#22: [Journey to Scratch] Blissful Disappointment, Lost Balls, and My Approach to Shoot Sub 90 in 92 Days

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (00:02.588)

Hey fellow golfer, welcome back to another episode of the Scratch Golfers Mindset podcast. I’m your host, the golf hypnotherapist, Paul Salter, and I am gonna lead with a simple reminder, buckle up. This is going to be a fast paced, high speed episode bringing you up to speed with a plethora of different updates on all things golf.

golf related to my journey. You see, as of today, Tuesday, August 13th, I have 92 days to reach my goal of breaking 90. And where am I now?

Well, you’re gonna hear more on that in a moment, but the intention of today’s episode, I believe I have three specific topics I want to cover. And I’m so thankful you’re here. Really appreciate you joining me every Tuesday where I spend 20 to 30 minutes just recapping the past week of mental prep, range work, and of course time on the course, getting a round in. And today I’m gonna highlight.

the wins, what went well, what went better, what I learned and I’m focusing on from two, I believe rounds played this week and a handful of practice sessions. I’m gonna update you on what lies ahead this coming week, starting with today, Monday, August 12th, just got finished, not a one, not a two, a three hour session. I’ll break that down for you. And then I wanna shift into really deconstructing three different goals. My ultimate goal,

my three performance goals and my five process goals. And I’ll also mention my two non -golf specific, non -negotiable process goals. And the reason I wanna articulate everything I just alluded to is I wanna present to you a framework to approach when you are tackling goal setting for you. I have a very tangible, clear goal. I am seeking to shoot sub 90.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (02:04.552)

on or before November 13th. But there’s a lot more nuance in minutia that goes into doing everything I can, keeping my focus on all that I can focus and control between now and then. And if we take a big step back, breaking 90 is only one short -term goal, which ultimately fits into the puzzle of becoming a scratch golfer. So I’ll also be fortunate enough to highlight

Some awesome time playing with a dear friend, Mr. Henry Carouse IV, also known as Bear, who was the featured guest in podcast episode 15. He is a scratch golfer, a former competitive long drive athlete featured and competing on ESPN. Super cool to meet the guy.

what a stellar human can’t wait to play another round with him. And then we’ll dig into what it is I am focusing on this week and on my quest to breaking 90. So thank you again for being here. Let’s buckle up and begin with how to describe this past week. I am 48 hours into a new house, a lot of packing. spent 12 ish hours on Saturday with the entire move, the movers, the boxing, the unpacking, a good chunk.

girlfriend and I putting in the work, working overtime to get this house feeling like home as soon as possible. So I did not feel I was going to have any time to play, but lo and behold, a couple clients asked to reschedule. I got a quicker workout in and move some things around. So I got a range session in on Thursday, starting to feel confident, starting to bring a lot more intention to my range session. So in this particular instance, I was really slowing down.

my pre -shot routine, making it elementary, phasic, if you will, to the point where I probably hit 30 -ish, 35 balls in an hour, an hour and 10 minutes, which is a lot slower of a pace than I’m accustomed to. I was really working on some aspects of my driver and three wood setup, really making sure the ball is positioned by my left foot. I’m leaning back slightly. That was new for me to give me a better opportunity and vantage point to hit up on and through the ball.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (04:21.584)

And then on August 9th, like I said, the schedule gods worked in my favor. A couple clients asked to reschedule. So I had a three hour gap. And of course I took full advantage, rushed on over to the local course, Rogers Park here in Northern Tampa. And I squeezed a round of nine in. Threw five holes. I was six over. I’m feeling fucking good.

Couple of pars in there, feeling really good. Or maybe it was just one par. I don’t have my Grint app in front of me. Feeling really good though, playing really well. The last three holes tell a completely, or last four holes, excuse me, tell a completely different story. And there was a lot of frustration. And I joked on Instagram that the theme of today’s episode would be blissful disappointment. And I’ll circle back to this. So very poor finish. I believe I shot a

54 or a 56, the number eludes me. Either way, did not play to my potential those last four holes, it really blew up. And then on Sunday, I got to get together with again, my dear new friend Henry, awesome human being, incredible father, incredible role mother, such a kind hearted, funny man, excellent insight into the game, was kind enough to share some tips and feedback with me. So him and I, big discrepancy in our skill and experience level. He’s been golfing for 35, 40 years. Like I said, he ended up shooting a 73 on a par 72.

hell of a golfer, the two dudes we got paired with, they both shot in the seventies as well. So I am surrounded by elite golfers and I played so incredibly below my potential. It was embarrassing, disappointing. And the strange thing is I look back on each of the front nine and the back nine, I hit four fairways in regulation.

