89.3% of Golfers Feel Their Score Tends to Collapse After a Mistake! Survey on the Reality of Post-Mistake Behavior and Psychology

Clear Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tomohisa Ichikawa), which operates the personal golf lesson 'Chicken Golf,' conducted a survey on the behavior and psychology after a missed shot among 300 experienced golfers through its managed media 'Golf no Manabiya' (Survey period: March 2026).

Many golfers have likely experienced making a missed shot during a round and then being unable to switch their mindset effectively, leading to subsequent shots also being erratic.

In golf, it's not just the missed shot itself, but also how one thinks and acts after the mistake that often affects the score.

However, the current situation is that there are few opportunities to systematically reflect on the psychology and behavior after a mistake.

Therefore, this survey investigated the actual thoughts and actions golfers take after a missed shot.

Golfers who feel they 'often dwell on mistakes,' 'don't know how to switch their mindset after a mistake,' or 'repeat the same mistakes during a round' should definitely refer to the results of this survey.

**89.3% of Golfers Feel Their Score Tends to Collapse After a Missed Shot**

Regarding whether they feel their score tends to collapse after a missed shot, 25.3% answered 'strongly feel' and 64.0% answered 'somewhat feel,' revealing that 89.3% of golfers feel their score tends to collapse after a missed shot.

Only 10.3% answered 'don't feel much' and 0.3% answered 'don't feel at all,' indicating that the vast majority of golfers realize that their play after a missed shot affects their score.

From these results, it can be inferred that the collapse of a score may be influenced not only by the missed shot itself but also by the subsequent play and changes in mental state.

**The Biggest Cause of Score Collapse is 'Mental Disruption,' Revealing a Greater Impact from Psychological Aspects than Technique**

The most common reason cited for scores collapsing after a missed shot was 'mental disruption leading to an erratic swing' at 47.3%.

This was followed by 'attempting aggressive plays to recover from a mistake' at 35.7%, 'losing concentration' at 35.7%, and 'a chain of mistakes' at 29.0%.

When anxiety and unease arise due to a missed shot, it can easily affect play decisions and actions, such as disrupting the swing rhythm or choosing high-risk shots that would not normally be selected.

Furthermore, while golfers who tend to dwell on mistakes often feel depressed, golfers who can switch their mindset relatively quickly often show positive thinking, such as 'thinking about how to recover.'

From this, it can be inferred that the impact on subsequent play may vary depending on whether one becomes emotionally depressed immediately after a mistake or can focus on the next play.

Golf is a sport where the results of each shot accumulate to form a score, so the psychological state after a mistake tends to easily affect subsequent shots and decisions.

It can be said that not only completely preventing missed shots but also how to switch one's mindset after a mistake is an important point for stabilizing scores.

**33.6% of Golfers Dwell on Mistakes for Several Holes or Until the End of the Round**

Regarding how long they dwell on a missed shot, 27.0% answered 'often dwell for several holes' and 6.6% answered 'often dwell until the end of the round,' indicating that 33.6% of golfers tend to dwell on missed shots for several holes or more.

On the other hand, 42.7% answered 'can switch in 1-2 holes' and 23.7% answered 'can switch immediately,' suggesting that while many golfers switch their mindset relatively quickly, a certain number feel the impact of mistakes lasts for a long time.

Since golf is a game played over 18 holes, how quickly one can switch their mindset after a mistake is considered one of the factors that affects subsequent play and score.

**The Most Common Cause of Dwelling is 'Repeating the Same Mistake'**

The most common cause of dwelling on a missed shot was 'repeating the same mistake' at 40%.

This was followed by 'worrying about the score collapsing' at 39.3% and 'getting irritated with oneself' at 34.3%.

These results suggest that factors such as repeating the same mistake afterward and anxiety about the score, rather than the missed shot itself, may be causing golfers to dwell.

Especially when the same mistake is repeated, the awareness of 'will I make the same mistake again?' becomes stronger, which can affect concentration and judgment during play.

In addition, many psychological factors were cited, such as anxiety about a worsening score and being conscious of others' gazes, suggesting that the mental state after a mistake may affect the entire game.

**What Golfers Think Immediately After a Mistake: Most Common is 'How to Recover' at 37.7%**

When asked what they think about first immediately after making a missed shot during a round, the most common answer was 'thinking about how to recover' at 37.7%.

This was followed by 'feeling depressed that I made a mistake' at 25.7% and 'analyzing the cause of the form or technical issues' at 18.3%.

These results show that many golfers tend to think about how to recover in the next play, even immediately after making a missed shot.

**The Most Common Coping Mechanism After a Mistake is 'Conscious Form Correction'**

After a missed shot, the most common thing golfers are conscious of for the next shot is 'being conscious of form correction to avoid the same mistake' at 46.3%.

'Taking a deep breath' followed at 45.7%, almost the same percentage.

These results show that immediately after a mistake, both actions to review technical aspects like the swing and actions to calm oneself down with deep breaths are taken.

