Confidence When Progress Is Slow: The Dr. Barry Lotz Perspective
One of the most misunderstood concepts in golf is confidence.
Golfers talk about confidence as though it is something you find—as if it’s hiding behind a good round, a hot stretch of putting, or a favorable leaderboard. Others believe confidence is something that arrives after a win.
Both ideas miss the point.
Confidence is not discovered.
Confidence is earned.
And it is earned long before the scorecard ever reflects it.
When progress feels slow, many golfers assume something is wrong with their game. In reality, what’s usually missing isn’t talent or technique—it’s a structured process for building confidence.
Waiting for a breakthrough round is a passive strategy. Passive strategies produce inconsistent golf.
If you play well one day and poorly the next, that inconsistency is rarely physical. It is the predictable result of confidence that has not yet been reinforced through deliberate work, reflection, and mental discipline.
Here’s where golfers get trapped.
When confidence is low and performance dips, frustration takes over. Internal dialogue becomes harsh. Perspective narrows. Improvement feels impossible. The golfer knows confidence is the issue—but has no framework for fixing it.
That’s because confidence in golf is not a switch.
It’s a muscle.
And muscles are developed through repetition, not results.
Confidence Is Built Before It Shows Up
Lasting confidence is created by learning to recognize progress before it becomes obvious on the scorecard.
There are rounds where your focus is sharper under pressure.
Rounds where your emotional control improves.
Rounds where poor holes don’t turn into disasters.
Those moments often go unnoticed because they don’t immediately translate into lower scores. But they are the foundation upon which breakthroughs are built.
Anthony Kim’s recent return to elite competition is a textbook example.
After stepping away from professional golf for more than a decade, Kim returned knowing full well that confidence would not come quickly—or easily. His path back wasn’t linear. It was filled with setbacks, rust, and long stretches where results lagged behind effort.
Yet at the 2026 LIV Golf Promotions event, Kim earned one of three wild-card spots, finishing third and securing his place in the 2026 LIV Golf League season.
That result wasn’t accidental.
It was the byproduct of belief sustained during periods when results were uncertain.
Kim put it simply:
“There were definitely low moments throughout those two years. But I believe in myself more than anybody else believes in me, and I think that’s all that matters. I felt like if I just kept my foot on the gas and kept grinding, great things were going to happen.”
That’s confidence built from commitment, not convenience.
Confidence Precedes Performance
Confidence does not follow success.
Success follows confidence.
The mistake golfers make is focusing on what’s missing instead of what’s improving.
Five more yards off the tee.
Fewer double bogeys.
Calmer decision-making under pressure.
Comfort standing over the ball.
These are not small things. They are evidence.
And evidence fuels belief.
As confidence grows, performance stabilizes. As performance stabilizes, scores follow.
Three Ways to Build Confidence When Progress Feels Slow
1. Identify Three Positives Every Round
After each practice session or competitive round, identify three things you did well—no matter how minor they seem. Make this non-negotiable. Confidence grows when progress is acknowledged consistently.
2. Stop Waiting for the Perfect Round
Golf is a long-term process. Perfection is not a prerequisite for confidence. Stable confidence is built through preparation, learning, and incremental improvement—not flawless scorecards.
3. Guard Your Self-Talk
You would never tolerate a caddy who berated you mid-round. Don’t allow that voice internally. When criticism appears, counter it with objective evidence of improvement and effort.
Confidence is not something you wait for.
It is something you build—quietly, deliberately, and relentlessly.
And when it finally shows up on the scorecard, it won’t feel surprising at all.
