Destroying the Myth of Golf

Destroy Those Deadly Thoughts

• Visual - i.e. sees clear pictures of pending events and experiences
• Auditory - i.e. uses internal dialogue, words and sounds as the dominant sources of feedback
• Kinaesthetic - i.e. translates actions and experiences into feelings and emotions

• Visual - will picture the shot possibly adding colour to the scene
• Auditory - will describe the shot to them selves, usually emphasising certain words and intentions
• Kinaesthetic - will get a feel for the shot usually in a particular part of the body e.g. the hands or the hips

Negative Influences and Alternative Thoughts

• may picture the ball disappearing into the water
• some may add colour
• the scene may be in a frame, still or moving
• the action may be close or far away

• negative internal dialogue may provide a reminder of previous failures
• the dialogue will likely carry a certain rhythm or tone with certain words emphasised
  Kinaesthetic
  • senses a nasty feeling that the ball will end up in the water
  • the feeling may be in a certain area of the body and have particular characteristics e.g. heavy/light, hot/cold
  The above summary shows how different people may experience unwanted influences. In order to overcome these influences we have to address each of them boldly in a playful even outrageous way. Changing just one characteristic of your negative thinking can change the meaning and therefore lower its effect giving you a greater chance of success.
  
  For example to use our brain efficiently when faced with that dreaded shot over water our various categories of golfer can:-
  
  Visual
  • change any colours seen e.g. if the water is blue change it to red
  • if the picture is still turn it into a movie
  • play visual tricks to replace the undesirable image
  Auditory
  • lower the intensity of the internal dialogue e.g. by "talking" in a lower voice or by placing large gaps between every word or two
  • lighten up your mood by imagining a cartoon character saying the words
  • try virtually anything to reduce your intensity and perhaps bring a smile to your face
  Kinaesthetic
  • move the negative feeling from one part of body to another
  • if it is heavy make it light
  • if it is consistent make it intermittent
  These exercises will help you realise which senses you use most and that by changing things around your physical intensity can be lowered dramatically.
  
  The result is that your body will be in a much better state to make the athletic movement required to swing a golf club. Please take a few minutes reviewing the information so far before trying the other examples:
  
  Example 2. A Pitch over a Bunker
  Interference Suggested Changes
  
  Visual
  • Sees a picture of the ball entering the bunker
  • Make the picture brighter or darker, clearer or blurred
  • Make the picture smaller to reduce its intensity
  • Change the colour of the sand
  Auditory
  • Hear a voice saying "Keep Calm"
  • Check your tone and perhaps reduce the tempo to k-e-e-p c-a-l-m
  Kinaesthetic
  • May have a persistent fear of thinning the shot
  • Change the location of the fear in your body
  • Grade the fear up to 10 and mentally reduce it from say 9 to 3
  Example 3. A Key 4 ft. Putt
  Interference Suggested Changes
  
  Visual
  • May see the putt missing
  • Speed up the image you are seeing; even run it forward and backward in your mind
  • If the scene is continuous make it intermittent
  • If the ball is large or normal size make it small
  Auditory
  • Hears a voice based on experience saying, "you're going to miss"
  • Change the tonality of the voice to say a sultry sexy tone. This may inspire you to make the putt!
  Kinaesthetic
  • On standing over the putts increasingly feels that a miss is inevitable
  • Relocate the feeling of pressure
  • Assess the level of pressure you are feeling and lower it
  Example 4 A Tight Tee Shot
  Interference Suggested Changes
  
  Visual
  • Pictures the shot sailing off to the right. Imagine another person playing the shot e.g. a cartoon character or a top professional. (This dramatically changes your image and sense of the shot.)
  Auditory
  • Hears a voice saying "I haven't hit this fairway in weeks"
  • Change the word order e.g. "I haven't hit this week in Fairways!"
  Kinaesthetic
  • Already feels that the ball is in the trees
  • Change the texture of the trees and the velocity of contact with them
  Please be as adventurous as you can in practising these examples. "With imagination you will find new ways to alter your thinking and improve your golf." Do not expect to be able to use all the suggested solutions, as some will appeal more than others.
  
  Some will seem bizarre and may not be for you - but they may be worth a try as the mind is such a powerful tool and can respond well to unusual stimuli.
  
  As with all instruction there is no golden secret but by practising your mental control your golf could improve dramatically. It needs hard work but unlike other areas of the game can be practised at home or even in the office.
  
  Remember that the key to this article is that you are simply re-organising your actual thoughts and not trying to consciously overpower or dispel them.
  
  You are already aware that golf is largely a mental game. Now is the time to practise being bold and playful in finding creative alternatives to those negative thoughts and influences.
  
  Please send me your comments on this article as well as any feedback on your own experiences and experiments with the mental side of golf.