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Posts Tagged ‘mental game golf’

July19

A crazy game: Why Tom Watson can win The Open

By: David

We all know that golf is crazy game. And Tom Watson leading The Open after three rounds is a testament to that. That a guy of 59 years old can lead going into today’s final round at Turnberry will no doubt have many “old-timers” dusting off their sticks and dreaming of new career.

However, it is no coincidence that so many of the more “experienced” players have graced the leaderboard. The Open Championship is probably the most “mental” of all the majors. The “bomb and gauge” players that now consistently perform well on the PGA Tour are nowhere to be seen. That type of golf does not work at The Open. It is pure golf, a game of strategy, and rewards the thinking player over the power hitter. This was how the game was orginally intended to be played. You have to play smart and be very patient.

The key to playing links golf successfully is about hitting the right spots and using the contours to maximize roll from drives and to get close to the pin on approaches. Tom Watson has been hitting 300+ yd drives, purely because he knows the spots to hit. Take yesterday’s approach on 17. It was no fluke that the ball took a hard bounce left and rolled into the center of the green. Experience and well thought out shots helps enormously at The Open.

The short game and putting is where this championship will be won and lost. On links courses, there is no right way to play a shot within 50 yards. The subtle slopes can affect the ball in any number of ways depending on the line chosen and the trajectory of the shot. It is all about using your imagination and being creative, which Tom Watson has in abundance. Visualization, feel and commitment are the key ingredients. The is what I try to instill in my students and you can learn how to do it through my audio teaching.

Having won the Claret Jug five times, Tom Watson has more than enough experience to handle the pressure of a final day. But ultimately we all know that it’s going to come down to how well his rather jerky short putting stroke can handle it also. He has the composure to deal with the inevitable double bogeys and the patience to know when and when not to attack. I hope for golf’s sake that he does it. It would show the world that this game is not about how far you can hit it, but how playing smart and thinking your way round can be just as effective.

For more information on how you can learn mental techniques to improve your game every time to you play or practice, please visit www.golfstateofmind.com

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July18

The Art of Putting: A pure mental game

By: David

I’ve called this article “The Art of Putting”, because if you want to get better at it, it is imperative that you think about it as a visual art and not a technical science. Good putting is performed with the senses, which we can heighten every time we play. You need to see and feel everything and learn to trust your instincts. The more intense your focus is on the line and the greater your commitment to it, the better you will putt. Developing and practicing a solid routine of positive visualization, feel and trust, will give us the structure we need to become better putters and lower our scores. This is what I teach my students through my coaching and mental game audio session.

Putting is where scores are made. If you are an 18 handicapper and you make 36 putts a round (2 per hole) this represents 40% of your total number of strokes. So clearly it is worth dedicating at least as much practice time here as you do on your long and short game. This time is not about simply about perfecting your stroke, it’s about developing acute positive visualization and feel with every putt.

The most important factor in putting well is visualizing and committing to a line. Only you know how hard you are going to hit it, so only you can determine the the line you are going to hit it on. Reading the slopes and understanding how different grasses affect the putt will simply come with experience. The body performs better when the mind is focusing on visual images, instead of words or technical instructions. The mind needs to tell the body what it wants to do, not how to do it. Developing acute visualization of the ball rolling on its line into the hole will give your body all the information it needs to execute a putt well.

With your practice strokes, get into the habit of seeing the ball go in the hole. Whether you pick a spot to aim at or you see the whole putt, ALWAYS visualize holing every putt. Tiger believes he is going to hole every putt no matter how far away he is. If you have read any motivational books about the secrets of successful people, it is having a very positive image of this success that typically differentiates them from people who do not achieve it.You need to start believing you are a good putter and convincing yourself of a positive visual outcome before you strike the golf ball.

