Golf Mental Articles Archives

My Golf Rehab- Round 3

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 at 6:06 pm  
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Course 1 : Narrow and Tree Lined
PAR 4 4 4 3 4 3 5 4 5 36 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 4 5 36 36
 72
My Score 5 6 4 3 6 5 5 4 7 45 4 3 4 6 6 4 3 5 5 40 45 85
Golf Mental Game Training

Golf Mental Game Training Course

Today's round was a practise round with 3 of the ladies in my club team. My partner and I played a better ball match play competition against 2 ladies who play off 10 and are currently playing EXTREMELY well.

I wanted to use the match to let the golf mental tips and thoughts from  Wade Pearse's Golf Mental Game Training Program sink in deeply.

I have to say, the whole mental game during this round was a revelation for me, I have NEVER been so calm and in control and ALL the way through, I was drumming the lesson deeper and deeper into my game process.

To cut a long story short, my partner and I ( both playing off 13) beat the two 10 handicap ladies 2 up.

The match was VERY close and as you can see from the score card above, the closer the match got, the calmer and more mentally in control I became, my back 9 was 4 over par which is the best I have played in a LONG time.

SO much of Wade's teaching came into my game today, each hole was a 'small victory', especially when I played well to win the hole, I would treat that hole as a 'small victory' but be ready to start the next hole afresh, instead of, in the past, worrying whether " I could keep it going until the end of the match'.

The whole mental golf training process was VERY easy to integrate into my game, even though I've been a big advocate of golf mental training in the past, NOTHING I've done before even comes close to the effects this course is having on my golf mental frame of mind. Remember also, that up to now, I've only studied the 2 eBooks and listened to the golf audio sessions, I haven't looked at the videos or the other eBooks.

I'm VERY encouraged by the course so far and it's really brought enjoyment back into my golf game already and that is my main aim. One side effect of playing so well yesterday is that I've been asked to play for the team tomorrow in the first round of this year's competition, that's a bonus, and I'm looking forward to playing my match tomorrow.

One thing that REALLY stood out during recent rounds is that I notice how much some of the golfers I'm playing with talk themselves out of the game, I'm noticing the self-talk and body language of other people now and it's fascinating. I'm keeping really quiet about the fact that I'm taking this golf mental game course training because I don't want anything to distract me from the things I'm learning.

One other comment that popped in to my mind a LOT yesterday was that Wade would always choose a golfer who had the strongest mental game over one who hit the best shots but didn't handle the mental aspects well and the fact that although Wade is not the best golfer out there, he KNOWS that he is rock solid mentally and THAT is how he wins matches.

So, this summer, that is my aim, to have a ROCK SOLID golf mental game ! I may not always hit great shots, but the mental game will be secure.

In fact, I did receive a few positive comments yesterday from my opponenets who mentioned the fact that I was very calm and steady all the way through, I just smiled to myself. Yup, that's me, I want to be known as the one with the rock solid mental game ! It is SO hard to play against someone who who KNOW will only get better as the natch progresses !

Check back and I'll post my progress of my singles match here!

The thought I will leave myself with today, is that, whatever the physical state on my golf game, I can have a strong MENTAL golf game NOW!

Not after a few more lessons or a few more sessions on the range , but NOW!

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Managing Frustration and Anger in Golf

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 at 6:40 am  
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A very smart man once said that playing golf is a great idea when you are mad at someone else, because the game will make you so mad at yourself, that you will forget all about the transgressions of others. Unfortunately for many golfers, this is a reality of hitting the links every time out. One of the keys to posting a solid number is being able to manage your frustration and your anger out on the golf course.

If you are playing a full round, there will always be a time or two when you hit a poor shot or get a bad break. This happens for even the best players, so learning to manage your emotions is key to success. But how can you do this consistently?

Gaining a little bit of perspective

Golfers need to understand that not every shot is the end of the world. Too many golfers struggle with perfectionism and they struggle with understand how the game is played. Even players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson hit bad shots, and you are going to hit them, too. Understanding this and being able to cope with those bad shots is very important. If you can make changes to your subconscious and start to grasp this concept, then it will help you avoid blowups out on the course. Most players end up looking at their scorecard at the end of the round only to see that they've posted an "8" or a "9", when a big score like that was very avoidable.

Keeping a clear mind

GOLF MENTAL TRAINING COURSE

The best golfers know that the only way to be successful is to think about the next shot. When a shot is finished, there is nothing that you can do to change it. You do, however, have control over what you do with the next shot. For golfers that can keep a clear mind and focus only on the next shot, good things will happen. This is a key element of handling frustration and scoring well.

When fixing these problems, things like hypnosis and NLP have their place in golf, and it's a big place. Most golfers have practiced enough and possess the ability to post solid scores. They just need to get rid of some of the road blocks that are standing in their way. Frustration and anger are two of those road blocks, and these mental training methods help break those things down.