And this will mean more to you by the end of this episode when I talk about some of my performance goals. I had been struggling to hit fairways recently. Every other tee shot out of bounds. I lost at least 12 balls, 12 shots out of bounds. Now it was a tight and narrow course, but I just couldn’t fucking control the ball. It was laughable. I putted fair 35 putts.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (06:38.632)

You know, below expectation to 36 putts as expected. had 35 putted well, a couple one putts, one single three putt. Really proud of that. There’s a lot of positives to take away. I’m not going to spend too much time here, but I left that round overwhelmed with joy and the moment memories made and shared with Henry. So grateful for the feedback I learned about my game, little tidbits. And the best tidbit piece of feedback I got from Henry was

You know, I’ve studied your pre -shot routine for the last 12 or 13 holes. You’re doing everything right. You’re set up your approach, but you’re so rigid and locked in making sure you’re doing everything right. If you just relaxed a little bit more as you stood over the ball, I think you’d have a much smoother swing. And it was after that, I went par par had I not shot in one of the shots out of bounds. So technically I went par then bogey or a bogey bogey and then a par, excuse me.

the moral of that little short story is I had three great holes in a row after he’d reminded me, just fucking relax, dude. You don’t have to be perfect and robotic. You need a little bit of finesse, lightness, fluidity in that swing. So I gleaned so many positives, but truthfully I left away incredibly frustrated and angry. Blissfully disappointed is how I chose to intentionally quickly and actively reframe how I was feeling. And the disappointment comes in how far below expectation and potential I played. The bliss comes in

I was incredibly humbled. I also became incredibly clear on just how far I need to go, yet just how far I have come, and with a different degree of clarity on where I need to spend my time and efforts. And that’s where we are focused in moving forward in the remainder of today’s episode, because there were plenty of positives to glean from the last couple of rounds this past week.

But the ultimate takeaway is I need to ask for help. I don’t need to go at this alone. And if I want to, and when I achieve my goal of scratch, I’m gonna look back on the handful of individuals that helped me get there. It will be a 110 % team effort.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (08:56.872)

As a result, I mentioned, believe it was episode 20, maybe episode 18, I alluded to receiving unsolicited swing advice on the range. Well, I just wrapped up a three hour session with that individual, that coach, Mr. Marvin Beard, 31 year PGA professional and teacher, incredible human, even better coach. Or maybe I meant to say that vice versa, just an all around standout class act guy who fucking knows the game, but even more importantly, knows how to both teach

and coach. That’s a big distinction. I’m looking for a coach. I need to be taught, but I need someone to coach me and push me and hold me accountable as well. And I’ll dig into more about my first session with Marvin here momentarily, but what I want to extract and really take away for you is asking for help accelerates results. If you are committed to achieving a goal, not interested,

If you are committed, asking for help accelerates results. Even more, success, which is what you desire and are destined to achieve, success loves two things. Success loves action, and success loves speed. Asking for help accelerates results. Success loves both action and speed, and the last little nuance I’ll add into that that I think is incredibly

important for you to really chew on because it has drastically changed my life for the better. When you pay, you pay attention. I tell this to my clients all the time or my prospective clients, those on the fence are considering working with me. When you pay, you pay attention. Instantaneously, when you make that monetary transaction, and it doesn’t even have to be money, but for sake of simplicity and relatability, when you make that monetary transaction,

you immediately create tunnel vision dedicated and directed toward your goal. When you pay, you pay attention. You cut the bullshit, you stop screwing around and you elevate your game simply by elevating your focus, concentration and attention. And I’ll be the first to admit, I know shaving about 15 ish, 14 ish strokes off my game in 92 days and doing so consistently is a lofty goal.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (11:23.112)