If we think about lagging it to the hole, we will miss more putts. I’m not saying you need to be so aggressive that you blow every putt 6 ft past the hole, but always focus on making it. We need a vivid a picture of the ball following its line and dying into the cup. Be so precise that you see the side of the cup the ball will drop in. You are actually playing the putt in your head before you hit the ball and seeing it go in a couple of times will increase your confidence and give you a far greater chance of making it. Use this mental imagery to feel the speed with your practice strokes, which will pre-set the right tempo. Once you are over the ball, you can be confident in the fact that your mind has all the information it needs to allow the body to hit a good putt. Then let the subconscious mind take over and concentrate on a solid strike.

If you can do all these things during your routine, you will have hit a good putt whatever the outcome. Your power of positive visualization will intensify with every putt. Overtime, this process will no doubt lead to better putting, greater confidence and lower scores.

For more information on how you can learn mental techniques to improve your game every time to you play or practice, please visit www.golfstateofmind.com

Copyright Golf State of Mind, Ltd 2009

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July4

The Shot Routine: how to get “in the zone” for every golf shot

By: David

This is the most important part of learning the mental game.

It is what we need to continually repeat and practice to become better players. It enables us to go into a concentration zone on demand, during our rounds and practice. Watch any of the top players in the world and they have the same approach to EVERY shot, which optimizes their chances of playing it as they intend. The shot routine enables us to switch from being relaxed and enjoying where we are and what we doing, into a highly focused state which connects us with the shot required. With practice, entering “the zone” can become an automated process. There are many drills and processes we can go through to improve the way we play the inner game, but the shot routine provides us with the structure and the triggers. This is what I teach my students through my coaching and mental game audio session.

Most negative interferences in the execution of a shot happen before we start the back swing. The routine takes us away from any negative thoughts and reminds us to be in a positive state of mind. Our routine will lead to increased confidence for each shot, by knowing that we are subconsciously visualizing, setting up correctly and positively committing to the shot. The more we practice this routine, the more acute our powers of positive visualization will become and the closer we will get to executing the desired shot. But we need a post-shot routine also (and this is why I like to call it “The Shot Routine”). We need to get into the habit of being non-judgmental towards the outcome of the shot, whether good or bad, and thus move closer to removing the emotional ups and downs of golf which negatively affects our performance.

The Pre-shot Routine:

The aim of the pre-shot routine, is to get as prepared as you can be for executing the golf shot you intend to play. Reducing all possible variables before making the back swing will give us the confidence to perform better. There are many ways to play a golf shot, but the important thing is to visualize and commit to the one we have chosen. The more we can commit to a shot, whether it is the right one or not, will always result in a better execution. We can actually play the shot during our rehearsal, seeing the ball flying to its target and feeling the swing required to make that happen. This process does not require any skill at all, it’s simply committing to the routine and committing to the shot. There is no excuse for not doing this as well as the top players in the world. It trains the mind to keep you in the present moment and thinking about nothing else but the how you want to play the shot at hand. The more precise you can be with your routine, the more focused on it you will become and the less distracted you will be. If you include two practice swings and two glances at the target in your routine, then try to repeat this every time.

Here is my suggestion for a sound pre-shot routine for a long game shot:

1. Analyze and determine the correct shot to play. The most important thing here is to get a clear picture of the shot and determine the best club to execute it. See the shape of the shot in the air. You need to see it as vividly as possible. Pick a clearly visable spot on the horizon (or green) where you want the ball to start.

2. Now feel the shot with 2 practice swings. With each swing, see the ball flying to its target. This lets you feel what your body needs to do to execute your visualized shot. This exercise is also increasing your commitment to the shot, reducing doubt and negative images. We get to feel and look at what we want to happen. If you have no plan, it is easy to have doubt.

3. Now get aligned. Alignment is a fundamental of the game we must continually practice. Poor alignment will lead to poor shots no matter how positive your visualization. It can be helped greatly using the following technique. From directly behind the ball, close one eye and pick a spot (one that you can clearly see), 6 inches directly between the ball and your target-line (where you want the ball to start not finish).

