Golf Mental Training » Golf Mental Game

Help with some things to keep in mind during a golf swing?

Subscriber — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:06:58 +0000

I used to play golf when I was younger, but stopped. Now i started again in mid-april. I am 18 and can hit a solid drive around 295, and hit strong irons. But now i'm working on swinging easier. I can hit my 60 degree through 8 iron 100% of the time within a few yards either side of center. Once i get down to lower clubs, i experience occasional problems. Unfortanetly, one swing i might hit a weak shot very fat, and another i might skull it thin and over the hole. many of my dads friends who i've played with said that based on my first hole and swing (i always do good on #1) they thought i was around a 2. but my inconsistency is the problem. The problem is tho, my misses are big misses, i either hit the target two feet from the hole or......well i dont hit it well. Anything to keep in mind as i swing? i already have many ideas that i've been told, but im hoping one of you has a suggestion to try. i'll vote best answer as soon as i see one that shows some thought.
cheers!

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FREE Golf Hypnosis Download

Alex — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:20:27 +0000

With all the focus in the press recently on the mental side of golf, golfers are searching more and more for the keywords golf hypnosis download, mental golf training ,controlling nerves in golf, hypnotherapy for golf, golf mental training, but the MOST searched for term on my website at the moment is FREE audio on mental toughness and free golf hypnosis downloads.

It's no secret that in winning The Open golf last weekend that Darren Clarke has had a LOT of help from Bob Rotella, that doesn't surprise me at all, I've used Bob Rotella's golf mental psychology for YEARS and YEARS with great results.

BOB ROTELLA GOLF PSYCHOLOGY BOOKS US

BOB ROTELLA GOLF PSYCHOLOGY BOOKS UK

HOWEVER,

My post today is in response to a lot of regular visitors to my site who have actually written to me to say how much they have enjoyed the free golf hypnosis download that I offer, I must say though, that it IS one of my all time favorite golf mental downloads , the guy's voice is SO similar to Sean Connery that it is extremely relaxing and who better to help with controlling nerves in golf than 007 himself!!! WELL, ALMOST!!!!! ( NO--IT IS NOT SEAN CONNERY! )
SO, due to the many request to make this particular golf hypnosis download more visible on my site here is access to it again:

POSTSCRIPT:

As I was testing out the free golf hypnosis download process, I downloaded it again to make sure the links are correct etc and I had it playing while I'm working on my site, LOL
It's SO HYPNOTIC, I had to switch it off so I could concentrate.
I'll listen to it again later when I take a break.

ENJOY!

HEY, if you like the download, please leave a message to let me know what you think , if it proves to be really popular I'll add MORE free golf metal downloads.
Thanks

Did Nadal Choke at Wimbledon?

Alex — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:51:53 +0000

Did Nadal Choke at Wimbledon?

The Anatomy of Choking

By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Rafael Nadal, the number two player in the world today, is known for his mental toughness on the men’s pro tennis tour. He’s won several tournaments on his aggressive style of play and mental toughness including the 2011 French Open. But last week, Djokovic defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in the 2011 Wimbledon final. Did Nadal choke in the championship match against Novak Djokovic? Was Nadal’s confidence hurting because he lost four previous matches to Djokovic? In today’s article, I’ll explain why Nadal may have choked during the final match at Wimbledon and what I think constitutes choking in sports.

I don't think anyone would say Nadal is a choker... But according to Nadal himself, his confidence took a hit from four previous loses he suffered to Djokovic. Nadal stated that confidence is key especially when playing the important points of the match. “I started the final match without thinking [about the previous loses to Novak]. But when you arrive to 5-4 in the set, these [critical] moments, it probably affects you a little bit. That's what happened, and that's why,” Nadal explained after losing.

