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Posts Tagged ‘mind factor’

September25

Learn how to REALLY take your range game to the course

By: David

The optimal way to practice golf for lower scores, is to get as close to course conditions as possible when you are on the driving range. In other words, standing there for half an hour or so hitting to the same target, is not going to help you score better. Anyone of any level of technical ability can learn to hit the ball straight at the same target after they’ve repeatedly hit that same shot over and again. Your body learns that same repetitive movement very quickly. You have not, as you might start to think, mastered the game of golf and be ready to hand in your resignation and play on the PGA Tour. Most of the golfers who say, “If only I could take my range game to the course”, have experienced exactly this on the range, and in actual fact, have not really been improving their chances of scoring on the course.

When Ben Hogan practiced on the the driving range, he would play holes in his mind. You would see him frequently switching clubs as he played tee shots, approaches and chips. Every shot would involve him having a clear picture of the hole he was playing and the shape of the shot he was going to hit.

Once on the range, pick a fundamental to work on and make that your only technical thought. Now “play” a few holes! Play which ever course you like, but be sure to not hit the same shot twice, like you wouldn’t on a real golf course. On the course you do not have the luxury of playing a shot over, so train your mind with this practice and it will increase your focus on the shot. If you hit the ball left of your target , imagine that you have hit the ball left on your virtual hole and picture that next shot you need to hit to get the ball to the green. This exercise teaches you to synchronize your body and mind to produce the shots that you are visualizing and make the most of every opportunity you have to hit the ball to the target.

The driving range is a place where it is easy to get on auto-pilot, thinking that you are improving by hitting the same target again and again, but in reality, you have not learned a better scoring game. Use this valuable time to practice playing and I’ve no doubt you will see the results on the course.

drivingrange3 252x300 Learn how to REALLY take your range game to the course
Use this time wisely and you will definitely score better on the golf course.

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August18

How to “get rid of nerves” on the golf course

By: David

I was recently asked by a student: “How do I get rid of nerves on the golf course?” This is a common reason why golfers think they do not perform to their true potential.

The first thing to realize is that you will never “get rid of nerves”, you just get better at playing with them. As I discuss in my mental game audio session, the “Golf State of Mind”, the best players in the world actually welcome nerves, as it increases their intensity and focus. It lets them know they are in contention and playing their best. In other words, they use nerves as a positive. Think about this the next time you experience nervous feelings. You get nervous because what you are doing means a lot to you and you are greatly concerned by what might happen in the future. This in itself could be considered a positive. But we immediately think nerves are bad because we are used to associating them with fear and doubt, and then ultimately not playing to our potential. If we can start putting a positive association with those feelings, we will no longer fear them but play better as a result.

Being as prepared as you can be for each shot will increase your confidence and reduce negative interferences such as doubt and fear. A well practiced and disciplined shot routine is a great way to take you into the zone and keep you in the present moment. For me it’s a huge part of a good mental game. If we can focus on the steps of our routine instead of our fears, we will feel more comfortable and make a better execution. You can even introduce specific breathing methods to relax you if you find this helps. Making it a habit to be focused on a positive intention for the shot instead of thinking about negative possibilities, or the past or future, is the key to getting better. In addition, our practice of golf as a more visual and feel based game instead of a technical one, will gradually reduce our tendency to think about our swing mechanics which is another major cause of doubt on the golf course. As Bob Rotella tells us “Confidence is playing with your eyes”.

Change your perspective of nerves from a negative to a positve and you will get better playing with them. Think about nerves, not as something that will hold you back in the future, but as something that will give you positive energy in the present. You are only feeling nervous because you are not in your comfort zone which is exactly what we need to break out of in order to get better.

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August7

Phil Mickelson talks about how “mental rehearsal” kept him sharp during his 6 week break from playing

By: David

phil1 235x300 Phil Mickelson talks about how mental rehearsal kept him sharp during his 6 week break from playingDuring 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.

* photo courtesy of Daily Mail, UK.

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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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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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