Good golf is about developing strong mental habits. When we are on the golf course, we naturally feel more pressure than when we are practicing, so our practice time needs to be spent ingraining positive mental habits, so they become part of our subconscious thinking on the golf course. If we can continually perform a routine of analysis, visualization, feel and commitment during our practice, we will reduce the number of careless shots we play on the golf course and play better golf.
Jack Nicklaus once said:
“I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It’s like a color movie. First I “see” where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I “see” the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there’s a sort of fade out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”
Johnny Miller said that he even saw how many bounces the ball would take on the green before it stopped and which direction it would bounce. This level of positive visualization is what we are aiming to achieve, so it is important we take every opportunity to practice it. Of course we are not going to start hitting every shot as we visualize, but being able to see a clear picture of the shot will make us commit to it, which reduces doubt and produces a better execution.
Everytime you practice, develop the habit of meticulous visualization of what you want the ball to do for EVERY shot. This will help us do it subconsciously on the golf course. As Golf Psychologist Bob Rotella tells us, every shot should have a purpose. Before every shot, ask yourself what you want to achieve with it. Most golfers have a tendency to start trying to correct technical faults in their swings on the golf course, which takes focus away from the purpose of the shot. NEVER have technical thoughts while swinging. Focussing on a positive visualization will also work towards reducing other negative interferences such as how you look in front of other players or focusing on hazards. This is one of the elements of my mental game audio teaching.
On the range, try to hit as many different shots as you can, instead of thinking about technical drills and hitting to the same target. This will develop synchronization between your mind and body. Your body will start to learn the feelings associated with shot shapes and you will improve your visualization skills. Hit high shots, low shots, draws and fades. This will encourage you to get into the habit of picturing the shot in your head before swinging. Then you can feel that shot with your practice swings.
I’m not saying your shouldn’t practice the physical game. Pick a fundamental to work on during every session. Whether it be grip, alignment or posture, this is where our technical focus should be. The rest is about visualization and feel. The more we can learn these valuable skills, the more shots we will have in our repertoire for the course, which is the key to scoring well.
David MacKenzie is a mental game golf coach to both professional and amateur goflers. You can learn more about his mental game teaching by visiting www.golfstateofmind.com
During the press conference ahead of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, Phil Mickelson gave us an insight into how he stayed sharp during his 6 week break from the game. He explained that “mental rehearsal is just as important as physical rehearsal”. He went on to describe how, although he was not able to swing a golf club, he was able to keep his touch by visualizing shots and feeling them with his practice swings. He was actually able to practice, without being on the driving range or golf course. This tells us a lot about the application and power of the mental game for the world’s best. They know how important a strong routine of visualization and feel is to their game and they continually work on improving it. Simplify your game by thinking more in this way, instead of always working on technique. This has nothing to do with your physical ability, it’s about learning to synchronize your body and mind with a clearly defined visual goal. This is the way to play better golf. As Phil explains, this is something you can work on without a golf club, so there is no excuse for not practicing a better mental game. 
