kamb is the author of the brand new book How to Try Again: An Approachable Guide to Navigating Chaos and Making Change THAT STICKS. In this conversation (and in his book) Steve helps us learn about life and golf and the many parallels between the two. We talk about failure, redefining, reframing and better understanding failure, the relationship between failure and fear and our deep need for survival, the importance of self-compassion and acceptance while also navigating change, finding the balance of playing the game you currently have and improving the game you currently have, practical strategies for letting go of control and expectations, theories Steve talks about like Expectation Bankruptcy and Failing Compassionately, and how to use experimentation and taking small steps to foster growth. The mission of The Mental Golf Show is to explore high performance through the lens of golf, and this conversation hits right in the strike zone of that mission. ----- Timestamps & Topics: 00:00 - Intro 3:16 - Redefining and Having a Better Relationship with Failure 13:06 - ⛳️ The Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'. 14:43 - Expectations, Plans for the Future, and Acceptance to Play Golf More Freely 33:42 - 🏌️♂️ Basic Practice Plan - Practice made simple, intentional, and accountable. 34:45 - It Feels Less Scary to Play Scared, and How to Play Freely 39:29 - Expectation Bankruptcy: Our Lives and Golf Games Are Different, Now What? 52:36 - Acceptance vs. Change: Playing the Golf Game You Have vs. Reaching for the Golf Game You Want 57:50 - 🎯 Shot Pattern - The Golf GPS App Designed to Help You Play Smarter Golf - Start a free trial and get 20% off by using the discount code 'MENTALGOLFSHOW' or click this link to go straight there. 59:48 - Should We Try to “Find It” On the Course? Or Play What We Have That Day? 1:09:41 - All Or Nothing: Making a BETTER Choice, Not the PERFECT Choice 1:26:26 - Letting Go Of Future Results 1:29:46 - Steve Kamb’s book: How to Try Again (Amazon link) ----- 📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: app.joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement. ----- Mentioned in this episode: ⛳️ The Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'. 🏌️♂️ Basic Practice Plan - Practice made simple, intentional, and accountable. 🎯 Shot Pattern - The Golf GPS App Designed to Help You Play Smarter Golf - Start a free trial and get 20% off by using the discount code 'MENTALGOLFSHOW' or click this link to go straight there. ----- Josh's stuff: 📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: app.joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement. 👨🏻🏫 1-on-1 Mental Coaching with Josh: Visit joshnicholsgolf.com/coaching to see plans and pricing to work with Josh on your mental game. Or send an email to josh@joshnicholsgolf.com. 🎓 The Perfect Pre-Shot Routine digital course - Dial in your pre-shot routine, play your best golf. 📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter. ----- Other podcast partners: ⛳️ The Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'. ⛳️ PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter. 🏋️♂️ FREE Golf Workout - Nerd Fitness - Get the Free MVP Golf Workout from Nerd Fitness here! 🍀 Fairways & Fundays - Ireland Golf Tours - Named World’s Best Golf Tour Operator at the World Golf Awards in 2024 and 2025! If you’re interested in going on a golf trip to Ireland, send me an email and I’ll get you set up with them - josh@joshnicholsgolf.com ----- 🔥 🧈 Special thanks to Titleist for their support of The Mental Golf Show. Join Team Titleist here. ----- 10 Key Takeaways Failure identity vs. failure event — A bad round doesn't make you a bad golfer. The mental shift from "I failed at this shot" to "I am a failure" is where the spiral starts — and where the real work begins. Golf and toxic positivity — "Just stay positive" is hollow advice when your game falls apart. Real mental toughness means acknowledging that a tough round genuinely hurts, not papering over it with forced optimism. Self-compassion for golfers — Beating yourself up after a bad shot isn't discipline, it's self-sabotage. The harshest critic on the course is usually the one standing over the ball, and that critic is making your next shot harder. Pre-accepting the outcome — The golfers who play their best golf under pressure aren't detached — they've pre-accepted whatever happens. Needing a specific score to feel okay is the fastest route to gripping tighter and swinging scared. Expectation bankruptcy in golf — Whether it's the swing you had at 25, the handicap you used to carry, or the ball flight you think you should have, declaring expectation bankruptcy is what lets you actually play the game in front of you. Acceptance and change on the course — "My driver is going left today" and "I can still make smart decisions" are both true at the same time. That's not resignation — that's elite-level course management thinking. Golf practice with limited time — You don't need a ninety-minute range session to improve. Five minutes on a putting mat, ten swings in the backyard, one alignment check in the mirror — small practice consistently beats perfect practice occasionally. All-or-nothing golf practice — The golfer who commits to a big practice plan and abandons it two weeks later is losing to the golfer who does one small drill every day. Consistency at a low level beats intensity that collapses. Trusting your golf swing under pressure — Trying to steer the ball in competition is telling your body that your practice meant nothing. Letting go and swinging freely is how you actually use the game you've built. Process over outcome in competitive golf — You can't control the leaderboard, the weather, or the bounce on 14. You can control your pre-shot routine, your decision-making, and whether you give yourself permission to swing freely on every shot. Fill the jar with those — everything else takes care of itself. ----- Top 5 episodes of The Mental Golf Show: Mike & Eli of Chasing Scratch - Letting Scratch Happen How to Trust Your Swing even when things are Going Wrong Golf Thought Thursday: The Easiest (and Hardest) Way to Play Better Golf Lean Into Your Golf Personality with John Weir (creator of Mental Golf Type) How to Juggle Golf and Life with Andy Walker and Steve Hinks
