Your Golf Mind – Are You Running Your Brain Or Is It Running You?

Are you passively reacting to events as they unfold around you, a victim of being run by your brain even though you think you are in control? You may need to do a bit of old fashioned honest soul searching because the chances are very good that you are submissively responding to events. You need to discover how to take control of yourself if you want to play better golf and enjoy yourself to the maximum.

As much as you may not want to hear it you are run by your brain rather than you running it. Now that’s not to say you have no control and say over your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and life existence, because clearly you do have a say in it. But if we are talking percentage in control, you consciously versus your unconscious (which you have no conscious control over*) I’m afraid we all come a dismal second.

Now as your indignation perhaps arises and you are forming arguments in your mind that you are in full control, stop a second and think about that reaction. Or if you like tell me how much you are consciously aware of virtually all your incredibly complex life functions which are going on right now and controlled by your unconscious.

Digestion and distribution of nutrients, oxygen exchange and removal of pollutants, blood replacement, lymphatic system, skin repair, liver and kidney function, blood ph balance, control over the working of tens of thousands of muscle moves each day controlling every tiny move you make. Do I need go on? No, you are not in control of the vast majority of what your body and mind does. Your brain is running you.

The brain’s control of us in those areas is highly desirable but for most people there is also a lack of control in more personal behaviour areas, and these should concern you. Have you ever lost your temper and regretted it? Of course you have. That’s an example of not being in control of an emotional reaction that you should have control over, and it really should concern you that you are being run (you did not consciously control your reaction) by your brain.

Now lets look at this as it applies to a couple of areas in golf and why you should get more control over your own emotional reactions if you wish to play better.

You play a bad shot and immediately get a little embarrassed/annoyed/cross/fuming mad. None of which are helpful to you in playing your next shot. I’m sure you understand that best performance comes from a relaxed, calm mind that is confident and committed to each shot. So it follows that any form of negative emotion from embarrassment to humiliation to annoyance or outright fuming anger is going to be harmful to your following shots. The downward spiral is now set in motion because you are more likely to play bad shots because of your poor emotional state and those bad shots get you even more upset, right?

If you have not experienced this then either you are a Zen Master or from a different planet to us humans. I suppose you could also be very lucky and have no ego which would really help in controlling emotions.

I hope you can now see the connection between going into a mental state that is bad for playing golf and my earlier claim that you have less control over yourself than you think. If you are completely in control of your emotions then you will never get annoyed, cross, angry, embarrassed or downright humiliated on the course ever again, because you know it will make things worse.

The great challenge is not to be in control of our golf game, but to be in control of our emotions and state of mind, for that is the real governor of performance.

While I am not sure that you will ever completely master your own emotional control when faced with any situation, (and I’m not saying you won’t) you can get very, very good at controlling emotions no matter what you are faced with. There are good reasons we react poorly to shots on the course and it pretty much boils down to your ego in the end.

The world of modern sport psychology has now got a number of highly effective tools for emotional control ranging from Hypnosis to Cognitive Behavioural Techniques and in particular NLP. (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Sport psychology has advanced tremendously just in the last ten years and we have learnt more about the human brain function and behaviour in that short time than in all of history.
Take advantage of these techniques and you can expect some really significant, profound changes in your golf game, which by the way, will positively impact on virtually all areas of your life.

Wishing you FIR’s, GIR’s & Blue Skies.

*Although I say you have no conscious control over your unconscious there are some gray areas. You don’t have any conscious control over a great many body functions etc but you can for example speed up or slow down heart rate intentionally. You can also reprogram your unconscious reactions/beliefs etc by using specific techniques. So from that perspective you do have some control over your unconscious although the vast majority of people will not even be aware of this. Ergo they have no conscious control over even these areas as they lack the critical information. Unlike you now..

PS - Remember to go now and get your FREE golf ebook from the Golf Mind Shop website just one easy click away from discovering some great techniques to quickly and easily get results the next time you play.

If this article has been of interest you can find specific programs on controlling emotions and state using the inner game of golf techniques at http://www.golfmindshop.com

Discover What’s HOT & What’s ROT. Reviews of Golf Training Programs are now available online so you can read up on a system before deciding if it’s right for you. Some of the systems are great and will give you excellent results if you work them, but some of the systems which promise to knock loads of shots off your game are, quite frankly, rubbish. Read my reviews at http://www.golfmindshop.com and decide which mental game system is best for you. I’ve bought them and tested and reviewed them so you don’t have to risk your hard earned money.

Mark Wright is a Master Coach and Sport Psychologist. He can be contacted via his website where you can get free advice on your golf swing or mental game just for the asking.

You and Tiger Woods Have More in Common on the Golf Course Than You May Realize

If there is one thing that certainly separates Tiger Woods from most if not all the other golfers on the tour, it's his mental toughness, but hey, don't take my word for it, here's what Tiger has to say.

"I am the toughest golfer mentally." Tiger Woods.

Does that mean that he never has a negative thought like the rest of us? I doubt it, but he is very, very good at refocusing and controlling his thoughts and emotions when he needs to, no matter what the circumstance.

