298: Michael Leonard - Why Scared Golfers Never Break Through

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Hello everybody, welcome to The Mental Golf Show, where we explore high performance through the lens of golf. On today’s episode we have Michael Leonard, host of the Wicked Smart podcast, author of several golf books, and phenomenal player himself. This is actually Michael’s second appearance on The Mental Golf Show 3 years later. Feel free to go back to that one to learn more of Michael’s own story.

In this episode you’re going to learn how to neutralize pressure, not only handle discomfort but use it to grow, have a better target selection process, understand your own shot shape and decision making, the power of visualization and how you can use visualization to make yourself a better golfer, and how to push through scoring barriers and go lower.

I know you’re going to enjoy this one.

Wicked Smart Golf Academy - Michael Leonard's hub for game improvement

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Topics we hit:

• Is golf really that hard?
• “Only the paranoid survive” - How to continually improve
• The What/Why/How of Visualization
• Why Do We Play Worse Under Pressure?
• The Value of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
• Anger: Is It Bad? Can We Use It Beneficially?
• Josh Figures Out How to Stop Swinging Scared
• Josh’s Realization About Playing Freely
• How Michael is Going to Go from a +2 to a +5

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Mentioned in this episode:

📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: app.joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement.

🏌️‍♂️ Basic and Custom Practice Plans - Practice made simple, intentional, and accountable.

⛳️ PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

🎓 The Perfect Pre-Shot Routine digital course - Dial in your pre-shot routine, play your best golf.

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Josh's stuff:

📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: app.joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement.

🏌️‍♂️ Basic and Custom Practice Plans - Practice made simple, intentional, and accountable.

👨🏻‍🏫 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.

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Podcast partners:

🎯 Shot Pattern - Course Management Made Easy - Start a free trial and get 20% off by using the discount code 'MENTALGOLFSHOW' or click this link to go straight there.

⛳️ 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

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🔥 🧈 Special thanks to Titleist for their support of The Mental Golf Show. Join Team Titleist here.

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Key takeaways from the episode (AI-produced):

1. Tee It Forward to Practice Low Rounds Playing a tee up in casual rounds exposes golfers to birdie and eagle chances more often, priming the mind for a low score before it happens in competition.

2. One Shot Shape Beats Two Committing to a single stock shot off the tee removes swing-thought clutter and builds the kind of target-picking confidence Michael saw in tour pros at the U.S. Open.

3. Visualization Needs Repetition, Not a One-Off A single pump-up visualization the night before a round does little; Michael's work with the Kairo app involved dozens of sessions to actually build new neural pathways.

4. Train the Process, Not the Score Visualizing routines, breathing, and target selection carries over under pressure in a way that visualizing the final number doesn't, since outcome-focused thinking tends to break down in competition.

5. Anger Can Be Fuel Michael compares it to Bruce Banner learning to direct the Hulk — once a player learns to channel anger toward focus instead of letting it spiral, it stops being a liability.

6. Process Bad Shots Neutrally Naming what happened without self-attack — "that went left" instead of "I suck" — keeps a bad shot from compounding into a bad hole.

7. Discomfort Is Where Growth Lives Michael ties his biggest breakthroughs, quitting his job and playing Q-School among them, to moments of extreme discomfort, arguing the same principle applies off the course.

8. Long Putts Miss Short More Than Golfers Realize A Korn Ferry player's stats review revealed Michael left 70% of 30-plus footers short; aiming past the hole on the high side helped correct the bias.

9. Vague Instructions Produce Vague Results Telling your brain "hit the fairway" is weaker than picturing an exact line, distance, and landing spot. Specificity is what turns intention into a committed swing.

10. More Tournament Reps Normalize Pressure Closing the gap between practice-round comfort and tournament-day nerves comes down to playing more competitive rounds — and following the actual rules when playing casually too.

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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