Paige Spiranac Digs Deep in Her Agonizing Mental Health History to Help Out Next Generation Golfer

By Patrickads Last updated Jun 24, 2024

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A double-edged sword—that’s how most perfectionists will define this bane of their existence. Paige Spiranac, for one, knows the cost of being a perfectionist. The arduous effect it has on the mental health of young people with big dreams. Having dealt with the wrath of depression and anxiety in the past, the golf beauty seems to have another dream: to help the next generation of golfers break free from the agony that her past has put her through.

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“I was also very depressed and struggled with a ton of anxiety,” said Spiranac, describing her younger days. In a recent interaction, the pro-golfer turned social media influencer, made an effort to cultivate a healthier mindset in young dreamers in their pursuit of excellence.

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Her experiential learning taught her some key lessons. Foremost, to stop seeking a perfect swing and start playing. Spiranac told her younger, golf-driven audience to break free from the chains of perfectionism and shift their mindset to one that is focused on learning how to compete and conditioning that helps them see the game as fun. Her gymnastics and sport-centered background led her into a mental jail where her hours of practice took away her natural athleticism and restricted her movement, a fate she would not wish for the coming generation of golfing professionals.

I played junior golf, college golf and a year professionally. After that stretch I mentally couldn’t handle playing golf and especially keeping score. I equated my score to my self worth. I know it sounds silly but competitive golf really beat me up emotionally. But I’ve found… pic.twitter.com/xnDU9XxEPv

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— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) April 28, 2024

youngsters to understand that failure is intrinsic to golf. While frustrating, Spiranac thinks youngsters must understand the importance of consistency in a game like golf. She also advised them to build a support system to ride all those lows, something she lacked as she was homeschooled and had no social life throughout her junior golf days. As Spiranac continues her drive to make a change, what was her “love-hate relationship with golf” like?

Delving deeper into Spiranac’s personal struggles with competing

Golf is not the only sport that Spiranac has had a tumultuous relationship with; even her days as a gymnast were not a breeze of fresh air. Talking about her long-going history of mental battles as a professional athlete, Spiranac once said, “I just can never allow myself to compete…And let go of the stress and pressure that comes with competition.”

So much so that the now-31-year-old has previously admitted to having had much more easy-going practice rounds than actual days of competition. She would score a decent 67 in the practice rounds, but in the actual competition, her mental struggles would lead her to shoot an 83. Her mental struggles were the primary reason why she retired and embraced a life as an influencer. Having been through hell and backward herself, Spiranac now aims to make a change, so young dreamers like herself view the game more optimistically.

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Written By

Daiemah Malik

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Swinging Into Stories

Daiemah Malik is a Senior Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. Thanks to many evenings on the course, driving and putting alongside her family, Daiemah is able to give her loyal readers a perspective of both a player and a writer. Her area of expertise is technical core sport pieces like analyzing golfers’ performances or predicting how weather will affect an event and those playing.

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Riya Singhal

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EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America’s favorite sports celebrities with a fan’s perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers.

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