I think the previous wins was a mental advantage for Djokovic, which helped him to win the Championship in four sets. Novak said that winning the previous matches gave him more confidence to win the critical points or play well during the tough moments in the match. In addition, Novak used mental imagery to recall when he performed well against Nadal in previous matches and why. “Probably, you know, because I have won four times, consecutive times, in the finals against him this year. So I had that in the back of my mind. I was trying to take myself back to those matches and really perform the same way that I performed those days in those matches: aggressive, taking my chances, not giving him opportunity to take over the control,” said Djokovic after winning Wimbledon.

You can’t take anything away from Novak Djokovic’s performance. He played incredible during the first two sets and was playing the best tennis of his career (48-1 for 2011 so far). Could anyone beat him the way he was performing in the first two sets? When you are performing at the top of your game, you force your opponents into changing their game plan or approach…

My observation is that Djokovic’s aggressive and consistent style of play forced Nadal into playing defensive tennis and hitting more low-percentage shots, maybe stepping out of his normal attack game plan, which lead to uncharacteristic errors by Nadal and lots of winners by Novak. “I played short because I played short I think today. He's doing great. He's doing a lot of things fantastic. But I had to play better to win, and I didn't today. I played a little bit less aggressive,” conceded Nadal after he was asked if Djokovic forced him to play short.

But here’s what leads me to believe that Nadal might have choked in this match. Or maybe I should say he choked based on Nadal’s own standards of mental toughness. Everyone knows how great he is when his back is against the wall and what type of shots he can hit during the important moments or points of the match, such as break points or game points. However, Nadal conceded that he did not play the important points well in this match. He confessed that the mental part is “a little bit dangerous for me.”

“The most important thing, to win in matches here, to win tough matches like today, like two days ago, is to play well the important moments. There are a few points in the match that can change the match, and I didn't today. Probably the mental part is little bit dangerous for me, because when I arrive to the 5-4, I played a bad game with 30-Love. When I arrived to 4-3 of the fourth set, I played another bad game with my serve. That's what I say: to win these kind of matches, I have to play well in these kind of points, they can change the match. When I had the breakpoint at the first set, at the first game of the fourth set, I didn't play well that point. But these three times, that's what happened. And to change that is probably be little bit less nervous than these times, play more aggressive, and all the time be confident with myself. That's what I gonna try next time,” said Nadal after the lost.

You might question: how does not playing the big points of the match qualify as a choke? You feel pressure when you have to come through on big points or important plays -- the ones that can change the outcome of a match. You come to a point in the game when you realize you have to make a big play to turn the game or match around. Did the pressure get to Nadal in the big points and cause him to under preform? Yes, I think so, but only because of the style of tennis Djokovic played: he was controlling the match.

Let’s back up and allow me to discuss what choke really means in sports. The term “choke” comes from the concept that you feel like you can’t breath – or someone is strangling you – when under pressure; a lack of oxygen. But choking has a wider meaning to me. Choking happens when you get in your own way mentally or your mind prevents you from performing at your best. In most cases, athletes experience physical changes, such as tension, increased heart rate, and rapid breathing. Athletes also report mental changes, such as anxiety, fear, apprehension, and confusion. Athletes often change their strategy when choking.

Most athletes and coaches would agree that choking happens when you are firmly in command of your performance or the competition and you lose because of a change in your mental state or a mental meltdown. You feel pressure or suddenly lose confidence, such as when Rory McIlroy lost a big lead and shot a 43 on the back nine during the final round of the Masters tournament. Athletes who choke will lose a big lead because they are fearful of not finishing off the game or they perform tentatively or defensively and lose trust in their skills.

But I think athletes can also choke at the start of the competition. They might feel intimidated or have a lot of doubt interrupting their mental processes. They proceed to play scared or afraid to lose and thus can’t perform with trust in their skills.

Based on my definition, did Nadal choke? When I look at his comments after the tournament, I would have to say, for Rafael Nadal, this was a choke. However, I think Nadal was reacting to the quality of the play of Djokovic. Novak put a seed of doubt into his mind prior to Wimbledon when he beat Nadal four times in a row. This became a factor for Nadal when playing the important points of the match; the ones that can determine the outcome of the match.

