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Golf mental game coach Kathy Hart-Wood explores one of the most overlooked sources of on-course frustration: the mismatch between your natural pace of play and that of the people around you. Using a brilliantly relatable speed limit analogy, she explains why staying within your own rhythm is essential to performing at your best. If pace of play has ever rattled your game, this one is well worth your time.
Cathy Harwood – Game Improvement
In this episode of Think Above Par, Cathy Harwood introduces the concept of personal speed limits on the golf course — the idea that each of us has a natural internal pace, and that straying too far from it can derail our mental game entirely. Whether you tend to rush under pressure or find yourself thrown off by faster playing partners, Cathy breaks down why self-awareness around pace is a genuine performance tool. It is a simple but surprisingly powerful shift in how you think about your rounds.
Key Takeaways
Know your own speed limit:Everyone has a natural pace of play — recognising whether you tend to run fast or slow is the first step to managing it under pressure.
Know your own speed limit:Everyone has a natural pace of play — recognising whether you tend to run fast or slow is the first step to managing it under pressure.
Avoid fighting other people’s pace:Trying to speed up a slower partner or match a faster one costs you mental energy and disrupts your own rhythm, which ultimately hurts your game.
Choose partners who complement your pace:In team or partner formats, selecting someone whose natural speed is compatible with yours can make a meaningful difference to how well you both perform.
Next time you tee it up, take a moment before the round to check in with your own natural tempo and notice when pressure is pushing you away from it — that awareness alone can save you shots. This video suits golfers at any level who have ever let pace of play get into their head, and Cathy’s honest, story-driven approach makes the lesson both memorable and immediately usable.