Also, answers such as 'managing the course without overdoing it' at 24.7% and 'choosing a safe club' at 22.3% were observed, indicating that a certain number of golfers avoid aggressive plays and switch to solid play after a mistake.

Thus, there are various ways to respond after a missed shot, such as reviewing form, resetting one's mindset, and adjusting play decisions, and many golfers are trying to recover in their own way.

**The Most Common Way to Switch Mindset After a Mistake is 'Deep Breathing' at 52.7%, Followed by 'Focusing on the Next Shot' at 32.7%**

The most common effort made to switch one's mindset after a missed shot was 'taking a deep breath' at 52.7%, followed by 'focusing on the next shot' at 32.7%.

Also, a certain number of actions were observed, such as changing one's approach to scoring, like 'accepting a bogey is okay,' and resetting one's mindset through conversations with playing partners.

Such actions are thought to reduce the psychological burden after a mistake and help regain concentration for subsequent play.

From these results, it can be said that many golfers try to calm their minds by regulating their breathing and thoughts after a missed shot and focus on the next play.

**91.7% Feel That 'Ability to Respond to Mistakes Greatly Affects Score'**

Regarding how much the ability to respond to mistakes affects the score, 42.0% answered 'strongly agree' and 49.7% answered 'somewhat agree,' revealing that 91.7% of golfers feel that the ability to respond to mistakes greatly affects their score.

On the other hand, only 8.3% answered 'don't think so much,' indicating that only a minority of golfers believe that the ability to respond to mistakes does not affect their score.

These results suggest that many golfers realize through their playing experience that how they respond and recover after making a mistake affects their score.

**45% are the 'Type Who Can Recover from a Missed Shot'**

While 91.7% of golfers feel that 'the ability to respond to mistakes affects the score,' only 45.0% consider themselves the type who can recover from a missed shot.

On the other hand, combining 'tend to dwell somewhat' at 39.3% and 'think I dwell' at 15.7%, it was found that 55.0% of golfers recognize themselves as the type who dwells on mistakes.

Furthermore, looking at the relationship between how much one dwells on a missed shot and self-perception, golfers who can switch quickly tend to feel 'can recover' at a higher rate, while golfers who dwell for a long time tend to 'dwell.'

These results show that while many golfers understand the importance of the ability to respond to mistakes, less than half actually feel they can recover well.

Switching one's mindset and recovering play after a mistake can be said to be one of the challenges for many golfers.

**91.3% of Golfers Have Never Systematically Learned How to Recover from Mistakes**

Regarding how they learn to recover after a missed shot, the most common answer was 'want to learn but haven't yet' at 42.0%.

Combining this with 'have learned through self-study (videos, books, etc.)' at 35.3% and 'don't particularly think it's necessary' at 42.0%, it is clear that 91.3% of golfers have no experience systematically learning how to recover after a mistake.

Although a certain number of golfers are engaged in self-study, it is difficult to judge whether information from videos and books is suitable for one's own swing and challenges, and there is a possibility of adopting inappropriate methods.

Also, only 8.7% of golfers answered 'have systematically learned in a school/lesson.'

From this, it can be said that while many golfers want to improve their ability to respond to mistakes, opportunities for systematic learning are still limited.

To improve the ability to respond to mistakes, an environment where one can learn while objectively reviewing one's own play is considered one of the key points for improvement.

**Post-Mistake Thoughts and Actions Determine the Score! Strengthening Response Ability is Key to Score Stability**

This survey revealed that while many golfers feel that their response after a missed shot affects their score, less than half actually feel they can 'recover well from a mistake.'

Furthermore, few golfers have systematically learned how to recover after a mistake through lessons, and many people are dealing with it in their own way.

In golf, it is difficult to completely prevent missed shots, so not only reducing mistakes but also how to switch one's mindset after a mistake and focus on the next shot is key to stabilizing scores.

To improve recovery after a mistake, it is important to objectively grasp one's own swing and challenges, and to acquire routines and coping mechanisms that can be practiced even during a round.

For those who want to improve their ability to respond to mistakes, considering golf lessons is one option.

By having a third party check and analyze your swing, you can identify the causes of mistakes that are difficult to notice on your own and lead to improvements to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Golfers who 'dwell on mistakes' or 'want to learn how to recover after a mistake' might consider lessons.

**■Company Name:** Clear Inc.

**Location:** Ebisu Garden Place Tower 34F, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

**Representative Director:** Tomohisa Ichikawa

**Established:** October 2013

**HP:** https://chicken-golf.com/

**Instagram:** https://www.instagram.com/chickengolf_official/

**■About 'Golf no Manabiya'**

'Golf no Manabiya' is an owned media operated by Chicken Golf, which provides lessons centered on the enjoyment of golf. It delivers useful advice and practical, easy-to-understand content for beginners.

[Golf no Manabiya] URL: https://chicken-golf.com/column/

[Chicken Golf Official] URL: https://chicken-golf.com/

**■Regarding the citation of this survey**

When citing the results of this survey, please be sure to clearly state 'Chicken Golf' and include the URL of Golf no Manabiya.