Staff WriterGolf may unfold across 150 acres of lush green, but its toughest battles rage within a much smaller arena—the few precious inches between a player’s ears.
Few athletes illustrate this battle better than DP World Tour professional Josh Grenville-Wood, whose rounds are marked not only by birdies and bogeys but by a constant mental wrestling match with anxiety, ADHD, and autism.
When I sat down with Josh Grenville-Wood, our conversation veered from Tiger Woods admiration to the perils of “Delhi belly,” uncovering every delicate emotional shade in between. It quickly became clear that Josh doesn’t just face his mental health challenges; he engages them head-on.
Therapy or Torture on the Tee?
Is golf a soothing balm or a cruel punishment when mental struggles take centre stage? Josh is refreshingly blunt: “It’s tough for sure, and sometimes it’s out of your control.
I’ve been working hard to stay in the moment and deal with what’s directly in front of me.” Translation: Zen wisdom distilled into fairway survival.
And when anxiety tries hijacking his round? Josh’s mental reset is wonderfully straightforward: “Give me the driver.”
Where others reach for soothing beverages or deep breaths, he grabs 460 cubic centimetres of titanium bravado—proof that sometimes courage looks like the biggest stick in the bag.
Life on Tour: Routines, Isolation, and Room Service
The life of a touring professional might sound glamorous, but airports and hotel rooms can quickly blur into monotony.
To keep mentally buoyant, Josh makes deliberate tweaks: “I try to do things that I enjoy doing, sightseeing, eating and hanging out with the guys.
Mentally that keeps things fresh, but when you’re isolated, it’s much tougher.” Isolation, he admits, carries all the appeal of a dreaded three-putt.
He vividly recalls his recent visit to India, a tough venue for someone who struggles with anxiety: “India is pretty tough for me, I’m very careful what I eat although I got sick when I was there in March. I do end up staying in my room at the hotel or being at the course.” Sometimes mental battles start not in the mind, but rather in a suspiciously spicy hotel buffet.
ADHD and Golf: Irony on the Fairway
There’s a delightful irony in Josh Grenville-Wood’s golfing career: the kid who once couldn’t sit still now competes in a sport paced somewhere between leisurely stroll and geological time. Did his teachers foresee this slow-motion success? “No chance… Sadly most of my teachers didn’t care either way.” Their oversight became golf’s gain, converting restless energy into tour-level clubhead speed.
To young golfers grappling with ADHD or autism, Josh delivers genuine, corporate-free advice: “It’s a great escape, and the golf course is a place where you can play by yourself and be yourself… it’s a game that allows you to express yourself and you can play it your way!” No clocks, just endless room for self-discovery.
Pressure: Golf’s Uninvited Companion
When nerves gatecrash his party, Josh remains quietly resolute: “I’m pretty quiet, try to let my golf swing do the talking, trusting what I’ve been working on in practice.” Yet even he admits to being his toughest opponent: “Sadly not a joke! I get in my own way sometimes… Recently when in contention I’ve performed well, despite not winning.” Progress, like a subtle two-putt birdie, is often quietly monumental.
His brother, occasionally on the bag, offers emotional decoding more valuable than any laser rangefinder: “I haven’t found the perfect solution yet… I guess my brother is the closest thing, he understands me best.” Perhaps emotional caddies could become golf’s next great innovation.
Finding Rhythm Amidst Mental Noise
Golf demands rhythm and patience—qualities anxiety dislikes intensely. How does Josh reconcile this conflict? “I’m not sure I have mastered that yet, especially the patience part, but I’m working on it. As soon as I start the swing, I’m good. It’s the information gathering and the decision making that are the problem areas.” Mental paralysis strikes before the takeaway, never during.
Practice, he confesses, can be “lonely and laborious,” yet big events bring out his best: “energises me.” Clearly, some players thrive in front of galleries as much as trout need rivers.
Wildlife, Water Hazards, and Emotional Relief
Josh is amusingly cagey when asked about his quirkiest anxiety-management techniques: “I’m definitely not going down that road lol, however, I love animals and they often take my stresses away.” Somewhere on tour is a very discreet animal therapist with a strict confidentiality clause.
Advice from Five-Year-Old Josh
If young Josh Grenville-Wood could see his grown-up self now? “He’d believe it… He’d think it was pretty cool but he’d also tell me to stop being an idiot and to go out there and win!” Children, as it turns out, are uncompromisingly honest sports psychologists.
Beyond the Scorecard
Josh’s final reflection lands heavier than a flushed iron shot: “for so long my happiness has often related to how I’ve played. I need to change that, I am changing that. There’s more to life than golf and I have realise that.”
In a game that often reflects every insecurity, Josh Grenville-Wood proves ambition and vulnerability can share the same fairway. He might not yet have hoisted a major trophy, but he’s lifting something far more significant: the courage to swing freely when the mind screams otherwise. And that, as his idol Tiger Woods might agree, is undeniably champion-worthy.