I am going to do everything in my power to make it happen. I believe these time -based goals are one of the best strategies you can use to achieve significant progress in every aspect of life because they create a sense of healthy pressure. And you may be wondering, like November 13th, if you’re doing the math, if you’re quick like that, 92 days, why does this guy want to break 90 by 92 days? Well, my good buddy Luke,

Mr. Big Drive Energy, episode six. Love this dude. He’s just an incredible human being and an equally as good golfer. I have a son on the way, November 13th. I’ve alluded to that in past episodes. And he told me that I need to have a goal based on when my son is here and what year I was born. I’m born in 91. He told me I need to break that by the time my son is here. And I like a good challenge, so I’m all in on it. I raised the stakes. I wanna break 90. I don’t wanna break 91. There’s no…

merit, get that extra little bit of gumption of, of respect when you shoot into the 80s. So that’s where we’re going. That’s why we’re going there. And here’s where we are. It’s Monday, August 12th. This episode comes out tomorrow. It’s probably Tuesday, the 13th or Wednesday, the 14th when you’re listening or about 90 ish days, 13 weeks away from needing to achieve this goal. And if I’m being frank in between now and then I am likely going to play

about 20 to 22 rounds. My goal is to play 21 rounds, which is about an average of one and a half rounds per week. And in that timeframe, I am going to do everything I possibly can, including ask for help to allow me to maximize my potential. And I’m in this for the long haul. As soon as I finish this, my life looks a little bit different.

as I welcome our newborn son, but golf will still be there and the golf timeline might ebb and flow, but scratch is the ultimate goal and by golly, we will absolutely get there. But we’re gonna infuse a sense of healthy pressure, a sense of competition to bring out the best and maximize every ounce of potential talent and skill acquisition I have right now. And one of the most exciting aspects of my coaching experience today with Mr. Marvin was

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (13:46.96)

He asked me straight up, what’s your goal? And I didn’t bat an eye. told him, I want to be a scratch golfer and I will do anything and everything it takes. He didn’t mock me. He didn’t scoff. He didn’t raise his eyebrows and roll his eyes. He said, okay, this is what we need to do. And this is where we begin. It was incredible. And we’ll break that down in a minute, but I want to unpack the process because here’s the truth. You go to Google, you have a thousand different answers to your one single question in a matter of milliseconds.

So you live in a day, I live in a day where there’s a concept known as information overload. There’s no shortage of information, no shortage of having an opportunity to create a blueprint, a roadmap, if you will, to get from point A to point B. And I’m going to outline what I feel is my best blueprint and roadmap to get to my goal. And of course,

the biggest challenge every single one of us faces, you and I, is consistency and commitment to confidently executing that blueprint or roadmap, especially when it feels uncomfortable, foreign, novel, or dare I say, scary. But here’s the blueprint. And the way we’re breaking down goal setting, this is an excellent time to get your notebook out if you haven’t done so already, is we’re breaking down goals into actually three goals. So first,

If you picture visually at the top of a piece of paper, you have your ultimate goal. Like what are you sacrificing for? What are you working toward striving to achieve, pouring the blood, the sweat, the tears into? What’s the end all be all state of achievement in the next 90 days to six months, maybe even in the next 12 months that you’re working toward. So my goal is written as follows. Notice the tense I choose to write this goal in. I will choose

or excuse me, I will shoot sub 90 on or before Wednesday, November 13th, 2024. I’m declaring it’s happening. It’s already happening. I’m writing and reviewing this every day. So that’s the ultimate goal. Now we are individuals who need to see and feel progress taking place. And we want to be able to manage and get a little bit.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (16:02.754)

lost in the nuances, minutiae, get some smaller goals where we can measure, compare stats, whether it’s weekly or monthly, to understand whether or not our time, energy, and efforts are paying off because we’re spending and moving them in the right direction. So I call these our performance goals, and these are measurable metrics I can use to gauge progress.