What You have in common with Tiger is that you also have negative thoughts on the golf course, perhaps before you even get to the first T and if you've had a bad round then a whole lot more after you leave. It's not the having of negative thoughts that's the problem really but how you deal with them and how long it takes you to do it.

If you hit a bad shot are you able to walk away immediately? Do you beat yourself up about it or do you immediately forgive yourself and refocus on the job in hand - the next shot - with calm confidence and a belief that you WILL pull it off? Or are you angry, self depreciating, doubting of your own ability and pretty damn cross and tense?

The more you allow negative emotions into your game the more your game will spiral out of control. Think back to a time when you were playing really well. What emotions were you feeling? What attitudes did you have? When asked to describe their game and how they felt when playing really well most golfers describe that it was "easy" and that they felt happy and confident. Certainly the list of your emotions and attitudes you have when you are playing really well will be in the opposite column to anything negative. So if you don't control negative emotions then don't expect to play any better.

Now you know negative emotions are really harmful to your game lets take a quick look at negative thinking because that's what triggers the negative feelings. You have a negative thought and the emotions follow. In other words; "You think it before you feel it." So now you know that in order to stay in control of your emotions, you need to stay in control of your thoughts and what you tell yourself. I am not suggesting this is easy because it isn't always just a case of changing your thoughts and the emotions instantly disappear.

The quicker you can recognize and stop negative thoughts/emotions the better and this is certainly a skill which improves with practice and like anything of any real worth and value in this world it does require effort. So don't beat yourself up if you can't think like Tiger right out the blocks. He was working with a marine psychologist at 13 and Earl Woods was constantly testing at an even earlier age.

Wishing you FIR's, GIR's & Blue Skies.

Mark

How To Influence People Without Them Knowing

Discover These Powerful Influence Tactics

In today’s society the more skilled you are in persuasion the better. It’s not that persuasion suddenly has power, it always has and a select few who master it always rise to the top. It’s not necessarily always a nice top as in the case of persuaders such as Hitler, but that’s just focussing on the negatives – not what we want here. The top achievers are top communicators and persuaders. Fact. We absolutely need the support and cooperation of other people to help us in our respective journeys and the more you can persuade others to agree with and then help you, even if they don’t consciously realise it, the further you are going to go.

Here are some techniques to effectively influence and persuade virtually anyone but one Word Of Warning before we start and something I want you to bear in mind whenever you are intentionally trying to influence someone covertly. Most people aren’t stupid and have great instincts even if they choose to ignore those instincts a lot of the time. If you intentionally use covert influence tactics unethically, you will eventually get caught. You will become shunned and despised and when you do this kind of damage to a relationship, and you are no longer trusted, it’s very hard for you to come back.

So please, by all means learn influence tactics and employ them covertly but always bear the other person in mind and protect your long term relationships and reputation.

1) Be Nice And Be Friendly.

If you walk around smiling at people you will find you get lot of smiles back and help to brighten a few beings mind. Try to find all sorts of ways to compliment the people in your life, without being silly about it. This is a test to see if you can slide complements in without them really noticing it. Good covert tactics builder. If you just throw loads of blatant compliments at someone it is going to get really obvious.

People need listening and leaning posts. Be both. Let people know you are available if they need help and then MAKE SURE YOU HELP when they ask for it. If you offer to be a supportive and helpful friend and then make excuse or hold back you have lost their trust. Listening to someone is a fantastic skill to develop and very, very few people are good at it. Develop listening skills and tactics specific to this field. You can find loads of stuff on the internet specifically to do with developing listening skills.

Great listeners are often referred to as; “Highly intelligent and very interesting” even though all they do is listen!

2) Walk In Their Shoes On Their Map Of The World

Here’s another great rapport building skill which will get people to really like you and thus be far more receptive to your requests and prompts. Put yourself in their shoes. See life from their point of view. Feel the way they feel by imagining you are them. Seek the appropriate response you could give them when you are experiencing life according to them. What would be beneficial to them? What do you need? Is there a win-win? If not go with what is beneficial to them.

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next time..........

3) How To Get A Total Stranger to Like You Even From A Distance

4) Lead Them Slowly To Evidence That Supports What You Want…

5) Another Cool Trick To Getting What you Want is…..

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Work Tip

WORK TO GET YOUR BOSS PROMOTED not yourself. If you are constantly working to help your boss succeed then when he gets promoted you are going to get his/her job. This is not about sucking up, it’s about having an attitude of success orientation. remember the average person works an average job their whole life. If you “Fit in with the crowd” at work you are probably just doing all the average things and that will get you average results – which in my opinion is nowhere – FAST.

You Can Get More Advice Here

Get help and advice from my website lifemindshop.com
Life Coaching site for people who want more from their lives, social, work & career, sport and leisure. Links to sister sites Golf Mind Shop and Sport Mind shop for sport psychology and the mental game of performance.

It's the Golf equipment between your ears that counts.

What is the Worst “Lie” in Golf?

Let us begin with a few myth busters, shall we.