4. You are now ready to execute the shot you have visualized and rehearsed. Start by setting the club down so the face is square to your spot. Now set your feet so you are square to the club-face and your spot. Your body will now be well aligned. Center yourself and feel balanced and connected to the ground. Feel athletic and ready for action.

5. Take two deep breaths and feel relaxed. You can now be very confident you are set up to the target correctly and you have committed to your shot. Take a glance at the target seeing your shot and then look at the ball. Do this twice. Try to have that picture of the target and the shot in your mind’s eye.

6. Now make your swing focusing on nothing else but making a good strike on the ball. Having the image of the shot and the feeling associated “pre-programed” will give you a much greater chance of hitting it.

So to summarize the pre-shot routine, the steps are:

Analyze

Visualize

Feel

Commit

Align

Center/balance

Execute

For more information on how you can learn mental techniques to improve your game every time to you play or practice, please visit www.golfstateofmind.com

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June30

What is the most important thing to work on to lower scores?

By: David

Yesterday I played a round with a Callaway Sales Manager at The Wisley Golf Club, Surrey, England. Our discussions confirmed to me one of the key premises of my mental game teaching.

With optimism, he informed me of Callaway’s latest technological advances in club manufacturing and how they are making the game easier for the average player. “Golf clubs today are very forgiving and the bounce that drivers have in the face means far longer drives, they are getting better and better.” So when I asked him whether he thought that golfers on average had improved their scores since Callaway released the first “Big Bertha” in 1991, he replied “probably not.” This seems like a crazy revelation. Despite all the hundreds of millions of dollars golfers have spent on new clubs during the past twenty or so years, the manufacturers have ultimately not delivered on their promise – to lower our scores and make us better players. So if the latest innovation in golf club design allows us to hit it straighter and longer, why has this not led to lower scores? The most logical explanation is that our focus on the long game and becoming better off the tee, has reduced our focus on the area that ultimately makes up our scores – the short game.

Perfecting the swing and seeing the ball fly 300 yards down the fairway seems to be the most important thing to work on when we are practicing. But results tell us that where we really lower scores is in the “scoring zone”, or within 50 yards. PGA Tour players only hit an average of 64% of greens (roughly 2 in 3). But the fact is they get up and down almost all of the time. This is because they know the importance of practicing the short game and developing touch and feel on and around the greens. This is what I teach my students through my coaching and mental game audio session.

So even if we were good enough to hit the ball straight enough to hit the PGA Tour average in greens in regulation (GIR), we would still have to get the ball up and down a minimum of 6 times a round. If we have not practiced this area, we are going to have a hard time doing so.

The closer you get to the hole, the more mental the game becomes. The short game is about experimentation, visualization and feel. We need to ingrain the feelings associated with different shots in our practice, so that we can rely instinctively on them when we are on the course. The number of possible shots you can have around the green is infinite. You are rarely faced with the same shot. It is important to practice from a complete variety of lies and distances. Practice opening and closing the club face and moving the ball around in your stance. See how the ball releases out of different lies. Start to visualize and feel shots. Pick targets to aim at on the green and have the ball roll over. The key is to have a very clear picture of the shot you want to hit and start to learn the feelings associated with that shot.

Putting could be considered an almost pure mental game. If you can learn to hit the ball out of the center of the putter, the rest is about visualization and feel. You need to see the ball follow a line and disappear into the hole. Always commit to a line, whether you think it is the right one or not. The more you practice a visualization and feel routine when putting, the more you can rely on these senses and score better on the golf course.

The short game is where we are rewarded most for our practice, more so than on the driving range. If we want to lower our scores we have to spend more time learning this part of the game. Instead of hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range, go and use the chipping green. With more practice like the session I have described above, you will heighten your senses and give you greater confidence in your ability in the scoring zone.

