From Fairways to Pathways: The Inner Compass: Trusting your gut in Golf and life⛳🧬

Discovering the shared lessons of golf and life⛳🧬

We make decisions every day—some small and fleeting, others life-altering. From choosing a club on the fairway to deciding whether to change careers, life is a series of forks in the road. And while logic and analysis often guide our paths, there's another powerful decision-making tool we tend to overlook: our intuition.

You’ve probably felt it before—that gut feeling, that instinct that whispers (or sometimes shouts), “Go this way.” It might not come with spreadsheets or rational justifications, but it often knows what’s right before your brain has caught up. In golf, as in life, learning to trust that internal compass can transform not only your results but the way you move through the world.

Let’s explore the art and science of trusting your gut and how it can shape smarter, more confident decision-making both on and off the course.

Decisions on the course: the subtle science of feel

Every round of golf is a series of decisions: What club should I hit? Where should I aim? How much wind is in play? But often, even after the calculations are made—yardage, slope, wind speed—there’s still a moment when you have to commit. And that moment is where your gut comes in.

Have you ever stood over a shot, everything looking right on paper, but something inside you made you hesitate? Or the opposite: felt completely confident in a shot that seemed risky to others, but you pulled it off perfectly?

That’s intuition at work.

Intuition in Golf: when you know without knowing

Golfers often talk about being “in the zone.” It’s that state of flow where decisions feel easy, rhythm feels natural and confidence soars. What’s happening in those moments isn’t magic—it’s your subconscious synthesizing everything you’ve seen, practiced and felt over time.

This is the power of intuition.

Psychologists define intuition as the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. It’s based on pattern recognition—your brain pulling from past experiences to guide present action without needing to consciously analyze every variable.

On the golf course, this might look like:

• Choosing a club without overthinking.

• Seeing the break of a putt instinctively.

• Sensing when to play safe vs. when to take a risk.

This doesn’t mean ignoring data or abandoning strategy. In fact, the best golfers use a mix of analysis and instinct. But at the end of the decision-making process, there’s always a moment of truth: Do you trust your gut or not?

Trusting your gut in life

What’s true in golf is even more powerful in life. We often stand at crossroads—whether in our careers, relationships, or personal goals—and ask ourselves, “What should I do?” And while external advice, pros and cons lists and logical reasoning all have their place, sometimes the clearest signal comes from within.

The problem with overthinking

In the modern world, we’re trained to overanalyze. With endless data, opinions and what-if scenarios, it’s easy to get stuck in paralysis by analysis. We research for days, consult everyone we know and create complex decision trees… only to feel more confused.

Here’s the truth: The more noise you let in, the harder it is to hear yourself.

This is where trusting your gut becomes essential. Intuition isn’t guesswork—it’s deep, unconscious wisdom built on your lived experiences, values, emotions and insights. When you quiet the noise, your intuition can speak clearly. And more often than not, it’s pointing you in the right direction.

When logic and intuition disagree

Let’s be clear: Logic isn’t the enemy. In fact, the most effective decisions often come when logic and intuition are working together. But sometimes, they pull in different directions.

• Logic says, “Stay in the secure job.”

• Intuition says, “You’re not happy. It’s time to go.”

• Logic says, “Play it safe on this shot.”

• Intuition says, “You can pull this off. Go for it.”

In these moments, the key question is: Which voice do you trust?

Often, people who’ve made major life changes—starting a business, leaving a relationship, moving across the world—describe a moment when their gut overruled the “rational” choice. And when asked later, they’ll say something like:

“I just knew it was the right thing to do—even if I couldn’t explain why at the time.”

The role of experience in intuition

One of the biggest misconceptions about intuition is that it’s some kind of mystical sixth sense. But in reality, intuition gets stronger with experience.

In golf, a seasoned player will have a better sense of what shot to hit not because of magic, but because they’ve faced similar situations hundreds of times. Their brain has stored patterns—visuals, feels, outcomes—that inform instinctual decisions.

In life, the same is true. The more risks you’ve taken, the more people you’ve led, the more challenges you’ve overcome—the sharper your intuition becomes. You begin to trust that your past has prepared you for your next step, even if that step is unclear.

Practicing intuition: how to strengthen the gut muscle

You can’t force intuition, but you can create the conditions for it to grow and guide you. Here are a few ways to sharpen your instincts on and off the course:

1. Quiet the noise

Create space in your day to hear yourself think. Whether through meditation, walks, or unplugging from screens, stillness helps your internal voice come through louder.

2. Reflect, often

After rounds of golf—or big life decisions—ask:

• What felt right?

• What did I sense in the moment?

• What worked and what didn’t?

This builds your mental pattern library and helps you learn what your gut is really telling you.

3. Pay attention to your body

The gut feeling often shows up physically—tightness in the chest, lightness in the step, butterflies, a sense of calm. Learn to recognize these sensations as part of your internal decision-making radar.

4. Start small

Practice trusting your gut in everyday decisions. What route to take. Who to call. What to prioritize. Build confidence in your ability to choose from within.

5. Embrace uncertainty

Not every intuitive choice will lead to immediate clarity or success. That’s okay. Sometimes your gut leads you into growth, not comfort. Trust that even missteps are part of the learning process.

Real-life examples: gut decisions that changed everything

Some of the world’s most iconic successes were born from intuition:

• Steve Jobs credited his decision to drop out of college and explore typography as an intuitive choice—one that later influenced the design of the Mac.

• Serena Williams often talks about relying on instinct under pressure—making last-minute adjustments based not on strategy, but on feel.

• Tiger Woods, in his prime, made countless on-the-fly decisions—changing clubs or shot shapes—because something inside told him it was the right call.

In each case, their instincts weren’t wild guesses. They were informed by deep experience, trust in their craft and a willingness to listen to that inner whisper.

Final Thoughts: trust yourself more

You won’t always get it right. On the course or in life, not every gut decision leads to glory. But the more you listen to yourself, the more you learn to move through life with clarity, courage and authenticity.

When you stand over the ball, you’ll feel it—sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story. When you’re at a life crossroads, you’ll feel it too—a quiet knowing that nudges you toward your next chapter.

So practice the analysis. Respect the data. But when all is said and done?

Trust your gut. It’s been trying to guide you all along.

Whether you're lining up a tricky putt or choosing the next step in your life, remember this: Your intuition is a skill, a strength, and a compass. Learn to trust it—and you might just discover a whole new way of winning. ⛳🧭

If you’d like to learn more about the shared lessons of golf and life, take a listen to the Positive Golf Mindset Podcast 🎙️

You can download a FREE copy of my Goal Setting Workbook📖

Contact me to book your FREE mini session here👈 Let’s spend some time understanding and breaking down your own barriers, the things that are getting in the way of achieving your goals. I’ll hold you accountable for your own development and support you on your journey.