Concentration

Concentration is at the heart of your golf game. It brings all the elements of your physical and mental games into focus. With all the things you cannot control in links golf, having a deep and sustained concentration is the only way to play your best. Now, specifically what does "concentration" mean to you? Even when I ask the players with whom I am working, they have few clear conceptions of what concentration really means to them.

Concentration is not being intense, resistant to distractions nor is it trying hard. Neither is concentration trying to force, produce or manufacture a good performance.

Then what is it? A good way to get a handle on concentration is to break down the word itself. Literally, concentration (con-cen-tra-tion) means "a coming together to a mutual center." It is where mind and body come together to perform. You are both engaged and immersed into yourself, your swing and the situation. In this mental state the result is what the great English golfer Tony Jacklin refers to his "cocoon of concentration," where you are insulated from everything other than what you need to do.

There is no such thing as "turning on your concentration." Rather, the best way to access your concentration is through a lowering down deeply into yourself where you can integrate mind and body. I like to use the image of taking an elevator ride down into your center. Instead of a gearing up, deep concentration is really a gearing down. It is a matter of letting go rather than adding on. And it is a matter of lowering rather than heightening.

These views of concentration are not really mysterious nor mystical. Concentration is really quite natural. You concentrate everyday in activities ranging from reading a report, driving a car, and listening to your significant other. Golf concentration is just a more directed, focused, and sustained way of doing these everyday activities.

So, just how do you begin to concentrate in this manner? Purely and simply, relaxation. Following your personal and programmed style of relaxation is the conduit to concentration. In our analogy, relaxation is the elevator. As you lower down deeply into yourself you can think more clearly, feel more intuitively and commit more purposefully.

Once you are concentrating you then have to choose between two mental emphases: being aware and paying attention. These two emphases are like poles of a continuum. Each has its applications during a round of golf. There are times when you need to be aware of the big picture (the wind, your initial options and your overall comfort) and there are other times you want to pay attention to specific things (the ball, the stance, the line, etc.). Like a lens on a camera, effective concentration is a blend between zooming out (being aware) and zooming in (paying attention).

From this level you can then focus your concentration to the mental tasks at hand. Either when you have zoomed out or zoomed in, you need to focus your mental movie. This is where a clear and committed mind come into play. Now is when the true uses of "intensity" are applied. When you were a kid, did you ever try to light a fire with the sun and a magnifying glass? True intensity is using the existing energy to focus in a concentrated way. On the other hand,those who try too hard to force efforts try to find six more suns to light the fire!

All of this may seem complicated, but it is really not. Concentration is a skill and, as such, it can be learned and improved. Start by apply these skills in little steps. Concentrate on your pre-shot routine on just one shot on the range. Then deeply concentrate on just one hole during a round; then three holes.

Learn to concentrate during adversity. Then when you feel pressure. Each little success in concentrating empowers you to improve and expand upon it. If you follow this sequence you will be amazed at how intense and effective your concentration becomes.

When all of these elements are functioning your concentration is clicking on all cylinders. When everything is in place, all your efforts seem natural and even easy. As you come to this mutual center your mind and body can naturally work in concert with each other and good performances are allowed to emerge. Concentration is the conductor to lovely symphonies on the golf course.

Cheers! Tom

"Dr. Kubistant does a tremendous job in helping people reach their goals not only in golf, but in all aspects of their lives. It is remarkable watching him work with players from the junior level all the way through the college and professional ranks helping them reach as high as they can go."

Pamela A. Whalen - Executive Director, Northern Nevada Golf Association

Dr. Tom Kubistant, sports psychologist has worked with world-class athletes since 1971. He is one of the most prolific writers and speakers on the mental game of golf on the planet. To take advantage of his decades of golf wizardry, visit Mind Links

Author of "Performing Your Best, Links Golf, Mind Pump: The Psychology of Body Building, business and sales training audios, over 280 articles for magazines and now.........Mind Links - The Psychology of Golf.