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Fearless Golf: Mental Strategies from Elite Junior PGA Players
By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on
The leaderboards at the 2025 Junior PGA Championships tell a remarkable story of fearless golf. Boys Champion Lunden Esterline's stunning 62 in round two helped him finish at a remarkable 19-under par, while Champion Asterisk Talley finished at 12-under in the girls division.
What sets these players apart isn't just technical skill — it's their complete absence of fear. After coaching juniors for over two decades, I've observed that fear is the most widespread obstacle preventing golfers from reaching their potential. These young champions demonstrate fearless, intelligent golf that any player can learn from.
1. Know Your Game and Play Within It
Elite juniors like Max VanderMolen and Chase Yenser understand their games completely. They execute their strengths with absolute conviction rather than attempting shots beyond their capabilities.
How to develop game awareness:
- Conduct an honest assessment of your reliable yardages with each club
- Identify your natural ball flight and preferred shot shapes
- Determine which shots you can execute consistently under pressure
- Practice your go-to shots until they become automatic
Action Item: Spend one practice session mapping out your accurate yardages and identifying your three most reliable shots.
Players like Zenghao Hou demonstrate identical routines whether leading or trying to make the cut. This consistency serves as an anchor in pressure moments.
Steps to build your routine:
- Visualize the intended shot
- Take your practice swings
- Align yourself to the target
- Commit fully to execution
Action Item: Create a specific 30-45 second pre-shot routine and practice it on every range session for two weeks.
3. Master Controlled Breathing
Elite juniors maintain composure through proper breathing techniques, understanding that oxygen fuels both body and mind.
Breathing technique:
- Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 counts
- Hold for 3 counts
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts
- Use this before every shot and during pressure moments
Action Item: Practice 5 minutes of deep breathing exercises daily for one week, then implement on the course.
4. Commit Fully to Every Shot
Charlie Woods, who finished at -9 under in the Boys Division and Girls Division top finishers Asterisk Talley and Zoe Cusack, notched up at -12 and -11 under respectively, each showed complete commitment to every shot — no hesitation or second-guessing.
Decision-making process:
- Quickly assess the situation
- Choose your target and club
- Visualize the shot
- Commit completely to your decision
- Accept the result without dwelling on poor outcomes
Action Item: During your next round, make club selection decisions within 10 seconds and stick with them completely.
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The scoring at this championship reflects players who are aggressive within their capabilities, understanding the difference between smart aggression and foolish risks.
Guidelines for smart aggression:
- Be aggressive only with shots you've practiced and proven
- Know when conservative play is actually the aggressive strategy
- Commit fully to safe shots when they're the smart play
- Don't attempt new shots during competitive rounds
Action Item: Before your next round, identify three situations where you typically take unnecessary risks and plan conservative alternatives.
The Mental Freedom of Fearless Golf
What we witnessed in Indiana is the result of mental freedom on the golf course. These young players trust their preparation, commit to decisions, and execute without the paralysis that fear brings.
Fearless golf isn't about eliminating nervousness — even elite players feel nerves. It's about channeling that energy into focused execution rather than doubt and hesitation. When you know your game, trust your routine, control your breathing, and commit fully, you create conditions for your best golf to emerge.
These lessons from elite juniors are timeless principles that can transform any golfer's experience. Channel their fearless confidence, and watch both your scores and enjoyment improve.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. Read his recent Monday Recap on RG.org and his stories on Athlon Sports. To stay updated on his latest work, sign up for his newsletter and visit OneMoreRollGolf.com.
