The Scratch Golfer's Mindset Podcast

If you care about elite golf performance, you can't ignore your golf mindset or your golf mental game.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Lardon—a psychiatrist and performance expert who has worked with Olympians, major champions, and elite competitors—to explore what truly separates good players from those capable of sustained excellence.

Together, we go beyond surface-level routines and visualization to clarify the diff...

Many high achievers wear the identity of being a grinder like a badge of honor.

• You wake up early.
• You stay late.
• You outwork everyone around you.

And at first glance, that looks like discipline.

But what if the identity of being the grinder quietly becomes more familiar than the identity of being the performer?

In this episode, I unpack one of the most subtle traps high performers fall into—the Grinder Identity Trap—and...

You've lived in moments where one emotional decision can cost you a stack of chips… or three strokes in 90 seconds. And that's why this conversation with Alex Huang hits so hard.

Alex breaks down how poker "tilt" and golf blow-up holes are the same problem in different clothing: impulsivity, entitlement, and emotion hijacking decision-making. We talk long-run thinking, why variance (aka luck) doesn't excuse bad process, and how num...

Let me ask you something.

When discomfort shows up — anxiety, frustration, fear — do you feel it… or do you fight it?

Most high performers are conditioned to override emotion. We suppress it. Distract from it. Outwork it. Outthink it. We believe strength means control.

But the harder you try to eliminate uncomfortable emotions, the faster they multiply.

In this episode, I introduce a metaphor that's going to stick with you: emotion...

Most golfers think performance is a two-part equation: talent + hard work.

Craig Domann says that's exactly why so many players stay stuck—because when results don't match effort, they start hunting for shortcuts: a new driver, a new swing coach, a new "hack" to finally feel confident.

But Craig's worked with 300+ NFL athletes and coaches over 30 years, and he's seen the real separator up close:

Mindset is the multiplier.

Not the m...

There's a pressure you've been feeling lately.

A quiet sense that your current results, identity, or life no longer fit who you're capable of becoming.

And here's the truth most people don't want to admit: growth doesn't feel like confidence — it feels like discomfort.

Expansion feels like uncertainty. It feels like being stretched. It feels like something has to change… but you're not sure what.

In this episode, I break down what ...

Dr. Bob Winters—The Confidence Doctor—is back for round two, and this conversation is a straight-up masterclass in what actually creates elite confidence.

Because here's the truth: most golfers (and high performers) don't have an information problem. They have a compliance problem.

We talk about why "positive thinking" is useless without "positive doing," how Dr. Bob uses a deceptively simple question—"Are you good?"—to expose blin...

Somewhere in your life right now, indecision is costing you.

There's a conversation you've been avoiding.

A move in business you've been hesitating to make.

A commitment to your game you keep postponing.

And every single day you delay, it drains your energy, erodes your confidence, and chips away at your self-trust.

In this episode of The Scratch Golfer's Mindset Podcast, I break down why indecision is one of the most destructive h...

UPDATE: I have decided to start anew on Instagram. Follow me @thepaulsalter for your daily dose of high-performance wisdom, insights, and actions.

In this episode, I sit down with Scott Fawcett for our third conversation—and this one goes far beyond strategy charts and strokes gained.

We dig into what actually separates golfers who want to play good golf from those who are genuinely committed to winning. Scott shares unfiltered ins...

Scott Fawcett flips the script and interviews me—Paul Salter, The Golf Hypnotherapist—to pull back the curtain on what hypnosis actually is (and what it's not), how it compares to meditation, and why so many golfers struggle with their mental game and stay stuck even when they "know what to do."

We dig into the real reason consistency collapses (hint: it's not laziness), what I mean by destructive mindset programs, and how fear of ...

If you've ever told yourself, "I just need to stay calm," you've been sold a half-truth.

Because elite performers don't win by being calm.

They win by using emotion as data—and refusing to let it drive the steering wheel.

In this masterclass conversation, I sit down with Mindset and Performance Coach Collin Henderson to unpack what actually separates average performers from elite ones: not talent… not even skill… but the ability to...

UPDATE: I have decided to start anew on Instagram. Follow me @thepaulsalter for your daily dose of high-performance wisdom, insights, and actions.

Today's episode is a candid, no-BS monthly check-in on my own golf journey—the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable middle. 

Over the last 30 days, I've made more long putts and birdies than ever… and also racked up a painful number of triple bogeys. It's been frustrating, humbling, and ...

UPDATE: I have decided to start anew on Instagram. Follow me @thepaulsalter for your daily dose of high-performance wisdom, insights, and actions.

In this conversation, Chris Trottie (Trottie Golf) pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to walk away from corporate security, bet on yourself, and build a data-driven golf brand from scratch—all while being a present dad, husband, and serious player. 

We dig into identity, pres...

UPDATE: I have decided to start anew on Instagram. Follow me @thepaulsalter for your daily dose of high-performance wisdom, insights, and actions.

In this episode, I share a raw, unfiltered experience from a recent round at Tampa Palms that became an unexpected masterclass on self-talk. What started as a casual round with a random pairing turned into a front-row seat to just how destructive, exhausting, and performance-killing nega...

In today's episode, I sit down with Joe Wessel—former Florida State safety and coach, author of White Fang and the Golden Bear, and someone who experienced Jack Nicklaus's life, leadership, and family values up close.

Joe shares what truly separated Jack from the rest of the golf world: his innate athleticism, his unusual ability to make multiple in-swing adjustments, and—most importantly—his commitment to never letting his family ...

You will only rise to the level of success, money, and happiness you believe you are worthy of. That belief dictates how you perform under pressure, how much success you can experience, and whether you self-sabotage when you're outside your comfort zone.

In this episode of The Scratch Golfer's Mindset Podcast, I dive deep into the power of beliefs, explaining how your internal thermostat—your self-worth—regulates your success in go...

Most golfers (and entrepreneurs) think resilience is willpower—grit, grind, hustle, "just dig deeper." 

And under pressure, that approach eventually snaps…

In this episode, Matt Caldaroni, CEO and Co-Founder of Molliteum, a performance resilience company, explains why resilience isn't a personality trait—it's a system. 

We break down his three-part resilience framework (excitement, certainty, focus), why certainty beats confidence,...

In this episode, I challenge one of the most common personal development habits—affirmations—and introduce a far more powerful alternative.

If confidence feels inconsistent… if discipline fades when motivation disappears… and if you know what to do but still struggle to execute, this conversation is for you.

We explore why asking better questions—specifically yes-or-no "Will you?" questions—creates faster, more sustainable behavior...

Pressure exposes the truth. It reveals who's prepared, who's present, and who's pretending. And whether you're standing over an eight-foot putt to win the Masters or staring down a boardroom full of investors, the mechanisms that make you crumble — or come alive — are the same.

In this powerful conversation, Derek Belch—founder & CEO of STRIVR, former Stanford kicker, entrepreneur, and competitive golfer—breaks down the psychology ...