Myths -

1) If you have a perfect golf swing you'll have a perfect game.
2) You can buy a better game
3) Technology has lowered golfers scores


Most every golfer subscribes to these beliefs in one way or another. The entire golf instruction, training aid, and golf club making market bear this out. Golf magazines, tv shows, and article after article offer tips, fixes, cures and virtually every imaginable training aid conceivable to craft the perfect swing. All with the pretense of helping you play better golf.

Well has it worked? Let's take a look...

In 1978 75% of all golfers never broke 90 - so barely 25% ever shot in the 80's.

In 2004, a full 26 years later, after the advent of 460CC drivers with 45" multi-kick point shafts, cavity back irons, balls that prevent hooks and slices, and world class instruction from the smartest minds in the buz, that number has been increased by a wopping 3%!

Now a full 28% of all golfers have broken 90. But hey, let's cut the industry some slack, there's only been 90+ billion spent on golf equipment over that time! That doesn't include lessons or training aids! All that technology and collective wisdom and this is how far we've come...impressive, huh.

Seriously, any other business that produced numbers like these for their customers would be out of business. But the golfing public has an insatiable appetite that an ever growing horde of manufacturers and marketers are more than willing to feed.

Ok, do you want to pay me now or later for the moral booster? What? This doesn't get you pumped about your prospects of dropping your handicap by 10 strokes by buying the next training aid?

You mean to tell me you're not going to do that $2,500 re-shafting, ball changing, loft angle adjusting, launch angle increasing, club-fitting session you had booked for next Saturday? Hmmm, was it something I said?

As golfers we are bombarded with instruction tips, training options, and product offerings that'll have your head spinning faster than Paris Hilton after swizzeling a half dozen Crantini's.

Where's the moral you ask?

So where's the moral of this myth busting story? Do we all just give up trying to improve? Absolutely not. We all need to fulfill that important human craving of getting better at what we love. Yet where we place our attention to achieve this goal is what has to change. Our core beliefs about what causes improvement should be based on reality, not myths. They should empower us, not encourage wishful thinking and needlessly empty our wallets.

"So if it isn't gear that makes us better maybe it's lessons," did I hear you say? Certainly lessons are an asset and obviously accelerate your skill development yet they're not absolutely essential either. Ask Lee Trevino, Jim Furyk, Chris Dimarco and countless others who are self taught. And I think we can all agree that there isn't much "pretty" about any of their swings.

Do you think any of them were intent on crafting the perfect swing? Yet if we look at things from a different perspective maybe they do have perfect swings. Why? Because they work! Golf ain't a beauty contest.

In the final analysis there is only one area that promotes the quickest and most lasting change in any golfers game. And what's interesting about it is this is the only area that doesn't cost a penny to use, yet almost no-one uses it.

That area is the often quoted 6 inches between your ears! Your mind. The mental game. Using your mind in a strategic, methodical and focused way is the surest method of lowering your scores. Period.

If you want to run out and spend $500 on a new driver and another $1000 or more on irons to make you play better, feel free. You might be that one in a million that changes the statistics. I realize we'll all buy nice gear once in a while but we can't buy it with a belief that this will seriously lower our scores.

Needless to say, this article won't be sponsored by Taylor Made or Nike any time soon. I don't help sell much golf equipment! No, my approach to lowering your handicap, improving your swing, and increasing your satisfaction leans towards inner change before outer gains.

True improvement only begins when we first assess where we are in relation to our goal. Then we must take an inventory of all the things that have actually produced measurable results. Which means no denial! We can't hope to move our game to the next level by hanging on to a lie, now can we? If you do then that's what I call a real "hanging lie". And that is the worst lie in golf.

Each and every one of us has the innate ability to tap our own potential and transform any part of our lives, including golf. We just require the right road map and a good compass to keep us on target.

It's time to wake up and smell the napalm or the myths that cloud our brains will keep us believing we can buy a better game.

I have decided to publish this article because I pretty much agree with all of it and was going to do a similar theme myself. But why bother when a good job has been done by a fellow performance coach.


Original article by Wade Pearse.

So I hope you enjoyed that and don't forget to have a look at the available mental Game Improvement products at www.golfmindshop.com

FIR's, GIR's and Blue Skies

Mark Wright
Master Coach and Sport Psychologist.

Most Golf Lessons are a "long Term" Waste of Time

Yes, the vast majority of lessons are a complete waste of your time and money because there will be no long term improvement

Discover some of the reasons why most golf lessons are a complete waste of your time and money

Fact - The vast majority of golfers who have lessons do not show long term lasting improvement

Fact - The average handicap has not changed despite massive improvements in equipment

Fact - If you can't blame the equipment you have to blame the coaching

Fact - There are some really good coaches out there but they are hard to find

Golf Mind Shop Launches it’s first ebook in the series on Golf Swing "Must Haves"

The Golf Mind Shop has made available to the internet a beautifully written training eBook on the Golf Hold or Grip. There is everything you ever needed to know about the Grip (or Hold) in this work and for the vast majority of golfers there are some very interesting things to discover that you didn't know.

The full Golf Fundamental series from Golf Mind Shop is in the acronym G R A S P A B B

GRASP your A and BB's. It's not necessarily in order but the acronym works as a reminder of the full range of fundamentals that any golfer must have, before attempting to change swing mechanics.