Visualisation Techniques for Golf

Sunday, March 20th, 2011 at 1:28 am  
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One of the most important techniques often employed by successful professional golfers is visualisation. Since confidence plays such a key role in the game of golf, these individuals work hard to envision success prior to each round and more importantly, prior to each shot. They can see their tee shots flying straight down the middle of the fairway, they envision approach shots landing on the green, and they can literally head the ball dropping in the hole on short putts. This helps these players make more confident swings, which is an absolute key if you want to be successful.

GOLF MENTAL TRAINING COURSE

Some players struggle with visualization, though, so they need to employ certain visualisation techniques to be more successful.

Golfing with Your Eyes Closed: Mastering Visualization Techniques for Exceptional Golf
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For many players, it can be helpful to pick an aiming point somewhere in the middle of the fairway. Visualisation is all about picking that spot and KNOWING that you are going to hit it there and even visualising the flight of the ball. The problem for many is that they head to the first tee without an idea of where the ball is going. They can't envision success, possibly because they have had many failures that constantly creep into their subconscious mind and as you might imagine, this lack of self-confidence can be crippling in a game like golf, where every swing is so important.

Others use positive reinforcement to help get across the idea. They don't talk about what might happen if they miss a shot. Instead, they say out loud where they are going to hit the ball and what they're going to do with the shot shape. If they want to play a draw around the trees, they say as much. This helps to properly visualize the shot you are trying to hit. Otherwise, you can be lost out on the course, with no direction and no attainable plan to speak of.

Hypnosis for golf is a relatively new thing, but many players are finding that it's the best way to gain an edge in this way. You have undoubtedly hit good shots in your past, but it is human nature to remember the really devastating moments. Whether talking about a random hole where you have failed or perhaps a shot with a certain club in your bag, you need to destroy the negative connotations. Proper visualisation comes from using the subconscious techniques in order to gain focus and clarity.

This will open up possibilities that you probably have only dreamed about with your golf game.

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Hypnosis For Golf – Does It REALLY Work?

Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 6:24 am  
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The answer to the question, 'Does Golf Hypnosis Work?' in a nutshell, is unreservedly YES!

Anyone who has ever played golf will know how to get a bucket of balls and head to the driving range. However, what separates the great golfers from the poor ones is the
ability to not only play the physical side of the game, but also handle the mental side of things.

Golf is an incredibly taxing game that requires tough decisions and mental toughness. There are going to be struggles and there are inherent fears that must be conquered by any player that seeks true success. With that being said, smart golfers understand that they can overcome certain mental blocks by using  hypnosis and NLP.

Many things about golf are frustrating, but people keep coming back for more. This is mostly because these individuals have certain mental blocks that they just can't seem to shake. These things are embedded deep into their subconscious, so it figures that shaking them would require some mental training that is a bit more invasive.

Hypnosis for golf can get down into that subconscious mind and change those things. While hypnotized, or 'in trance' players can eliminate all of the outside distractions and all of the stresses that cloud judgment. With this clear mind, players can experience better hand-eye coordination, better eyesight, and more focus out on the course.

GOLF MENTAL TRAINING COURSE

A big part of  hypnosis or golf mental training is Neuro Linguistic Programming, or NLP for short. This is an advanced means of basically reprograming the sub-conscious mind through hypnosis. Because of a long history of playing the game and a host of environmental factors, players can be adversely affected by different distractions and phobias. Maybe they have performance anxiety or maybe they are scarred by an event or a really bad loss on the golf course.

These things can keep people from playing golf with a truly free mind. When you use NLP to correct these problems and free up the mind, golf becomes a much easier game. Bad decisions go away, things are more fun, and approaching a tough putt doesn't seem nearly as daunting as it might have before.

Hypnosis for golf is growing in popularity, as is sports psychology for all sports. because the body will only perform at maximum levels when the mind is free and focused.

For golfers who truly want to reach their potential, it is absolutely essential to take control of the mental side of things. Wasting physical talent can be depressing, especially when lower scores are easy to attain with the correct mental training.

I am currently reviewing one of the most popular golf mental training programs available, you can read my blog posts here.

As a qualified NLP practitioner, hypnotherapist and 12 handicap golfer I review a lot of golf hypnosis downloads reviews, click to read them. I'm often asked by golfers to review golf hypnosis downloads befor they buy them so if there's one that you want me to review, please leave a message on this post and I'll add it to my collection of hypnosis for golf reviews.

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Monday, February 14th, 2011 at 3:42 am  
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Winning At All Costs

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 3:12 pm  
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Article courtesy of Wade Pearse  www.golf-mental-game-coach.com

Winning - The Promised Land

How do you go about your matches or tournaments?
What is your mindset?
Do you play with a sense of goodwill or do you get caught in the ego desire to “crush” your opponent(s)?

This isn’t saying that winning isn’t important, it’s just a comment on how best to play in the true spirit of the game. I find that many players, in their desire to win, actually focus their mind on the wrong things that take them out of their game and their play suffers from this.

In the west we’ve been conditioned to focus only on being 1st. After all, if you don’t win you’re just the first loser. This is the western mantra, like it or not. Sad, really.

I recall David Duval finishing 2nd in the Masters one year behind Tiger woods. He was being interviewed and a reporter commented on “how bad you must feel for losing.” David, in a response filled with amusement and amazement said, “Where did the idea come from that finishing 2nd is losing?! Of course I wanted to win but why should I feel bad for finishing in 2nd in a major championship?”

