1-on-1 Mental Coaching for Amateur and Professional Golfers
In your first 30 days, build a pre-shot routine you can trust. Then learn to take that trust into the moments that matter most.
U.S. Mid-Amateur finalist23+ years of competitive golfHundreds of golfers coached
Standing over a four-footer and not trusting your stroke.
Steering a tee shot down a tight fairway.
Replaying one bad shot for the next three holes.
Trying to protect a good score and watching it slip away.
Worrying about what your playing partners think of your game.
Getting tight on the first tee of a qualifier or club championship.
Have you ever had a round of golf where you felt so frustrated by the end that you didn’t know if you ever wanted to play again?
Have you ever been playing so well, only to start thinking about how this is the best round of golf you’ve ever played, and then lose it down the stretch?
Can you feel yourself getting tight before you swing because you’re not sure where the ball is going?
Have you said any of these before?
Underneath most of these is some kind of fear. Fear of a bad score, of embarrassing yourself, of letting yourself or someone else down. That doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means you care about how you play.
I know what all of this feels like, and I’ve helped hundreds of golfers improve this. So it doesn’t have to stay that way for you.
Let’s get to work on it.
Most golfers think they need to feel confident before they can hit a good shot. So they try to stop the nerves, push out the negative thoughts and wait for the round where it all feels easy. That round almost never happens.
The goal isn’t to eliminate fear. It’s to notice it, accept that it’s there, and commit to the shot and trust your ability anyway. Over time, pressure becomes a signal to go back to your process, not a reason to steer it, rush it or overthink it.
That starts with something practical: a consistent pre-shot routine you can trust under pressure.
“Josh helped me understand that elite performance is not about eliminating negative thoughts or forcing positive ones. It’s about accepting what you’re thinking and feeling in the moment and choosing where to place your attention.”
Get clear on your target and your shot before you step into the ball.
Trust your prep and your game.
Pre-accept the outcome of the shot.
Let it rip, then go do it again.
Your routine is the first thing we build, because it’s where your problems actually show up: on the course, over the ball, with something on the line.
In 30 days or less, you’ll have a personal routine built around your game, your tempo and your cues. You’ll test it in real rounds and track how often you run it.
Fewer rushed decisions, less doubt over the ball and more committed swings, all under pressure.
It won’t make every shot perfect, and it won’t stop you from ever feeling nervous again. It gives you something reliable to come back to when you do.
A 30-minute goal-setting call to get to know each other and map out what you want from your game.
You’ll take the Mental Game Assessment and fill out your Success Snapshot, and I’ll send you a short video laying out your action plan.
We build your routine together, you take it to the course, and you tell me what you notice. We dial it in until it holds up consistently under pressure.
Message me whenever something comes up: from the course, the range or the drive home. I reply within one business day.
“Hi Josh,
Just wanted to let you know that since I started following your plan just a few weeks ago, I’ve seen a huge improvement in my game.
In fact, this past weekend I shot my first under par round of 70.
Thanks again!”
— Alex C.
“That round was probably my strongest mental game round in 20+ years of golf.
I can’t think of a time I felt that much freedom to let it rip from the tee box.”
— Christopher S.
The routine is the foundation. The next step is using it consistently under pressure.
Going through your routine on the range or in a quiet Tuesday round is one thing. Running it after a double bogey, while protecting a lead or on the first tee of a tournament is another. That’s what ongoing coaching is for.
Game Plan Call, Mental Game Assessment and develop your action plan.
Ongoing work on your mental game, and we solidify your full 18-hole pre-shot routine.
Retake the assessment, compare to your baseline, adapt the plan.
Continuing to work through the ups and downs together.
Your process holds up when it matters most, and results become a symptom of the work.
Every player’s path looks different. We adjust the plan around what you bring and what comes up during your season.
You’re not figuring this out alone anymore. Whatever comes up, whenever it comes up.
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You won’t use all nine at once. We pick the ones that fit what you’re working on right now: preparing for a round, responding under pressure, learning from a round, or building confidence that lasts.
Let’s work on it together.
Know exactly what matters today before you hit your first shot.
A structured look back at what happened and why, while it’s fresh.
Build a routine that fits your game, then make it automatic.
Collect the proof that you can do this, and read it when you need it.
Let go of the last shot before you get to the next one.
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Score your round on process, not just the number on the card.
Break down a whole event so the next one goes better.
Catch the thought, challenge it and replace it.
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Pressure tests that train you to commit to every shot.
A routine only helps if it holds up on the course, so practice has to look more like actual golf. We use data from your rounds to find where your strokes are going, then build sessions with pressure and consequences built in.
So what you build in practice is there when it counts.