I also give credit to Novak for beating Nadal at his own game: an aggressive style of play and forcing Nadal to play defense, which I think lead him to make more errors. This was Djokovic’s game plan from the start. “You got to take the chances, you know. In those moments, you have to believe that you can do it, not wait for your opponent to make a mistake,” said Novak Djokovic after winning.

Nadal was able to rationalize losing and like a good champion use this lose as a springboard to improve his game. “He's in the best moment of his career. That's true, too. I am in one of the best moments of my career. Still not enough for him. I have to play longer. I have to play more aggressive. I have to have less mistakes. I understand the sport is like this. When one player is better than you, at this moment the only thing you can do is work, try to find solutions, and wait a little bit for your time,” said Nadal.

For tips on how to avoid choking, visit Peaksports Network Online Mental Training System.

FREE Golf Hypnosis Download

Alex — Mon, 02 May 2011 07:10:56 +0000

BEST GOLF MENTAL TRAINING

Golf Mental Training

I LOVE the voice in this FREE golf mental training download, it's 27 minutes of sheer relaxation, is it REALLY SEAN CONNERY?

Well, NO, IT's NOT Sean , but why not let your mind wander that extra step!

007 in your head

ON THE GOLF COURSE, at times of mental golfing stress?

I'll go for THAT!

Left Handed Golf club Auctions

My Golf Rehab – Round 6

Alex — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:00:38 +0000

Today we played our 2nd round at Saunton Sands golf course. The weather was AMAZING! Just perfect for golf !

Short sleeve weather with just the tiniest of sea breezes and the views at this golf course are just gorgeous!

Anyway, I didn't start off very well, good drive, 2nd ( and 3rd ) into the nearest bumker, no score on that hole!

The next few holes were not much better and the old feelings of frustration and golfing misery were starting to re-appear!

I started working through the mental training that I've been working on in my golf mental programme and slowly, in my head, started to turn things around.

Now, who knows whether you feel better mentally because you start to play better golf, or you start to play better golf because you feel better mentally and I really believe it's the latter but slowly and surely, as my mental attitude improved, my golf game turned into that of another person.

I told myself that I was going to enjoy my game WHATEVER the score was and focussed SO hard on just hitting the ball in front of me and to be truthful, I played the best golf I've played in a long time and ended up with scoring 20 points on the back 9 !

My best score in forever and especially gratifying as it was on a course that was new to me. So together with my 'frustrated' front 9 score of 11 points I finished with a respectable total of 31 points so just dropping 5 points off my current handicap of 13 !

The mental golf game improvement is a slow, ongoing process but is most definitely working and I'm beginning to enjoy playing again.

More tomorrow when we play Ilfracombe Golf Course !

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My Golf Rehab Progress Report

Alex — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 23:03:14 +0000

Things are going very well with my golf rehabilitation although the weather here in the UK has been rubbish and the courses are really a bit too wet to enjoy playing golf.

However, I've been working hard too with my golf lessons and going to the driving range regularly and I'm really beginning to feel a difference in the physical side of my golf game.

My golf pro has made quite a few changes to my swing, previously I was not turning my shoulders enough and therefore my swing had become a little bit wild and two 'army'.

Now we're focusing on using the body more to get more power back into my swing and to get the distance back which I had lost through not turning my body correctly. He introduced a really good training aid called 'Tour Sticks' which I'm finding very helpful. Basically, they are just fluorescent sticks about 3 feet long and you placed them on the ground to help with alignment issues. I take them down to the range with me and they are helping a lot.

I had a miserable round of golf the other day, in our 1st competition of the year, I managed 23 stableford points over 18 holes, quite pathetic really, BUT, what was impressive is that I kept my cool the whole way round and still managed to come off the course with a positive mind whereas last year I would have wanted to jump off a cliff.