G Grip - The way the club is held – Hold is the preferred term but then the acronym doesn’t work

R Routine - On every shot

A Alignment - Orientation of body to target

S Stance - This is ultimately where the whole body is grounded

P Posture - That the swing can be made properly and without long term injury

A Aim - Proper clubface aim. (Amazingly 95% of golfers can't do this, they just think they can!!)

B Balance - Balance throughout the swing can reap huge rewards

B Ball Pos - Consistent shots require consistent ball positions

It is only when these fundamentals are in place and working that a golfer should begin to look at swing changes. Understanding and accepting the fact that if just one of the Swing Foundation Stones (the fundamentals) is incorrect, then swing mechanics will change to accommodate the flaw, they have to.

So we can say that working on swing mechanics and attempting to build a mechanically sound move in order to propel the ball to a target is a waste of time if the Fundamentals are wrong. Let’s say that again because there is a pretty strong statement about to follow. Working swing mechanics is a waste of time unless you are fundamentally sound – BEFORE YOU SWING!

Here’s the strong statement. Virtually ALL golfers have a poor grasp (knowledge and ability to implement) of 1 or more of the fundamentals and the majority of lessons on swing mechanics are a complete waste of time and money in the long run.

Hey, it's not your fault if the coaching establishment does not make the amateur golf market highly aware of this.

Lets give you an example, an obvious one, of how working on swing mechanics is wasted if just ONE fundamental is out.

Your body works and will be able to propel the ball to a target best when the “machine” (your body) is aligned to the target properly. That is: The minimum alignment checks of Toes, Knees, Hips and shoulders should all be parallel to the ball to target line. (fore-arms and eye line can also be added to this list of checks according to some coaches)

So classically we would describe train tracks. The ball sits on one track and at the end of that track is the target. The properly aligned golfer stands on the other track and the aforementioned body parts are all parallel to the train tracks.

With this set-up made properly you can make a nice flowing and natural swing toward the target and you can work on good swing mechanics. The club path will come from slightly inside the line as it approaches the ball and can be held through impact and release.

Now imagine a right handed golfer who is aligned incorrectly. For the purpose of this example let’s say they are aimed significantly to the right (SHUT) of target. The golfer can no longer swing in the same fashion as the golfer who is aligned correctly because if they do the ball will go right. The body must compensate for this faulty alignment and will attempt to “PULL” the ball back left at the target thus changing the desired swing mechanics (presuming they are trying to get an “in to out” swing path).

This is an obvious example but there are many more which are no where near as obvious but just as damaging in the short and long term. Here is the good news. The better your fundamentals the more your swing will begin to naturally change and improve.

With this in mind the Golf Mind Shop is bringing out the full GRASP you’re A and BB’s series this year. The first on Grip is now available. Discover some things you didn’t know about the golf grip and check your own hold on the club to begin your journey to a better game.

Now you may be wondering what they want for this valuable information but amazingly IT’S FREE. The first 500 golfers to apply will receive the book absolutely FREE. So I would urge you not to delay and go get yours now.

Click here to go there now www.gomentalgolf.com

There is also something really exciting in the works for later in the year. A brand new product is going to launch which will simply knock your golfing socks off. It’s golf instruction at a completely new level and Golf Mind Shop are going to give away 500 free copies of this Big Gem of a program FREE. So you will want to be on that list so you can be one of the lucky few to save time and money with a program that is easy to use and produces amazing results!

Take advantage of a massive company promotion to launch it’s new products and get something special this year. It’s really easy, just go to www.gomentalgolf.com and request your FREE copy of “The Golf Hold”. You will be notified as the new FREE books launch and when the amazing new system is ready for you to get. Get the whole GRASP A BB ebook series in your golfing library courtesy of the Master Coaches at Golf Mind Shop.

FREE Golf Book 1 in Series www.gomentalgolf.com

FIR’s, GIR’s & Blue Skies

Mind Techniques to Play Great Golf

NLP Anchoring Technique – follow on from the seminar.

NLP Anchoring
Decide on the feeling that you would like to have in a particular situation. (In the seminar we discussed Pre-shot feelings, or “states”)
Example, you might want to feel confident, relaxed mind, deeply focussed (zone), Playing in the present (no outcome thinking).
Take some time and decide on what the perfect “cocktail” of feelings (states) would be. Remember that very few emotional states are pure. More often they are a mixture of various emotions anyway so it is perfectly natural to mix feelings into a state for best achievement of a particular goal.
Think about a time when you were experiencing the state that you wish to have prior to each shot and make sure you choose a strong example.
If you don't have one in your past, imagine what it would be like to feel this way, remember we discussed re-vivication and it’s infinite possibilities due to the unconscious not differentiating between your reality and a vividly imagined experience.

Try to find a quiet place where you can relax and will not be disturbed. If you associate particular music to the desired state then you can play it while anchoring.
Close your eyes and remember that feeling in vivid detail by putting yourself back there now and relive it in all its intensity. Really try to boost the feelings in your body. It is not good to just think it, you must “FEEL” it with as much intensity as possible. The rule is: The more the better.
To enhance the experience you can do the following with your internal imaging.