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Commitment, trust and freedom under pressure can feel hard to pin down. The Mental Game Assessment™ gives us a baseline, a trait-by-trait breakdown and a check-in every 90 days, so you can see how your response to pressure is changing.
It’s a framework for spotting patterns and guiding the work, not a verdict on you. Pair it with your Shot-by-Shot Scorecard™ and round reviews, and you get a clear picture of whether your process is holding up when it counts.
Your Mental Game Index™ (MGI) is a handicap for what happens between your ears. Lower is better.
Week 1: your baseline MGI and trait breakdown shape your action plan.
Every 90 days: you retake the assessment, we compare it to your baseline, and we adjust your priorities.
Alongside Shot Pattern: we connect changes in your mental game to what’s showing up in your stats.
Pressure shows up in your stats too.
Shot Pattern is the golf GPS and stat app Josh uses for his own game.
Josh sees your rounds as you log them, so you can connect what was going on in your head to what showed up on the card, and the work is built on your actual results, not just how it felt.
*Shot Pattern is currently available on Apple devices only. Android is currently in beta development.
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Lower scores matter. So does how it feels to compete.
Off her scoring average, freshman to senior year
McKenzie M.
First under-par round, only a few weeks into the plan
Alex C.
Handicap index, all-time low and still dropping
Matt N.
Gross score, won medalist
Stewart T.
“I started working with Josh during the fall of my freshman year in college, and the impact was immediate. Not only did my scoring average improve, but my confidence, composure, and self-awareness improved as well.”
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“Prior to working with Josh, I was a young collegiate golfer who had spent years competing in team sports but never truly understood the mental challenge of golf. In most sports, you can lean on teammates, coaches, and constant action. In golf, you’re often alone with your thoughts for four or five hours, and I wasn’t prepared for that.
My biggest shortcoming was that I wanted to succeed so badly that I became attached to results. I was constantly evaluating my performance based on scores, birdies, and outcomes rather than focusing on the process required to produce them. When things didn’t go as planned, frustration would creep in and my attention would drift toward what had already happened or what I wanted to happen next.
I started working with Josh during the fall of my freshman year in college, and the impact was immediate. Not only did my scoring average improve, but my confidence, composure, and self-awareness improved as well. Josh helped me understand that elite performance is not about eliminating negative thoughts or forcing positive ones. It’s about accepting what you’re thinking and feeling in the moment and choosing where to place your attention.
Through our work together, I learned the importance of mindfulness and emotional awareness. Josh taught me how to recognize unhelpful thought patterns without becoming consumed by them, how to stay present after a bad shot, and how to trust the process even when results weren’t immediately visible. Those lessons changed the way I competed.
More importantly, they changed the way I approached life. Working with a mental coach like Josh doesn’t just make you a better golfer. It helps you become a better person by developing a deeper understanding of yourself. Golf and life can both be lonely at times. Josh taught me that self-compassion is just as important as accountability, and that growth comes from understanding why we think and feel the way we do rather than fighting against it.
Years later, the lessons Josh taught me still influence how I approach challenges, setbacks, and high-pressure situations. The mental skills I learned through his coaching have carried far beyond the golf course, and I’m grateful for the lasting impact they’ve had on both my personal and professional life.”
— Griffin P.
“From my freshman year to my senior year, I improved my scoring average by nearly five shots, and I attribute a huge part of that improvement to the work I put in with Josh. I was a confident competitor who trusted myself and my game, and I left college as a conference champion.”
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“From my freshman year to my senior year, I improved my scoring average by nearly five shots, and I attribute a huge part of that improvement to the work I put in with Josh.
When I first started working with him, I was a highly anxious player who struggled with tee shots and had a hard time staying present when things weren’t going my way. Josh helped me develop the mental skills to manage my anxiety, stay focused on the present moment, and, most importantly, learn to enjoy the game of golf again.
What made the biggest difference was that our work went beyond simply trying to play better golf. Josh helped me learn how to embrace the experience, stay grounded through the highs and lows, and actually enjoy my college golf journey.
By the time I finished my senior year, I was no longer the anxious player I had been as a freshman. I was a confident competitor who trusted myself and my game, and I left college as a conference champion.
I’m so incredibly grateful for the time I spent working with Josh and I highly recommend working with him!!”
— McKenzie M.
“Starting competitive golf in my 50s, I struggled with Imposter Syndrome whenever I played with more accomplished players. This past season, I evolved into a confident, accomplished player, and the results quickly followed.”
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“Starting competitive golf in my 50s, I struggled with Imposter Syndrome whenever I played with more accomplished players—which was almost every tournament round.
Josh helped me dig into the ‘why,’ transforming my mental identity. This past season, I evolved into a confident, accomplished player, and the results quickly followed.
