One of the most common problems I hear from golfers is that they
swing perfectly in practice and not as well on the course.
Or, that they do well on the front and then blow it on the back 9 or
vice versa.
Or, they do well in fun rounds but seize up and choke under pressure.
Their golf nerves get the best of them.
These problems all stem from the word “expectations.”
At the heart of what I do for golfers and athletes is to give them
PERSPECTIVE and then help them replace those old programs in their
unconscious minds.
The perspective is the antidote to expectations and calming those golf nerves.
What is perspective anyway?
First of all, there’s no wrong or right about it. Have no judgement
about the way you should or shouldn’t think about anything! One
person’s worst idea is another person’s gold mine.
If you’ve been reading my work for any amount of time, you realize by
now that there is no one way to swing or one way to think in order
for all golfers to play their best.
If those scenarios above are causing you to get nervous or get tense, or
get the yips, then it’s likely that you have created a program that
says this is one of the most important things in life that I can do
and therefore, the feelings of stress come up in order to “prepare”
you to do battle.
You see the problem now? Your body goes into a mode that is no
different than if you were fighting for your life.
Having said all that, let me give you some general principles to
bounce off of that can help you to gain a perspective that can sink
into your unconscious mind.
Here’s some
suggestions to help counteract this response right when it’s
happening at the course.
1. It’s not your life, it’s not your wife, it’s just a game
2. We are fragile beings and can die tomorrow. How does this putt
compare to that?
3. What if you were able to float your body out in space and watch
the spot on the earth where you are golfing…while connecting to
your higher belief systems…up there, at that moment
4. Will the legacy you want to leave your loved ones be affected by
this shot?
5. Does this round have any relevance to your overall purpose/mission
for being alive on the planet right now?
6. Wow, this tension, stress, tightness feels a lot like being
excited and energized doesn’t it?
Those thoughts kind of make the next shot pretty insignificant now
don’t they? How does that change your response? Your state?
Maybe you can pre-live these pressure situations and give yourself
those 6 thoughts and then experience a calmness that follows before
you ever go out for your next round…
Golf is supposed to be fun!! Decide that that is your main objective
and then you will just naturally play to your potential. And then
when you get up to that pressure putt or back 9, then you can be calm
as a monk. That’s how it works….
Greens and fairways,
Craig
Follow Me!