For more information on how you can learn mental techniques to improve your game every time to you play or practice, please visit www.golfstateofmind.com

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June14

Mental Game of Golf: 101

By: David

  • Think of golf as an Art not a Science
  • Never have expectations of how you should play
  • Think about golf as a series of individual shots executed as best you can, instead of an aggregate score
  • Be prepared to scramble from the start
  • Have a disciplined shot routine to keep you in the present. You cannot be preoccupied with the past or future
  • Always hit to very precise targets and have a clear picture of the shot you are about to hit
  • Never have technical thoughts about your swing on the golf course. This reduces your focus on what you are about to do – hit the golf ball to a precise target with a clearly defined shape
  • Every practice swing is specific to the particular shot you are about to hit
  • Use the driving range to experiment with as many shots of different shapes and trajectories. The best way to learn is by feel
  • We are aiming for consistency in our scores not our shots. Every shot is different
  • Your enjoyment should not be hinged on your score or you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Think about what you can learn about yourself in the process
  • Golf scores and the quality of your golf shots will never define you as a person
  • Golfers will never be judged on how technically sound their swing is
  • Commit to every shot 100%
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June9

What is the mental game and can we learn it?

By: David

It has long been said that golf is a mental game. Arnold Palmer told us long ago that the game is at least 80% mental. Indeed, most of today’s tour pros see a sports psychologist or “mental game coach”. So if most of us have acknowledged the impact of the mental game on our performance, why have we not figured out a way to learn and improve this area of the game?

Golf has become a game of gimmicks and the “next best thing” to help you find that quick fix and cure your golfing woes. The golf industry places huge emphasis on how the latest equipment will take you to new levels of scoring. But as we are now discovering, these are, for the most part, false promises. The game has seen huge technological advancement over the past twenty years – we can hit the ball further and, supposedly, have more control over the golf ball than ever. But for some unexplained reason, the average handicap of 16 has not fallen. Despite all the innovation and hype about how much easier the game is with the latest clubs and training aids, our scores have not got better. Introducing the idea that there might be something else that we can do instead of buying new equipment and taking more lessons is not in the commercial interests of the golf business. Hence we hear very little about it. But evidently, being given the physical tools alone is not enough to lower our scores and increase our enjoyment of the game. We need to try something else. Learning the mental game is now the final frontier for game improvement.

One of the reasons we love golf is one of the reasons we fail to get better. Standing on the first tee with no idea what to expect in the next 4-5 hours is one of the alluring qualities of the game. But the fact that we are out there for such a long time, but actually “playing” the game for about 5% of it, means that our mind set is the biggest factor in our performance. Why is it, with the same golf swing we are capable of shooting 80 one week and 100 the next? Golf has more ups and downs than most other sports and more time to contemplate them. But this can be changed. If we can develop a consistent mental approach to each round we will play more consistent golf. Being able to control our emotions and get into the right state of mind before we execute a golf shot is the key to good scoring. We need a mental discipline and routine to reduce this inconsistency. This can be achieved through learning the Golf State of Mind.

So how to we begin to practice and improve control of our minds on the golf course? What we need is a method which we can adopt to relax us when we are in between shots, but take us into a state of intense focus when we are executing a shot. Through learning this process and making it sub-conscious, we will get closer and closer to the golf of our potential. If we are able to learn a discplined shot routine, which allows us to switch into a highly focussed awareness mode during each shot, we can achieve the correct mind set for good golf. The Golf State of Mind is about exactly this. Our new routine will postively force us to analyze, visualize, feel and trust our abilities over each shot. Our practice routine on the range will involve seeing and hitting as many shots as possible to different targets, so that visualization and feel become part of our instinct. Then on the course, all we have to think about is what shot we want to hit without ANY technical thoughts. Negative interferences, such as fear of shooting a high score, embarrassing yourself in front of your playing partners and generally not playing up to your own expectations will, overtime, disappear as our routine becomes more automated.

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