Josh’s feedback is always genuine, and knowing he has competed at the absolute top of the amateur golf landscape made it easy to trust his process and lock in lasting change.”
— Mitch O.
“Just being able to get things off my chest, and having somebody there that will always listen, and obviously help create a game plan to improve things that needed to be fixed.
Working with you for multiple years allowed us to work together and really understand each other, and most importantly, you understand me, which led to improvements on and off the course.”
— Bryce R.
“It was without a doubt the best mental round of golf I have ever played.
I could wax poetic for hours on what this means to me as a person and not just a golfer.”
— Rob H.
I still play in state qualifiers, I’ve played in six USGA Championships, made it to the Championship match of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, and I’ve coached hundreds of juniors, college players, competitive ams, mini tour players, LPGA, and PGA Tour golfers.
I love working with competitive golfers because I am one, and I know what it feels like to struggle under pressure, obsess over technique, overthink every shot, and not see improvement for years. So whenever I can help a golfer improve in one of these ways, it brings me deep satisfaction and joy.
Everything below is part of your membership.
Imagine the beginning of every season. You haven’t played in months, the first-tee nerves are back, and last season’s blow-ups are still in your head. By the time your game feels normal again, half the season is gone.
If you want to get the most out of your offseason, this is how we’ll do it. Start anytime and we’ll fit these phases to the time you have before your first event.
The 6-Month Plan is the perfect option to cover the full offseason and into the season. So you are fully prepped and ready to play come spring.
No, and that’s not the goal. Nerves are part of competing. The work is learning to notice them, accept that they’re there, and still commit to your shot. Over time, pressure tends to feel less like a threat and more like a cue to go back to your process.
Then that’s where we start. Coaching is built around the problem you bring. The pre-shot routine is a starting point most players benefit from, but it doesn’t replace dealing with what’s urgent for you.
Coaching goes wherever you go. Instead of juggling calendars and booking lessons or appointments, we will communicate daily through videos, voice memos and messages whenever something comes up, from the course, the range or the drive home, and I reply with a video, voice, or text message within one business day. I also check in with you every week, and when something bigger is worth talking through live, we can hop on a call.
No. I work with juniors, club players, college golfers, elite amateurs, mini tour pros, LPGA and PGA Tour players. What matters is that you compete, or want to, and you’re willing to put in the work between rounds.
No. The work is practical: pre-shot and reset routines, course strategy, practice planning, structured post-round reviews, and much more. We will also address deep-rooted beliefs, fears, self-talk, confidence, etc., as they come up. The goal is a robust response to pressure you can actually execute, not just fake positivity.
No. I focus on what happens between the ears while you’re on the course and in how you practice. That fits alongside swing work, and it often helps the swing changes show up in competition. Swing work is about skill acquisition. Our work is about skill access.
I read every application personally. If it’s a fit, you’ll get signed up and we’ll start with your Game Plan Call, a 30-minute goal-setting call to get to know each other and map out the journey. Also in week one, you’ll complete the Mental Game Assessment and the Success Snapshot, and I’ll send you a summary laying out our action plan.
It varies by player. The first formal checkpoint is at month four, when you retake the Mental Game Assessment and compare it to your baseline. Most players are working on specific habits within the first few weeks, and on-course results tend to follow the consistency of that work.
Shot Pattern is the golf GPS and stat-tracking app I use for my own game, and a free year is included with coaching. Its coach feature lets me see your rounds and stats, which is a big part of how I build your plan and review your rounds. It’s currently available on Apple devices, and the Android version is in beta development. If you use a different stat tracking platform, no worries, we’ll use whatever you like best to help you improve.
Monthly gives you the most flexibility, and you can cancel anytime. Six months covers a full season and includes your first big checkpoint. Twelve months takes you through both big “zoom outs” and gives you the most time to make process your default.
You’re covered by the 30-day money-back guarantee. If it’s not working within the first 30 days, email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com and you’ll get your money back. No questions asked.
Enrollment starts with a short application to make sure coaching is the right fit for your game and your goals.
Spots are limited
I keep my roster small so I can build every player’s plan from scratch and send back real replies when they message. But there are spots available, so I’d love to have you! Apply and I’ll reach back out.
Click the button above to fill out a form telling me about your game. You won’t pay anything until we’ve confirmed coaching is the right fit.
Share where your game is, what you’re working toward, and what’s getting in the way.
Once you’re signed up, we start with a 30-minute goal-setting call to get to know each other and map out what you want from your game.
You’ll take the Mental Game Assessment and fill out your Success Snapshot, and I’ll send you a short video laying out your action plan.
If it’s not the right fit within the first 30 days, you’ll get your money back. Just email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com and I will take care of the rest. No questions asked. I only want you to continue if it’s actually working.