The Mental Golf Blog

Following the less that startling revelation that Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia don’t really get on I came across this interesting article on the influence of your personality on your golf game at the excellent Medicus Golf site.

A golfers personality often shows through in a persons swing, for example compare Tom Watson’s brisk personality and swing with that of Ernie Els’ Big Easy approach to the game. It also extends to how different players approach other facets of the game for instance Ben Hogan’s meticulous approach to his golf appears to have been in total harmony with his outlook on life.

So what’s your golf personality?

Technorati Tags: golf personality, Golf Psychology, Mental Golf

An interesting mental golf study has recently been undertaken into the affects of pressure situations on golfers.

Birmingham University student Andrew Cooke presented some fascinating research to the British Psychological Society’s Division of Sport and Exercise inaugural conference today, identifying why as sports players, many of us tend to wilt under pressure.
Most of us have experienced, if not witnessed, what some in the media have termed as ‘choking’ or ‘bottling’ in a competitive situation and Andrew says he has the symptoms, if not the cure. Cont………
 
Read more at golfmagic.com

Technorati Tags: golf under pressure, golfmagic, yips

Steve Bann, is one of Australia’s most successful golf coaches counting Stuart Appleby and KJ Choi amongst his pupils.

Here he discusses how golfers gain confidence in their ability and game. It’s good stuff!

Technorati Tags: confidence cycle, Golf Mind, Mental Golf, steve bann

Mental golf is a term, it seems, which means different things to different golfers. To some it may mean overcoming negative thoughts on the golf course, to others it may mean a swing thought or key and to others it may mean the way in which they think their way around; course management.

The mental side of golf is an area that has really come to the forefront in recent years with a great number of mind coaches, seminars, DVDs, CDs and books available to teach us how to elevate our games to greater levels. To help us produce the kind of golf we really know we’re capable of.

This wealth of information can, though, add to the problem, just as equipment junkies think they can buy a game by parting with ever increasing amounts of cash for the latest whiz bang driver, irons, wedges or putter, we are now encouraged to believe we can improve our golf by reading a book. And another book, and another and another…………………!

The problem is, information overload can hinder our game just as surely as getting tied in knots over the latest swing technique theory, Stack & Tilt anyone? And ironically, the gurus advocate a clearing of the mind before we play a shot to think of “nothing” which is very difficult to do just ask people who do yoga.

Technorati Tags: Golf Mind, Mental Golf

Mental golf skills covers a wide range including confidence, course management skills, and competitive strategy amongst others. In this blog I will be discussing different techniques and programs. Reviewing books, CDs, DVDs and give up to date hints and tips from the foremost golf psychologists in the game.

You would be forgiven for thinking that knowledge of mental golf techniques is a modern phenomenon with the number of tour professionals employing mind gurus but this quote by Bobby Jones, “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears.”, shows that understanding the role of the golf mind has been around a long time.

Mental golf awareness is a skill that becomes more important as a golfer becomes more proficient in the physical aspects of golf technique and their scores become better as they improve their mental golf.

It is an oft quoted cliche that 90% of golf is in the mind, attributed to almost any famous golfer you care to mention but without doubt taking time to understand and learn from mental golf experts will help golfers enjoy their game more and lower their scores.

A number a years ago I dabbled with one of those self hypnosis self development tapes that was supposed to subliminally reinforce optimal performance. I must confess I was hopeful but sceptical about the whole thing. One of the suggestions was “Success & Excellence are my keywords for a conditioned resonse”!
Anyway, to cut a long story short I was playing golf one particular day and had a very tricky sidehill 30 foot putt on a treacherously fast green. As I lined up the putt I was chanting to myself the “Success & Excellence” mantra and was absolutely astonished but delighted when I the ball tracked the exact line I had imagined and dived into the hole for a birdie.

From that day on I was convinced that there was something in this mental golf malarkey and decided to investigate it further.

Technorati Tags: Golf Mental Game, Golf Mind, Golf Psychology, Mental Golf