· Make the images sharper focus
· Enhance the colours of your image, brighter, more vivid
· Zoom into the image. Bring it closer so you are right there
· Don’t just “see” yourself internally, step into yourself and relive it again
· Turn up the volume and make the sounds clearer

If you have a word that enhances the feeling, use it. “Yes!” or “focussed”.

When your feeling is at its most intense and you believe it is peaking, fire your chosen anchor. Create a physical anchor or association by making a unique (and subtle preferably) physical association. Thumb and finger or Blink anything works virtually. Fred Couples always hikes his shirt sleeves in a very particular way. The anchor can be internal, a word or sound.

Fire your chosen anchor at the peak and then as soon as the feeling begins to fade, release your 'anchor', relax, open your eyes and think of something neutral.

Choose another example of having that same feeling and repeat the procedure but make sure you always fire the same anchor.

Choose a third example of a time you experienced the desired state and anchor the feeling to the same gesture.

Now take a break for at least 5 minutes and go and do something completely unconnected. Make tea and take out the trash.

After you have had at least a five minute break (up to 10 minutes is ok) fire off your anchor and see if the feelings you want come back.

Do not worry if the feelings are mild, for some people the anchoring will have to be repeated over a period of time of perhaps even weeks in order to achieve the intensity of state change you desire at the “touch of a button”.

Repeat the procedure daily until you are happy and remember that something this valuable is worth working on and perfecting. It is not just in your golf that these techniques are useful. They can also be used to destroy any negative anchors you may have. (This is called “collapsing anchors” and is explained later although you may want to question me about destroying negative anchors before you attempt it if they are strong negative emotional anchors)

Usefulness of NLP Anchoring
Use this anchor as part of your routine. Never make a swing without first accessing the optimum state you have been anchoring. The desired effects will grow with time as will the benefits to your game.

Also useful
If a situation is coming up that requires this kind of feeling, mentally rehearse dealing with that situation while firing off your anchor. Repeat it until you feel confident about the upcoming event. Visualisation/pre-programming or rehearsal is very powerful. Pre-programming the mind allows you to work in the “flow state” which is where you are performing without thinking. This “flow” state in general life/work is the same state as referred to by athletes as the “Zone”.

When you link more than one feeling to a particular anchor, it is called “stacking”. You are stacking two or more “states” onto one trigger.

Collapsing Anchors
Often there are particular situations or people in your life that automatically have a negative effect on your frame of mind.

Here's how to neutralize (or collapse) these negative anchors:

Identify the situation that elicits the unwanted feeling.

Select a feeling you'd prefer to experience in this particular situation and create a positive anchor for it (per the instructions above).

When you have a strong positive anchor programmed, think of the negative situation, then set off the positive anchor. Keep doing this until you feel neutral about the formerly negative situation.
Do this for all areas of your life. Remember that if the negative emotional anchor is very strong, talk to me before attempting this. Experiment with mild negative things first.

People Anchors
People can make you feel good or bad. Allowing yourself to be controlled by people who make you feel good is ok but not being in control of people who have a negative effect on you isn’t so great. You should not be prepared to hand over your emotional control to someone else.

Lets look at some scenarios
You have a friend whose company you always enjoy. They listen to you when you need to discuss a problem and compliment you on your handling of difficult situations. They think of you as a worthwhile, talented and a wonderful human being. You feel good whenever you are around them. Why? Because the good feelings they elicits in you are anchored to the sight of their face, sound of their voice and mannerisms.

Conversely, you know another person who is always negative, belittles your efforts, sees you as a loser or somehow inferior and you find yourself feeling that way whenever they are around. Your self-esteem and confidence plummet the minute you see them. In some cases even just the “thought” or mental image of them has become an anchor for negative, inferior anchors.

I have some great techniques to deal with troublesome people but try applying the collapsing anchors to them first. Build a strong positive anchor. Then think of the person and as the negative emotions begin to surface, fire the positive anchor. Keep working until you have completely neutralised “them”.

There is a little about NLP Anchoring, hope it’s been useful and you enjoyed learning at the seminar.

Any questions don’t hesitate to get hold of me.

Warm Regards,

Mark

Visit my website and sign up for a free book which will help you improve your game without swing changes. http://www.golfmindshop.com/

You can also email me at: mark@golfmindshop.com

Play Golf With The Edge

Get free Golf Mental Game help at http://www.golfmindshop.com

I already know what the mental edge can do for a golfer and it never fails to amaze me how few amateurs appreciate the importance of the mind and our thinking while playing a round. Perhaps this has traditionally been because the vast number of golf pro's teaching did not understand it so there was no way they were going to broach the subject with their clients. So the client gets taught swing mechanics and little else, perpetuating the amateur belief that swing mechanics are of primary importance and the Mental game really does not apply to them. Nothing could be further from the truth and I believe that Golf Coaches would do their clients a great service by teaching them a few sound mental tips and then focus on getting their short game into shape.

I was interested in a survey I read recently conducted way back in 2000 by the National Golf Foundation which found that golfers who claimed to be using some form of mental game had an average handicap 4 shots lower than those who did not. I also believe that the same study conducted now in 2009 would show an even bigger gap. A lot has happened in sport psychology since 2000 and there are some very powerful and easy to implement strategies that can get you thinking and focussing like never before.

