Golf, Perfectionism, and Burnout
How perfectionism is holding you back from playing your best golf
Key Points:
Perfectionism increases our chance of suffering from burnout
Our risk of burnout increases when we perceive that we aren’t equipped to deal with the stressors that life (and golf) throws at us
Mindfulness and self-compassion interventions can reduce burnout
Creating a supportive “inner circle” and developing pre-round, on-course, and post-round routines helps us manage golf-specific stressors
Are you a self-proclaimed perfectionist?
The term “perfectionism” is often used in a light-hearted way — “Oh, he’s such a perfectionist”.
However, perfectionism is no laughing matter.
Perfectionism takes a toll on our mental and physical health.1
It could be stopping you from playing your best golf.
Understanding Perfectionism
Perfectionism can be described as
…a personality trait which entails excessively high standards accompanied by overly critical evaluations
There are two models used to explain perfectionism.
Two Dimension Model
In this model, there are two “types” of perfectionism.
The first is perfectionistic strivings.
…characterized by aspects of perfectionism associated with striving for perfection and the setting of high personal standards.
The second is perfectionist concerns.
…characterized by concerns over making mistakes, negative reactions to imperfection, socially prescribed pressures, and discrepancies between one’s expectations and performance.
Three Dimension Model
In this model, there are three “types” of perfectionism.
The first is self-oriented perfectionism.
…self-oriented perfectionism reflects an individual’s belief that striving for perfection and being perfect are integral to oneself.
This is similar to perfectionistic strivings.
The second is socially prescribed perfectionism.
…an individual’s perception that others impose perfectionistic standards onto them and hold perfectionistic expectations that they must meet.
This is similar to perfectionistic concerns and is detrimental to our health.
…Socially prescribed perfectionism is widely considered to be maladaptive for athletes, with empirical evidence linking it with outcomes such as obsessive passion, negative self-perceptions when one loses, and depressive symptoms.
The third is other-oriented perfectionism.
…reflects the tendency to impose one’s own perfectionistic standards onto others.
Ensure you’re working with a coach that doesn’t have unrealistic expectations of you.
…we found partial support for our hypotheses that [the] perception that the coach demands perfect performance from others predicted athlete burnout.
For coaches, be aware of the impact your own perfectionistic tendencies can have on golfers.
A positive coach-athlete relationship, for example, has recently been found to be negatively related to athlete burnout.
Commonalities Between Models
Both models highlight that perfectionism is multi-dimensional.
We have self-driven perfectionism and externally-driven perfectionism.
It’s crucial to reflect on the driving force of our perfectionism.
Ask yourself…
Am I holding myself to a high standard, or am I trying to conform to external expectations of how people think I should perform?
Perfectionism and Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.2
The three main symptoms of burnout are:
Mental and physical exhaustion
A reduced sense of accomplishment
Cynicism towards your sport
Perfectionism makes us more susceptible to burnout.
Particularly perfectionistic concerns are a driving force of burnout.
Perfectionistic concerns typically encapsulate the perception of external demands along with an extreme preoccupation with, and negative reaction to performance mistakes. It is these tendencies that appear to be strongly and consistently related to burnout in athletes.
Combatting Perfectionism
By addressing perfectionism, we can reduce our risk of burnout.
reducing perfectionism, and in particular perfectionistic concerns, could mean that athletes become less vulnerable to burnout.
According to the cognitive-affective stress model3, stress is the result of
…an imbalance between the demands of a situation and the ability and resources to cope with that situation. If perpetuated over time, an imbalance between the perceived demands of sport and an athlete’s resources to manage such challenges will result in chronic stress and ultimately burnout development.
There are two keys to reducing the risk of burnout:
Addressing perfectionistic concerns
Having tools to deal with stress
Addressing Perfectionistic Concerns
Mindfulness and developing self-compassion can help reduce perfectionistic concerns.
initial evidence suggests that athlete perfectionistic concerns can be lowered through mindfulness and self-compassion interventions.
Surrounding yourself with the right people is also critical.
At the end of the day, you are a combination of your habits and the people who you spend the most time with. - Naval Ravikant
Are there people in your “inner circle” fueling your perfectionism?
Are they adding unnecessary external expectations?
This is a difficult, but important question to ask yourself.
For golfers, the “inner circle” includes:
Coaches
Caddies
Sponsors
Friends/Family
Dealing With Stress
Even if you optimize your “inner circle” and develop a mindfulness practice, golfers must still have the tools to deal with the inevitable stress of competitive golf.
Stress resistance training can help golfers deal with stress.
Such training focuses on identifying stressors, developing coping strategies, and planning solutions for anticipated problems.
Tournaments are one of the largest and most consistent stressors competitive golfers face.
Comprehensive pre-round, on-course, and post-round routines are golf-specific coping strategies.
They help golfers cope with the physiological and psychological symptoms of stress.
The Ultimate Guide To On-Course Breathing can help you start building your own on-course routines.
If you need help developing golf-specific routines, schedule a call with me.
Conclusion
Striving for excellence is admirable and a pre-requisite for mastery in any field.
Perfectionism is detrimental to our mental and physical well-being.
For golfers, concerns over mistakes and societal pressures are particularly dangerous.
Our risk of burnout increases when we perceive that we aren’t equipped to deal with the stressors that life (and golf) throws at us.
Creating a supportive “inner circle” and developing pre-round, on-course, and post-round routines is a good starting point for all golfers.
Salvagioni, D., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PloS one, 12(10), e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout
Smith, R. E. (1986). Toward a cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout. Journal of Sport Psychology, 8(1), 36–50.