It's amazing how good we are at talking ourselves out of playing a good round of golf. Even before we get to the golf course, we very often give ourselves a number of reasons for failure - bad weather, a hard week at work, lack of practice, feeling a bit under the weather, lethargy, anxiety, stress. What failure on the golf course invariably comes down to, however, is a lack of self-belief.

The mental side of the game is widely considered to be the most important in determining the quality of our play and yet most golfers will spend all of their practice time working on their swing. Those who do work on their swing can often actually experience a loss of performance on the course as they are constantly thinking about their swing rather than what they are trying to achieve.

By changing how you approach the game - enhancing your self-belief, dealing with bad shots, setting goals effectively, staying in the 'zone' and maintaining a positive attitude - it is possible to make a significant impact on yourr game. And the great thing about it is that you do not need to be on a golf course to practise.

Andy Barton works with players of all abilities, from European PGA professionals to high handicappers, to help them to improve their ability and enjoyment of the game quickly and effectively.