Mental performance work for golfers - the first tee, the three-foot putt, the back nine on Sunday, the long stretch between shots.
Clinically reviewed by Geoffrey Peal, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist · Updated October 2026
Golf is the most mental sport played in America. Four hours of decision-making, ninety percent of it in your own head, between shots. The mental game isn't part of golf - it is golf.
We work with junior and HS golfers fighting the yips, college recruits managing tournament pressure, and players trying to stop ruminating about the last hole for the next three.
Golfers come to us from across Tampa Bay, in person at our St. Petersburg and Trinity offices or by secure telehealth anywhere in Florida. If you have been looking for a golf mental coach, this is that work, done by licensed psychologists who can also tell when nerves have turned into something clinical.
The yips are not a character flaw, and they are rarely a swing defect you can grind out on the range. They usually show up as a jerk, a freeze, or a flinch on short putts and chips, right where the stakes feel highest. We treat them as a performance-anxiety problem with a technical surface: map exactly when they appear, build a pre-shot routine that gives your attention a job, and rebuild trust in the stroke under gradually rising pressure. Dr. Snyder covers the basics in Getting Over the Yips.
Junior golf puts parents in an unusual seat: you drive to the course, walk the round, and sometimes caddie. We help families agree on rules for the car ride home, decide who talks swing and who does not, and keep one scorecard from setting the mood for the whole week.
High school golf in Florida plays in the fall, and junior tournament schedules run most of the year. The best time to install a pre-shot routine is a lighter stretch, so it is automatic by the time bigger events arrive. Yips work can start any time; waiting rarely helps.
The shot is twelve seconds. The four hours between shots is the game.
Common signs a golf athlete would benefit from sport psychology work.
Three-footers feel impossible. You yank them, decel them, miss them.
A three-putt sticks with you for six holes.
Heart pounding, hands shaking, opening drive in trouble.
You're replaying the last hole instead of preparing for this one.
You play tight, defensive, scared of your opponent.
You're in contention. Then you're not. The back nine doesn't fit.
The golf skills we drill most. Concrete, repeatable, no inspirational quotes.
A routine with a clear start and finish, the same length on every shot, so the decision is made before you address the ball.
Map where the yips show up, then rebuild trust in the stroke with graded pressure, from the practice green to a tournament round.
What you do on the walk. A short release after each shot so the last hole does not play the next one.
One target, one feel, one word. Fewer swing thoughts over the ball and more trust in the one you picked.
When to look, when not to, and how to play the shot in front of you when you are in contention.
A two-minute debrief that keeps the useful lessons and drops the replay. Built for tournament weeks.
Quiet Eye is the slowing of eye movements and precise visual focus seen in elite athletes. Dr. Geoff explains how it works, then puts mindfulness and relaxation strategies to the test during a round of mini golf.
Every athlete works directly with one of our two licensed psychologists, both active members of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). No hand-offs to an unlicensed coach.
Dr. Geoffrey Peal, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist featured on ABC Action News and 10 WTSP Tampa Bay discussing the pressure Olympic athletes face. His sport work includes golf, along with the yips, choking, and confidence after injury.
Dr. Ben Snyder is a licensed psychologist and a co-founder of FPA Performance. He specializes in golf along with distance sports and other ball sports, and is an ultrarunner himself.
Not sure who fits? Send a note and we'll match you, or read more about our team.
Sessions are confidential and tailored to your sport, level, and goals. Most work begins with a 50-minute consult.
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