Mind over golf.

Is your mind your biggest handicap?

The importance of the mind over golf cannot be underestimated. Tiger Woods has, by example, shown that it is a critical and fundamental aspect of the game.

Ok, so you’re not Tiger, but it’s still possible to greatly improve your game and the enjoyment of golf by developing mind over golf techniques.

Boat of Garten Golf Course. Scotland.

The game of Life

“They say golf is like life, but don’t believe them. Golf is more complicated than that.” Gardner Dickinson

Golf is a game which mimics life. In the course of one, 4 hour round, we not only have to deal with the elements and the techniques of the game… we have to deal with ourselves!

Just as in life, learning how to handle our emotions on the golf course isn’t always easy. Golf is the perfect vehicle and training ground for exploring the intricate workings of the mind!

"Gowf is a way o' makin' a man naked."

Shivas Irons from Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy.

In the shortest space of time we can feel anger, elation, joy, disappointment and frustration just to name a few!

By working on some of the mental strategies, it’s possible to improve your game by learning how to deal with yourself both on and off the course.

Getting out of your own way!

Golf requires thought, but it’s so easy for those thoughts to become misdirected. One of the fundamentals of mind over golf, is knowing when to get out of your own way!

Unlike many other sports, in the game of golf you hit a stationary object. You are not ‘reacting’ to a ball flying towards you, but instead approach the stationary ball with plenty time to think!

This is where the trouble starts!

There are so many things to think about!

All the information from magazines, books and golf lessons, compete with each other in your head. Too many thoughts cause confusion and the result is uncertainty and doubt.

All too often our own personal golf critic and advisor, chats away in our heads. This is the dialogue we have with ourselves and it needs to be quietened. If you play golf you’ll be all too familiar with it.

Just as you are about to hit a shot it will give you ‘helpful’ information such as…

‘try to hit this one well right… you don’t want to go into the water!’

Your mind cannot distinguish between positive and negative, so if you try not to think about ’a red lorry’ that’s exactly what your mind will visualise.

The golf course design, with it’s traps and water, deliberately diverts your focus. By trying not to hit the ball into the water, the mind focuses on ’water’ and ‘Plop’ …delivers the shot!Mind over golf, requires you to focus only on your desired shot. You do not even see the obstacles.

Pick a spot, visualise the ball flying to it. Breath, relax and swing.

Shivas Irons, the mysterious professional in ‘Golf In the kingdom,’ puts it beautifully

‘Ye try too hard and ye think too much. ….Why don’t ye go wi’ yer pretty swing? Let the nothingness into yer shots.’

What is meant by ‘nothingness?’

Nothingness is relaxed concentration or being ‘in the flow.’

‘Relaxed Concentration.’

‘Relaxed Concentration,’ is a mental state in which you are aware and focused, but it feels effortless and there are no conscious thoughts, doubts or stress. You allow and trust your subconscious mind to know what to do. You are in the flow, playing shot by shot, living moment by moment. In this state, you are able to block out distractions and let the ‘muscle memory’ perform the task automatically. Time seems to stand still and you play with a childlike simplicity.

The art of relaxation means increased focus and alertness without tension. The best conditions in which to flourish.

So how can you achieve a state of relaxed concentration?

1/Breathe!

By breathing deeply you relax muscles and provide oxygen to the brain to increase mental clarity.

2/Let go!

Let go of the conscious mind. Still the chatter and advice that you give yourself.

3/Visualise

Rehearse this feeling of relaxed concentration away, from the golf course. Visualise your swing. Feel it in your minds eye. See the shot. Picture the putter in your hand and the ball being drawn effortlessly to the hole. Then when you play remember the visualisation and mind over golf techniques you’ve practised off the course.

4/Eliminate ego.

Ego is the enemy of golf performance. We tend to measure ourselves by the outcome of our golf shots. We feel a failure if we have a bad round and on top of the world if we have a good one! The aim is to try not to expect too much.. or too little! Play for the joy and pleasure of it. Don’t be a hero and understand your capabilities.

Be Aware.

Golf courses are beautiful places. So relax your mind over golf, trust your subconscious and be aware of the scenery.

“ Oh, golf is for smellin’ the heather and cut grass and walkin’ fast across the countryside and feelin’ the wind and watchin’ the sun go down and seein’ your friends hit good shots and hittin’ some yourself. It’s love and feelin’ the splender o’ this good world.”

'Golf in the Kingdom.' by Michael Murphy

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