Earl Woods was asked what he believed separated Tiger from the others and he stated that Tigers advantage was more mental than physical. If you delve into Tigers mental training since he was a small child then some rather interesting things start to pop up. Hypnosis for one. Yes, you heard me correctly. Tiger was already using hypnosis to improve his play as a young man, working with a Marine Psychologist.

The fundamentals that you need to play your best golf are being calm and confident, fully focussed and committed to the shot with no thought of mechanics, results or consequences of results. In other words you play without caring about the outcome. You play your best by sticking to a process through each and every shot whilst maintaining a calm and confident state. The best proponents of mental game will play as if it doesn't matter when it matters the most. Nerves, tension, fear, anxiety, frustration and anger, to name but a few emotional experiences, will get you no-where.

How many times I have watched a client make a good looking practice swing and then step up to the ball and make a swing that bears no resemblance at all to the practice swing. It's as if there are two different golfers and in many ways that's exactly what’s going on. The practice swing is smooth and relaxed with little thought as to execution, because there is no consequence of it. No ball is being struck. Shots will not be dropped or matches lost if the result is bad. The ego will not be damaged by hitting an ugly shot in front of other golfers or spectators.

Now as the golfer steps up to make the swing that connects with the ball, the swing which will decide the ball flight and result of the shot, the swing on which the ego rides, it's all change. The little enemies are back, fear, anxiety, ego and the rest all resulting in a tense and fearful swing which then produces the very thing the golfer was trying to avoid.

It's your conscious mind. That part of your thinking which diagnoses, dissects, reasons and analyses. It is absolutely no good to you if you want to play your best golf. You must employ your instinctive mind to make the golf swing and send the ball to the target. The best way to do this is distract your conscious mind. Think about the target, where the ball is going. Think about - visualise - the ball flying through the air and landing perfectly at the target. If you think you can't visualise, just imagine it as strongly as you can. There is no right or wrong way, just trying is good enough.

Think about and imagine the club head passing perfectly through the ball and sending it straight to the target. Imagine the sound of perfect contact and imagine the feeling when a ball comes straight out the middle. Do all of this thinking, while you make the swing.
This keeps your conscious mind actively working on and thinking about processes and positives, while your instinctive, unconscious mind does what it does best, controls a complex movement of many muscles needing perfect co-ordination and timing. Keep your conscious mind engaged so that the unconscious mind (instinctive) is free to move your body in the most effective way to achieve your desired result.

In other words think about what you want but don't try and control how you swing to make that happen. Moving your body to achieve what you want is the job of the unconscious.

Dedicate yourself to learning the mental game of golf and you will move to new heights of the way you play golf, the results you get and the enjoyment you derive from what is a great game.

This is not the definitive article on mental game but I hope it has given you some ideas and food for thought. If you have not read any Mental Game books yet then I would suggest you start with Bob Rotella - Golf is not a game of perfect. You can view this book at www.golfmindshop.com/books.html

Remember, the mental game is like most aspects of life; the more you put in the more you get out. I hope you take this fascinating journey of putting your mind to work for you.

FIR's , GIR's & Blue Skies.

Mark Wright
Master Coach & Sport Psychologist

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Get Some Balance in your life - Part 2

So where do you start?
Good posture and setup is vital and your centre of gravity will be set properly with good posture and balance so take some time to get this right, you must have a good foundation. Get some photo’s of professionals and start copying them, using a mirror works really well or ask a professional to work with you on posture, setup and balance.
Make sure you have a feeling of great balance in the setup position and knowing (feeling) that you are able to make a well balanced dynamic move when you swing. Weight distribution on your feet is very important and I personally recommend a 50/50 distribution between the heels and balls of the feet.
Feedback your feelings of balance from your swing. Become aware of balance, awareness is the first stage of learning.
Hold your finish position for at least 3 seconds or you can hold your finish until the ball lands and notice where your balance is (or isn't) and what compensations you are making in order to try and “Hold” the finish without falling over.
What positions are your feet in when you are in the finish position? Has the target foot moved out of it’s setup position? Are you balanced on the toes of your non-target foot? Continue to give yourself feedback until you feel in control throughout the swing and can hold a full balanced finish position with no need to make compensations. Again, you can copy a professional finish position but try to choose a golfer who matches up with you as much as possible in build and age. I don’t recommend my senior golfers emulate Tiger Woods.
Do you want your un-conscious mind to be fully focussed on sending the ball to your target? Do you want it to be able to co-ordinate your entire body in a smooth flowing move that feels effortless and yet powerful? Do you want to hit the ball straighter and further with less effort?
Get some balance and rhythm in your golf and help your mind to focus on sending the ball to your target because good golf is a balance between techniques and using your mind properly to achieve more than you may believe.
Warm Regards,
Mark Wright
Golf Coach and Psychologist
ALSSportsGOLF

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Get some Balance in Your Life - Part 1

