I’ve been playing golf for fifteen years and playing at about the same average level for most of those years. I want to score better but am beginning to wonder if it is even possible for me to improve. After fifteen years in the game, with little improvement, can I even expect to get better?

The answer is yes. It is certainly possible for you to get better. However, if you want to get better you have to believe you can get better. If you doubt yourself, chances are you won’t.

It makes total sense that you want to get better at golf. However, how important is it to you that you get better? Why do you want to get better? Are your reasons compelling enough for you to do the work to make it happen? For example, are you willing to take lessons? Play more frequently? Spend more time on the practice range? Work on your mindset, or “mental game?” These activities, in addition to believing you can improve, are how you lower your golf scores.

You may come to realize that for the past fifteen years you have been enjoying golf for a variety of reasons. Those reasons might include time with friends, being outdoors, the mental challenge, exercise and fun. Even though you communicate you want to improve your score, you may be getting your most enjoyment from the total experience of a morning on the course.

It could be that you do not want to, or cannot, invest the additional time needed to significantly improve your game. In that case, I offer you may want to acknowledge what has kept you in the game for fifteen years and not be unduly distracted and disappointed in yourself about the numbers on your scorecard.

I offer you decide how important improving your game is to you. If you want to improve, you can improve by employing the actions mentioned above.

Whether or not you choose to invest in additional golf time and resources, you can still work on your mental game every time you play. There are several mental strategies you can put into practice that help improve a golf score. One example is to pay attention to your self-talk on the course. Do you call yourself bad names when you miss an “easy” putt? Do you berate yourself when your drive misses the fairway and lands in the rough? Do you criticize yourself about the numbers on your scorecard? Sports psychologist and author  of “Your 15th Club,” Dr. Bob Rotella writes, “Self-criticism can create a losing syndrome.”

Self-praise has the opposite effect. Celebrating and self-praising your good shots will benefit your game.

Another mental skill to practice is managing your thoughts. According to Rotella, conscious and subconscious thoughts affect our motor skills on the golf course. Thinking thoughts that serve you during a game can also lead to better play. “We create success or failure on the course primarily by our thoughts,” says professional golfer Gary Player.

You can choose to improve your scores by doing the needed work, or you can choose to focus on the total experience. You can also choose to do both.

Whichever choice you make, “…don’t let birdies and pars get in the way of having a good time.” (Angelo Spagnolo, America’s Worst Avid Golfer who earned the title at TPC Sawgrass)