And I have three performance goals I’m working on that I can track and log progress every single round. Number one, 50 % of fairways hit. Right now I’m probably in the 20 to 33 % range. Number two, 40 % of greens in regulation. Right now I am nine to 18%. And number three, less than or equal to 30.

putts per round. And the goal is to hit these metrics consistently. I feel they are going to give me the best chance I possibly can to break 90. Adding onto that, we’re going to go a little bit more granular. So we have, if you’re watching this, there’s ultimate goal at the top. have three performance goals, which are measurable metrics I can use to gauge progress. And then beneath that, we have what are known as process goals.

So these are process goals, things that we’re doing in and out, things that essentially are our microscopic commitments that are part of the bigger plan and ultimately a series of either daily, weekly or monthly non -negotiable. So as I mentioned, I have a process goal of playing 21 rounds between now and November 13th. As long as it’s on the calendar, if I’m making the time to coordinate getting my work done, spending ample time with the family,

It shouldn’t be an issue to hit. And I know by accumulating another 21 rounds, I’m going to be a hell of a lot better of a golfer between now and then I’m committing to one short game practice session a week, chipping and putting 60 minutes in total, at least one per week, one pure long iron and driver range session per week. And then I am.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (18:15.494)

I have just signed up and completed one of a package of four lessons that I will start to spread out over every week or two, and then re -up and add more as needed based on where the game is at. So you’ll see there is a lot of process taking place. I know if I play an average of one and a half rounds per week, I get two practice sessions in per week. And then I also complete my pre -round and post -round reflection and preparation. I am in a great position.

to allow the results to unfold simply by showing up with the right preparation, intention and attitude. I am setting myself up for success, creating an opportunity for the results to come and my skillset to build and accumulate at rapid pace. Now, unrelated yet related to the golf course, I have two daily non -negotiables. Number one, daily mobility, flexibility, glute and core work. I have to put a premium

on protecting my low back. So I’m doing a lot of extra things to keep the glutes firing and glutes awake at all times. And I’ve got some, you know, beautiful girly bright colored glute bands. I’ve got a couple mobility, flexibility and core exercises. It takes me about 10 minutes every day. And then of course I’m following through and continuing to be consistent.

with my daily self hypnosis, really stepping into embracing the attitude of the golfer I am becoming, seeing the results I am working toward, feeling that swing, becoming incredibly more clear headed and confident in every aspect of my game. So to take a step back, here’s how I’m approaching goal setting. I’m incredibly clear on my ultimate goal. I’m specific and I have a timeline.

Beneath that I have three measurable performance goals. 50 % fairways hit, 40 % greens in regulation, less than or equal to 30 putts per round. And then I have the handful of process goals I mentioned. How many times per week I’m playing and practicing, pre -round prep, post -round after action report, working with a coach, and then my daily non -negotiables in my mobility, flexibility, core, and glute work, as well as my continuance of daily self -hypnosis.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (20:32.346)

It is that simple. Now, simple is not the same as easy. But in order for something to be easy, you need to at least make it simple. Do yourself a favor, create the simple framework so you know where, when, and how to expend the precious amount of energy and emotion you have, ensuring that every action you take is moving you closer toward your goal.

And as I alluded to, I love the faster timeline. So it’s 90 today windows, even as short as six weeks to create a sense of false urgency, healthy pressure, really pushing you outside your comfort zone, which is where you grow the most and grow the fastest. So again, I’m about 92 days to shoot sub 90. will make it happen on or before November 13th. And perhaps most important, and where many people miss the mark and goal setting,

is they lack an emotionally charged why, a why statement. I’m going to make this an entirely different podcast so I can keep to my cadence and my focus in this episode. But I want to read to you my why for aspiring and ultimately achieving the goal of shooting sub 90 by November 13th. And here it is. Achieving this goal necessitates, I follow through on my commitments and push beyond my comfort zone.

mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially. This is a potent recipe to level up and learn a lot about myself. I’ll feel proud, joyful, and more confident when I achieve this goal. It will also give me great content, connect me with more like -minded people, and open more doors than I ever thought possible. It’ll force me to prioritize how and when I spend time nurturing and further connecting with my girlfriend and our

future son, as well as help nurture and create more opportunities to grow my business and my network. This means a lot to me. It really is an intersection of all things I prioritize my family, my business, my clients, and my love for the game of golf. It’s a win, win, win situation. But there’s emotion here for me because I recognize this is a wonderful opportunity to set a goal, to show you what commitment, consistency, and accountability looks like.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (22:58.862)

even when it’s fucking tough and it’s not going my way. And I’m going to learn an incredible amount about myself along the process. And that’s only going to help me become a better boyfriend, a better father, a better coach, a better son, a better brother, a better friend. And of course, a better golfer. Can’t think of a much sweeter deal than that. So I thank you.

for joining me on this ride. And as I alluded to, wanna share a minute or two more about the lesson I had and the plan of attack with my swing coach, teacher, man of many hats, Mr. Marvin Beard. So really great session today. And the way that Marvin operates is in when you buy a package with him, they’re two hour lessons. So we got to spend a lot of time, know, he was the one who gave me some great tips on my swing a few weeks ago, building upon that foundation, still deconstructing, giving me some…

kinesthetic, feel points, some pictures. He took a lot of video, a lot of touch points, a lot of feedback, helped me understand the why. And then we did a lot of mental game talking, understanding like what this takes, the commitment, the discipline, things away from the course, grip strength, wrist strength, flexibility, mobility. There was no stone left unturned because he recognizes and felt my competition and commitment, the fire in me. And he’s gonna give me every tool and every opportunity to be great and achieve my goal.

He recognizes and I recognize, I might not always like him. He might make me mightily uncomfortable. I might curse him one too many times, but he’s gonna make me the best fucking golfer I can so long as I show up willing to both learn and put in the work. And I am thrilled. I mean, we had a pretty good connection in that little unsolicited offhand swing session previously, but we really got to know each other, go deep today and all things golf, all things golf mindset.

and it ended up being a three hour session because we spent a good chunk of time. He hooked me and my putter up to an ultrasound machine. I’ll share some pictures and stats on social media at ScratchGolf or Mindset over on Instagram, but we got a lot of data on my putting and I actually have a fairly strong, solid stroke. My room for growth was just, I leave the club face a little open and learning how to better accelerate through the putts. A lot of my putts, I especially notice when I’m on the course,

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (25:19.698)

They I leave them short and I leave them right. So learning how to accelerate then we went off onto the course he gave me a master class in reading greens and then we put that new knowledge into action. were sinking and we were coming within six to twelve inches of some very lengthy putts.

And I’m just was a sponge today. can’t wait to just decompress later, journal out all of the learnings I took away from him, begin sitting here visualizing, going into my self -hypnosis practice to really begin ingraining all that I learned from him. And here’s what’s ahead tomorrow or today when you’re listening, Tuesday, August 13th, it’s time for new clubs. Getting a custom club fitting at GovTech.

and we’ll be purchasing some irons. I’m not gonna purchase a new putter. I like my putter. I will get it re -gripped or taped. I have a beautiful new three wood courtesy of my dear friend, Luke. I’ll keep my driver for now. It’s time to put the, my goodness, to put the blades away for the time being. The Ben Hogan set, that’s the name that alluded to me. Put the blades away for a while. Get a little more forgiveness, a little cavity backing.

and just start putting into practice. So that’s Tuesday, Wednesday, I’m gonna hit the range. Thursday, I’m going down to Naples to get a round of nine in and to network and connect with a new found hopeful strategic partner down at a, I think it’s called Twin Eagles in Naples. We’ll drive down for that and we’ll get around in with my dear friend Kevin on Friday and recharge the batteries this weekend. So a lot of golf ahead. The march is on.

The clock is ticking. I am thrilled I get to share this journey with you. I thank you for listening every week, holding me accountable to putting into practice what I teach about and coach about on a daily basis. And I’m excited to help you shoot lower and lower scores as well. So thank you for being here. If you found today’s episode helpful, if you’re enjoying my journey to scratch, I would greatly appreciate if you share this episode with a fellow golfer or golfing buddy.

Paul Salter | The Golf Hypnotherapist (27:21.224)

And if you haven’t done so already, it takes 30 seconds to leave a genuine rating and review on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening to today’s episode. Thank you again for listening. Hit them straight and I’ll catch you in the next episode.