To be fair to myself, I am taking lessons at the moment and my pro had changed my grip to make it stronger and we discovered that I haven't been turning my body for the back swing, so there were quite a few swing changes interfering with my game that day PLUS the fact that there was a magnet in the bottom of each hole that was the opposite polarity to my ball !

When I was playing my best golf a year or so ago, I wasn't 'thinking', just seeing the flight and where I wanted it to land,so, just too many swing thoughts that day.

I'm working regularly with the golf audio sessions that are included in the golf medal training programme and the more I listen to them the more I find that some little snippet will appear in my mind out of nowhere which is a good proof that the program is working for me. In fact, the more I listen to thr golf mental training aidio sessions and follow the mental training programme, the more fascinating I find it to listen to the way my playing partners talk themselves out of a good round of golf. Hilarious really when you know what you are looking for! If they only knew!!

The more I research golf mental training, the more I see that 't's quite an untapped market and I realise how FEW people actually seriously bring mental training into their game. I'm more than happy to write about the training program and my progress here on my website, but I've no intention of sharing it with anyone that I might be playing against in the near future ! I want to keep my mental edeg to myself!

The creator of the mental training program that I use Wade Pearse, is about to launch a very exciting new concept in the field of golf audio sessions and golf hypnosis downloads. His new site is not launched yet but I have been able to test out the new equipment and I'm in the process of writing a thorough review for my website

The concept behind it is quite new and VERY exciting.

As you can see from the photo,the 'sound and light machine’ is a type of iPod that plays the golf audio sessions and you wear glasses that flash a mixture of cool blue flashes to your closed eye lids.

The concept is simple, but innovative!

The sound & light machines use blue L.E.D.s (Light Emitting Diodes) and binaural beats (sounds) that pulse at specified frequencies.

MUCH more on this project later when I’ve worked on my reviews some more! It's REALLY worth waiting for and I feel it's one more trick up my sleeve when I play in competitions!

If you’re in a hurry and would like to know more about the sound & light machines and how they work, lease a message on the bottom of this page with your email and I’ll send you some more info.

Or, better still, sign up to our Golf Mental Game newsletter for the latest news!

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Quiet Please! I’m Talking To Myself !

Alex — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:54:31 +0000

Do you talk yourself into the perfect shot or out of it?

Isn’t it funny how you can be on the most perfect golf course in the world, the most perfect weather, the most perfect scenery and yet the chaos that goes on in your head is deafening ?

Here you are surrounded by nature, tranquillity, calm and all you notice is the noise in your head of your doubts and frustrations.

Now try and explain this to a non-golfer and they’d wonder what it’s all about.

However, for some golfers, I’m sure it’s a familiar feature of their ‘enjoyment’ of the game. If you saw Sergio Garcia a couple of weeks ago creeping into the bushes to collect his wedge that he’d angrily hurled there after a wayward shot. I wonder what chaos was going on in his mind at the time.

Whatever was going on was joined by ‘I hope the TV camera’s don’t see me doing this’ and they did and yes we all saw him. It was very amusing.

It’s not amusing though when you’re that golfer and you want to play the perfect shot and instead of talking yourself into the shot, you’re talking yourself out of the shot.

So how can we stop this?

Let’s get started before we go out on the course.

Write down 3 positive mind tips that can easily be accessed when needed most. Refer to these frequently, repeat them over and over again out loud (before you get on the course). Then repeat them to yourself as you walk to the tee or to your next shot.

Smile, enjoy your golf and notice the difference.

Quiet please, I’m talking to myself. And it’s all good!

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What are some links to websites to iprove the mental golf game and course management?

Alex — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:29:08 +0000

i am a 16 year old golfer and iv picked up the game in a year with a natural swing and have a handicap of around 4-6 and the problem i have is i let one bad shot get to me.

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Test

Alex — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:16:52 +0000

Test from iPhone

Find the Zone I: Master the Mental Game of Golf

Alex — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:39:20 +0000