His point is spot on, in my opinion. The compulsion to only care about the big “W” is killing many players’ chances at performing to their potential.

Winning “Isn’t” Everything

Being so centered around getting the victory at all costs and feeling bad when this doesn’t happen is a recipe for actually becoming the loser everyone dreads being.

Think about it.

If you feel poorly every time you don’t win a bet with your buddies, a match or a PGA event, you better give up the game of golf real soon and spare yourself a future filled with inner torment and grief.

The game is about you challenging yourself and playing a golf course.

The true competition is yourself!

If you tap your potential and learn how to channel all of your skills, both mind and body, into your game, then you’ll experience victory every time you tee it up.

The camaraderie is another important part of golf.

Congratulating your opponent/friend when they win is equally important as winning itself. Jack Nicklaus prided himself on being a gracious “loser” (I use that term loosely of course) and making damn sure he left his bruised ego out of things after a match/tournament.

Winning is a state of mind, not just something that happens when you come in 1st.

When you’re mind is prepared properly, you respect the game and your playing partners/opponents, you won’t need to concern yourself so much about winning. You’ve already won.

Enjoy the fullness of the game.

This really relaxes the mind and then personal victory is inevitable.

When you make this approach your overall mental habit, you will get those actual “wins” far more often.

Golf Rules Were NOT Made To Be Broken

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 2:57 pm  
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Article courtesy of Wade Pearse  www.golf-mental-game-coach.com

In Golf Rules Weren't Made To Be Broken

It’s been my experience that the majority of golfers look at the rules of golf as being something that works against them. And that they cost them more strokes than they save them. I disagree with this assertion and so should you.

A rule is a rule. A set of guidelines that provide a framework to play an equitable game within. Fairness is the intent, not punishment. It's this perception of being the victim that make players bend the rules to suit them, at times. If you look at ALL of your rounds of golf (ok, this isn’t possible but for the sake of conversation) you’d find an equal number of instances where the rules, if in fact you knew them, actually helped you.

The notion that rules “cost you strokes” causes people to break the very rules that provide fairness, equity and integrity to the game of golf.

While in most other sports players actively manipulate the rules to gain an advantage and believe that if you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin', golf stands almost on its own in valuing rules as almost sacred. Without question the integrity of the game rests in our self-regulation and of holding rules in such high regard. We develop a respect for the rules and play within them.


 If you know them they will help you just as much as they cost you. I recall hitting a ball way left toward the O.B. It was definitely heading O.B. yet hit the O.B. stake head on and kicked the ball back in play. Not only back in play but it also landed on a cart path. Hmm…I’m not required to stand on a cart path. So I took a relief, dropped my ball and was left with a perfect lie.

You can easily be like Sergio Garcia and focus on how the golfing gods are against you and that you, and just you, get all the bad bounces. This is your choice, of course. But ask yourself if this empowers you or disempowers you?

You get loads of good bounces and good breaks. You just need to pay attention to them more.

The rules will help you especially if you look at things this way. I am serious. Just by stating to yourself “the rules of golf are designed to support me in shooting the best score I am capable of”, you are putting yourself in a truly positive frame of mind. One based in a positive expectancy. Not “expectations”: expectancy. There’s a big difference.

Look at Rules as Your Ally

By looking at rules in this way you will make an effort to read them and really get an understanding of them. You will find that there are rules that can save your bacon in a tournament if you know them. Just like in Phoenix years ago when Tiger enlisted the fans to help him move a huge boulder out of the way of his iron shot. It was a movable obstruction so he moved it. Nowhere did the rules say only “he” could move the obstruction.

Now I want you to notice the conversation that is going on in your head right now. How do you feel about what Tiger did? What are you saying to yourself?

This is an insight into your attitude around rules. Have an attitude that every rule is there for your benefit. Will a rule cost you strokes once in a while? Of course. But it isn’t the “rule” that cost you the stroke, it was your shot!

So no matter what occurs during a round of golf ,treat it with a curious, almost excited state of mind. You might say to yourself after hitting O.B., “Ok, how cool will it be when I get a bogie on this hole even after hitting O.B.?” I teach players to keep the exact same perspective on a birdie or a quad. After a bad hole where a rule seemed to cost a stroke my players know it had nothing to do with the rules.

They immediately gather their attention and double their focus. Unlike the majority of players who turn an already bad hole into a nightmare and let the round get away from them.

Think about it. What feels better then taking a 5 on a hole where you were O.B. off the tee? And then calmly making a birdie on the very next hole… You’re even par for the two holes. This is the attitude to have.

The bounce back stat is one of the most telling stats you can monitor on your game in my opinion.

True mental toughness.

Have the attitude that rules are your friend and that ANY result from a ruling will work in your favor. This way no matter what happens, your mind and emotions remain relaxed and centered on the shot at hand.

You’ll be amazed at how things seem to go in your favor when you take this approach.

© 2010 Wade Pearse

www.golf-mental-game-coach.com

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