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I have just come back from a round of golf with one of my clients on what was a beautiful morning. (Yes it’s a tough way to run ones life) I was quietly enjoying a cuppa, thinking about a discussion we had on the 6th hole regarding his balance, and it occurred to me that many people discount the importance of balance. It may not be so much discounted as “not thought about” so I “thought” that I would write a few lines in order to convey the benefits of being “in balance”.
Did you know that when you make a swing in an attempt to send a golf ball to a target or in some people’s cases, just try and hit it, there are well over 100 muscles at work? If all of these muscles are to do what you are asking of them, namely send a beautiful shot to a target, they have to work in harmony with each other so the swing can be executed smoothly. The bio-mechanics of this are truly amazing in their complexity and yet your unconscious can do it effortlessly, if it’s allowed to.
If you want your Golfing Bio-Machine to run smoothly then the one imperative is perfect balance. Even small imbalances mean that your muscles have to deal with the imbalance rather than working with each other to produce a smooth and powerful swing.
Remember that as your brain is constantly working to keep you in balance, it puts a high priority on stopping you from falling over and anytime it is doing that you can know that a big part of its focus is taken away from the job of swinging freely and sending ball to your chosen destination.
Well balanced golfers move smoothly and with seeming ease. Ernie Els and Fred Couples are wonderful examples of this. Golf swings which are unencumbered by compensations for loss of balance create great rhythm, timing and club head speed. Have you ever wondered how some golfers manage to hit the ball a mile with no apparent effort?
Your balance can be an illusive little creature, coming and going from day to day and even during the course of a round. In fact you can even be perfectly balanced on one swing and wobbling around like a drunken sailor the next so it helps to be aware of drills to keep your balance in check.
There are two types of balance to be aware of; Static and dynamic. Static balance would be in the setup position, ready to swing away. Dynamic balance being whilst you are moving, like when you are walking, you are in dynamic balance, I would hope. Watch a hopelessly drunk fellow dynamically moving down the street in what he thinks is walking and you have a good example of a dynamically unbalanced movement and an unconscious mind desperately trying to remain upright, against all the odds.
Remember that you can be statically well balanced but with no chance of being dynamically balanced if you move. For example stand on one leg and get yourself in perfect static balance, then suddenly have a nice powerful swing at your ball. Whoops, dynamic balance not so good.

The golf swing starts from a relatively static state and it is important to feel not only well balanced in that position but also athletically well balanced to make the big dynamic, athletic move which is the golf swing.
The golf swing, once underway, happens very quickly which means that you have no conscious hope what-so-ever of controlling all those muscles to make a good swing, let alone correct any imbalances. If you lose balance during the second or two that it takes to make the full swing, your reflexes (instincts) will take over and the whole mission of your mind becomes primarily one of maintaining balance with a secondary consideration to actually hitting the golf ball.
Any Bio-mechanical function that is un-natural and incorrect will mean a need to make compensations. Setup the body in a poor posture and the body doesn't work right and it has to make lots of compensations with strains and tension in all the wrong places at all the wrong times.
We can all understand that un-natural body positions make movement difficult, but what many people are failing to realise is that loss of balance during your golf swing is going to require your mind to make the very compensations you are trying to avoid.

Next week - Part 2 - So, Where Do You Start?

FIR's - GIR's & Blue Skies

Warm Regards

Mark

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Masters Mind Mastery

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I enjoyed watching Angel Cabrera win the Masters, even though I was fractionally rooting for the older guy, Kenny Perry, I was very impressed with Angel’s performance. Why?

Cabrera was the lowest ranked player (69th I believe) before the tournament start and yet this former caddie beat the best and came out top, even when at times it seemed he had blown it.

He is now officially - if I am correct - the lowest ranked player ever to win the Masters.

The Woods/Mickelson battle attracted more viewers in their gallery and post masters, more articles have been written about that little match play battle than about Cabrera winning, in style, with good mental game, lowest ranked ever…... etc.

The public - according to the press and they are probably right - were more interested in Woods shooting a 68 against Mickelson’s 67 than Angel winning the Masters! And lets face it, if you were watching the Woods/Mickelson pairing, it was exciting stuff. (for a golfer)

How did Cabrera achieve his win? While nothing is a panacea he quoted one thing that pretty much rules the roost. “I had confidence” he said.

Beware the lesser golfer who has greater confidence and if you don’t already know it, then appreciate that even if you have the worlds best swing it won’t work very well without confidence.

If you are confident then you really do have a major puzzle piece in winning, with or without the best swing.

Cabrera, confidence in hand (head) went a head and won. Yes, getting-a-head for golf will definitely help you in getting ahead and winning. If you are not spending at least as much time on the mind aspects of practice and playing as the physical, then you are a long way from achieving to you real potential, and in the competitive game you will lose virtually all the time to the athlete with superior mental attitude and toughness.

And by the way. what you think your real potential is and what it really is are two different things. 98% of people vastly underestimate what they are capable of.

Cabrera has a history to draw on to give him confidence. In 2007 he won the US Open at Oakmont, holding off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk to win. So he has memory of doing battle with the best and winning, which no doubt he drew upon.
Angel had no reason to doubt his abilities after all he had done it before so the right thing to do was recall a peak past performance and use it to help him do it again.

