How Many Strokes Is Confidence Worth?

How much is confidence worth on the golf course? One of the main obstacles to success in any area of life is low self-confidence. On the golf course, low confidence makes us doubt our abilities and prevents us from executing or even taking shots we can typically make.

Off the golf course, people who suffer with this issue often undermine their success with negative subconscious behaviors which limit their performance. “I don’t feel good about myself” is the type of internal or external thought pattern that low self confidence can produce.

A popular saying among golf professionals is “look good, play good”, meaning the way a golfer feels about their appearance can translate into their performance. A quick check of the professional golf tours certainly provides ample proof that the current best players in the world definitely still follow this mantra.

Take a quick look at Rory, Tiger, Rickie and Paula and you’ll see players who really “look” like professional golfers, each with their own style. Their wardrobe certainly accentuates their skills on the course and their abilities as a professional athlete.

The obvious question is then, can the right clothes improve the self confidence and subsequent performance of those of us who are not getting paid to professional golf? For my experience with a rising clothing company called Devereux, the answer is yes – look good, play good.

Devereux is one of the hot new apparel brands to hit the golf scene in the past couple of years, providing a modern look and style. The classic look of their shirts with a single solid color and accented stripes along the buttons, sleeve, and collar echo the golden era of golf.

The first thing I noticed when wearing “The William” shirt from Devereux was how much it felt like they personally tailored the shirt for me. It’s very rare that I find a golf shirt that fits like it was made for me. But “The William” from Devereux seemed to be the perfect fit before, during and even after 18 holes.

A lot has to do with the materials in the apparel. Devereux uses pima cotton from Peru in their shirts along with some polyester that provides the functionality for movement you need for golf. Most of the golf shirts that I’ve purchased over the past few years are typically 100% polyester, which simply doesn’t behave the same as the fabric blend Devereux uses.

In addition, 100% polyester never looked this good or washed this well. This is a shirt that’s made to perform. “The William” from Devereux is lightweight but insulates. It keeps you warm, but it also seems to breathe well with higher temperatures.

The takeaway from the style, cut, fit and fabric is this shirt made me feel good. And that feeling translated to a higher level of confidence and some terrific golf that I was not expecting during a winter trip to Palm Desert, California.

“The William” from Devereux is unlike any other golf shirt that I’ve worn. It truly does follow the “look good, play good” pattern because it fits and looks terrific.

So how much is confidence from Devereux clothing worth on the golf course? The shirt that I tested sells for $84.95 on the company’s website. It’s not cheap, but it’s in line with golf shirts from other top of the line apparel manufacturers.

What I can say is the feeling I received from this shirt definitely helped boost my self confidence and immediately helped produce results on the golf course. My only regret is how many strokes I’ve cost myself over the years looking and feeling like an amateur.