What do an NFL spitting incident and a sideline scuffle have to do with your scorecard?

Everything—because they expose how quickly a Destructive Mindset Program (DMP) can hijack your brain and your behavior.

In this solo episode of The Scratch Golfer's Mindset, I break down the trigger → emotion → belief → behavior chain, discuss how it plays out on the course (and at work, and at home), and share how to dismantle these patterns so you stop self-sabotaging and finally play to your potential.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why triggers flip your brain "offline" and create tunnel vision
• The simple flowchart of every DMP: Trigger → Emotion → Belief → Behavior
• How anger, fear, or pressure quietly rewrite your self-talk mid-round
• Why "survive, not thrive" is your default—and how to reverse it
• Rapid reset tools (breathwork, presence, gratitude) you can use between shots
• The deeper identity-level work (mindset coaching + hypnosis) that rewires patterns

Listen now if you're done with two-steps-forward, three-steps-back rounds and ready to build beliefs and behaviors that hold under pressure.

Get your pencils ready and start listening.

1-1 High-Performance Hypnotherapy and Mindset Coaching: If you're serious about getting out of your own way and playing to your potential, click here to schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call to learn how I can help you make playing to your potential a habit.

High-Performance Hypnosis Guided Audios: Ready to get a taste of hypnosis? Click here to choose from one of my unique hypnosis audios to help you accelerate improvement in a specific area of your game.

Click here to read my Ultimate Guide to Golf Hypnosis.

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Play to Your Potential On (and Off) the Course

1. Schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call
2. Subscribe to the More Pars than Bogeys Newsletter
3. Download my "Play Your Best Round" free hypnosis audio recording.

High-Performance Hypnotherapy and Mindset Coaching

Paul Salter - known as The Golf Hypnotherapist - is a High-Performance Hypnotherapist and Mindset Coach who leverages hypnosis and powerful subconscious reprogramming techniques to help golfers of all ages and skill levels overcome the mental hazards of their minds so they can shoot lower scores and play to their potential.

He has over 16 years of coaching experience working with high performers in various industries, helping them get unstuck, out of their own way, and unlock their full potential.

Click here to learn more about how high-performance hypnotherapy and mindset coaching can help you get out of your own way and play to your potential on (and off) the course.

Instagram: @thegolfhypnotherapist

Twitter: @parsoverbogeys

Key Takeaways:

• It's not "if," it's "when." Triggers will happen—build a plan for them.
• DMPs are learned. You fall back to what kept you "safe" before, even if it costs you now.
• Tunnel vision = trouble. Big emotions narrow attention and drive rash decisions.
• Scorecard sabotage is identity-level. Close to a breakthrough? Fear of success often fires a DMP.
• Awareness beats willpower. Map your trigger → emotion → belief → behavior sequence in writing.

Key Quotes:

• "When a trigger hits, an emotion hijacks the steering wheel of your decision-making."
• "Every DMP follows the same chain: trigger, emotion, belief, behavior—fast and unconscious."
• "Your brain is built to survive, not thrive; safety is familiar, not optimal."
• "On the course, you don't rise to your goals—you fall to your programs."
• "Awareness without action is trivia; awareness with a plan is transformation."
• "If you keep stopping what works right before the breakthrough, that's a DMP, not a discipline problem."
• "Success is a choice—once you retire the programs that keep choosing safety."

Time Stamps:

• 00:00: Introduction to Irrational Behavior
• 02:53: Understanding Destructive Mindset Programs
• 05:36: Triggers and Emotional Responses
• 08:18: The Role of Learned Behavior
• 11:18: Relating Mindset to Golf and Poker
• 14:13: The Impact of Pressure and Expectations
• 16:55: Dismantling Destructive Mindset Programs
• 19:41: The Importance of Coaching
• 22:34: Conclusion and Future Directions