What can you learn from this? That recalling a best performance is vital and not just about the big picture. Within a winning round of golf, each individual shot should be recalled from memory. Remember a time when you hit a shot just like the one you are faced with, and it had a great result. Relive that shot in your mind and then allow yourself to feel confident as you draw on a past performance and then hit the shot again, fully committed and confident. Do this on every shot, from your driver to a gimme putt and your scores will begin to drop.

A short aside here on confidence and winning. I often hear athletes who have not yet broken through to win saying that when they win they will be confident. In other words confidence comes from performance. While it is true that winning breeds confidence, it doesn’t come first. Confidence must come before winning and there are very specific ways to breed confidence in order to get out of a slump, improve performance and then win. This is subject for another article as it is worthy of many words not a few.

Reliving great past performances instils a feeling of confidence and the more you practice this skill, the better you get at it. When you feel confident you will be properly relaxed and happy, tension free physically and anxiety free mentally.

When you are in this confident, empowered state, you will be playing the shot rather than worrying about your swing mechanics and a possible bad outcome of the shot. Worrying about your swing or worrying about a possible bad result (EG:I hope I don’t hit this out of bounds!) is quite simply THE RECIPIE FOR DISASTER. You will get, more often than not, what you are thinking about.

MCS – Training: Mastering Confidence Sates is a skill available to everyone and when you master this you can apply it to any aspect of your life, not just golf, to vastly improve performance. For example I had a lady who was terrified of public speaking and it was seriously holding her back in her chosen career. In a group seminar of 50 people she was able to take the floor and give a speech after just 10 minutes of MCS training.

Confidence comes from mastering your mental game not your swing.

Stop worrying about or even just thinking about where you don’t want the ball to go and start thinking where you want the ball to go. Remember and relive a shot just like it from your past, know you can do it again, and then let go, commit and hit.

By the way if you can’t remember hitting a good shot like the one you are about to take on, then the chances are that you should not be trying to do it. You may be having a course management crisis which may soon show up as a crisis on your scorecard.

Or – You could have no choice but to try it, a do or die match play situation where your opposition is gimme on the green for birdie, and you have to make birdie to half. In this case you must imagine yourself playing the shot well. Make it up, run a movie in your head, feel the swing you need to make and rehearse it a couple of times until it feels good. When you have mentally and physically rehearsed making the shot, then commit and hit.

Or – You could be new to the game. Throttle back and try to play shots that you really think you have a high percentage of pulling off successfully. You must also imagine playing the shot well, feel the swing, imagine the ball soaring through the air and landing on your target. Rehearse, commit and hit.

FIR’s, GIR’s and blue skies.

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Tiger Woods Golf Sawgrass TPC Players Championship

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Woods eyes Sawgrass improvement

Woods won the Players Championship in 2001 Tiger Woods is aiming to put right a poor recent record at the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass.
The world number one has failed to post a top-10 finish on the famous Stadium Course since winning what is often dubbed golf's fifth major in 2001.
"It's the best field in all of golf and played on a golf course that is very demanding," said Woods.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington both missed the cut last week as they struggle for form.
Woods, the 14-time major champion, has finished ninth, first, sixth and fourth in his four strokeplay tournaments since coming back from an eight-month lay-off following knee surgery.
I'm not feeling 100% with my game at the moment, and it shows
Sergio Garcia "I think I've done all right, all things considered," said Woods, who has been experimenting with different drivers in recent weeks.
"It's going to take a little time before my body gets back to where I can hit the ball the same distances, but it's coming.
"I have a whole new leg and each and every week I'm getting a little better and the body is starting to get a little more comfortable with everything.
"Last week was the first time I've been able to practice after a round.
"It makes things more difficult to get ready for the next day. But now I'll start doing that and start to rectify some of the wrongs for that day and get them right for the next day.
"There's only so much rehearsing you can do. You do have to hit physical golf shots to feel comfortable and improve and see some things change."
Garcia, who is still chasing a maiden major title despite 14 top-10 finishes, claimed the biggest prize of his career when he won at Sawgrass last year.
The 29-year-old climbed to number two in the world in November before slipping back to third behind Woods and Phil Mickelson in March.
When you're working on your weaknesses, sometimes your strengths get a little weak
Padraig Harrington But since then the Spaniard finished 77th in Houston and 38th at the Masters before amassing a second-round 78 to miss the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship, won by Sean O'Hair on Sunday.
"I'm not feeling 100% with my game at the moment, and it shows," he said.
"We all go through these things. It's just a matter of keep going at it and waiting for things to change, just holding onto something good that will help you get through it.
"That's what I'm searching for and I'm sure I'll find it."
Ireland's Harrington also missed the cut in Charlotte following his 35th place at the Masters as he tried to win a third major in a row.
"I'm working on my swing, getting very bogged down in the technique and being concerned about that and trying to work through these things," said the three-time major champion.
"I've done this many times throughout my career. When you're working on your weaknesses, sometimes your strengths get a little weak, and that's what is happening to me at the moment.
"I'm not trying to play as well as I played last year to win my two majors. I'm trying to play better than that."
The Players Championship runs from 7-10 May in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

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Article from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8035022.stm