Breakthrough Golf! © Lisa Brown 2012. All Rights Reserved. … · 2020-01-08 · parts that leap out at you, then go back and read it from cover to cover. Select those strategies

Breakthrough Golf! © Lisa Brown 2012. All Rights Reserved. www.thecouragetowin.com www.sports-psychology-tips.com

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Breakthrough Golf!

Copyright © 2012 by Lisa Brown

This book is copyright 2012, with all rights reserved. It is illegal to copy, distribute, or create derivative works

from this book in whole or in part, or to contribute to the copying, distribution, or creating of derivative works

of this book.

Published by Lisa Brown & Associates,

Calgary, Alberta, Canada


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Welcome to Breakthrough Golf!

Here’s How to Get Some Extra Help If You Need It… Calgary, Alberta

Dear Friend,

I have written this book using simple language and terms. However, do not let this fool you.

These strategies have been used by the most

accomplished athletes and golfers alive today to win championships and play to their potential.

The first thing you’ll want to do is skim the book for

parts that leap out at you, then go back and read it from cover to cover.

Select those strategies that strike you as the best fit

for your personality, and then apply them one at a time to lower your score.

Do not try to use more than 1-2 in a given round or

you could overwhelm yourself. Some of them, such as the 6 secret weapons on mental focus, you can try on

the driving range before playing an actual round.

If you get stuck, or want help to continue your progress, you can call my office at (403) 261-2726.

Or, you can email our office at [email protected].


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I truly want you to be the best athlete and golfer

you can be, and I’m available to help you.

Sincerely,

Lisa Brown President, Lisa Brown & Associates

Author, Breakthrough Golf!

How to Break 80

If you want to fast-track your technical skills, the resource you’ll want to get is How to Break 80, a

complete system for refining your technical game.

You’ll learn more techniques for how to master trouble

shots, dealing with your short game, conquering the chip shot, and how to read greens properly – all the keys

you’ll need to take it to the next level. For details, go to: http://www.howtobreak80.com/ezGaffurl.php?offer=gsecret1&pid=10

http://www.howtobreak80.com/ezGaffurl.php?offer=gsecret1&pid=10


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The name of this book is Breakthough Golf! Lower

Your Score Now Using the Little Known Mental Secrets of Professional Athletes.

My purpose is to show you exactly how to

communicate with yourself so you can play consistent, breakthrough golf.

In this book, you’ll find many different strategies for

lowering your golf score now—without making major technical adjustments to your game.

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that

you refuse to learn more about the technical aspects of golf.

I am merely saying that by improving your mental

skills, you will be able to shave several strokes off your score right away.

You will also enjoy golf more because you will approach it with a new mindset.

Why I Wrote This Book

In my soul, I am an athlete.

This is why I know that the barriers to athletic

success are inner barriers. I discovered my own inner barriers years ago in the Canadian sport of ringette.


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When I skated on the ice, a powerful and graceful

side of me came out.

Unfortunately, a sinister side of me came out too. This self was insecure, egotistical, and downright

selfish.

My dark side manifested itself in extreme confidence swings. One week I was invincible; the next,

my confidence came crashing down.

I never knew why, and it hurt me all the time. My insecurity reached its zenith at the 1991 National

Championships, where we lost with one second left on the clock.

It’s hard to express my despair over this game in

words. Losing hurt, but my deepest anguish was over the fact that I personally choked in the biggest game of

the year.

Worse, a teammate of mine scored all 5 goals for our team. Outwardly, I pretended to be happy for her. I

said, "Well done, Shauna. Way to go." Inwardly, though, I wasn’t happy for her at all. I wanted to be a leader, but

I had no idea how.

Exhausted and depressed on the plane ride home, I finally broke, letting in the negativity I had been

defending against for years.


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I made some startling realizations, including the

fact that my fearful self had become more dominant than my confident self. I wondered:

“What do mentally tough athletes know

that I don’t?”

This question led me to investigate the mental toughness mindset of top performers. For three years, I

scoured self-help and success literature, seeking answers from the many high achieving men and women

who came before me.

For eleven years after that, I facilitated mental toughness seminars and coaching programs, carefully

listening to my clients about the mental strategies that helped them win.

I wanted to know: what are the elements of mental

toughness? How do they work together to create success? And, most importantly: Could I become more

mentally tough?

My story has a happy ending. I went on to play for the Canadian national team for ten years, winning 3

World Championships. More exciting, though, was the joy and confidence I experienced in my sport. I retired

only when age forced me to, 30 years after the day I began.


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This book is one result of my 16 year exploration

into the invisible mental toughness practices of top performers. I hope you useful in your quest for lower

scores and happiness at golf.

What You Can Expect from This Book

First, you will learn to unleash your natural ability to excel at golf. As an athlete, it’s reasonable for you to

expect to learn (and therefore get a little better) every time you golf.

However, this is a rare phenomenon. Rather than

improve, most golfers to interfere with their innate ability to improve.

Handicap statistics compiled by the National Golf

Foundation and United States Golf Association show that most golfers establish their level of competency

after a few years. After that, they seldom vary their scores by more than a stroke or two.

I experienced this phenomenon myself. The first

time I golfed, I did not like it at all.

The moment I started to play, people started correcting me and giving me technical suggestions.

It’s not that I didn’t want to learn the

fundamentals.


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It’s just that I just wanted to get the feel of the

game for a few minutes before being corrected.

I’ve realized that many golfers experience the same self-consciousness I did. They’ve been told that golf is

“too technical” a game to trust their body’s instincts.

They’re so busy trying to play golf the technically correct way that they’re interfering with their natural ability to master it.

To excel, you will need to overcome your tendency

to let your analytical mind block your body’s innate ability to play the sport.

Second, you can expect to achieve emotional self-

mastery at golf. As you’ve undoubtedly experienced, golf is a maddening game. It will test your psyche to the

limit.

As you learn to emotional self-mastery, you will enjoy more consistency and happiness at golf. You will

also become more mentally tough in life.

When you master your mental game, you will realize what every professional athlete already knows:

all success, whether it is in sport, business, or relationships, is ultimately led by the mind.


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As you learn to trust your body and manage your

negative emotions, you will play consistent, breakthrough golf.

What You’re Up Against

The first thing you must do is understand what you

are up against in the sport of golf. This means: what are your expectations of yourself in golf? And, are these

expectations reasonable?

What Other Golfers Are Shooting

The National Golf Foundation breaks golfers into two categories. Category one is core golfers, who play at

least 8 times per year. Category two is occasional golfers, who play 7 or fewer rounds per year.

In the U.S. there are 15.7 million core golfers and

14.6 occasional golfers for a total of 30.3 million golfers.

Of these players, the average score for men in the core group is 97. The average score for women is 106.

(We won’t even talk about the average score for occasional players).

The average player in the core group plays roughly

37 times per year or 3 times a month. Percentage wise, the score numbers beak out like this:

Score Percentage of Players Who Shoot It


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Under 80 8%

80 – 89 20%

90 – 99 31%

110 – 119 30%

120 and up 11%

As you review these numbers, you can instantly see

whether your standards for yourself have been reasonable up until now. Players who golf at least 3

times per month are averaging scores between 97 and 106. And, only 28% of golfers are breaking 80.

Knowing these statistics will help you establish

reasonable goals for your next year of golf. This is extremely important, because constant frustration due

to unreasonable expectations will cripple your game.

The Fundamentals of Golf

The second thing you must do is master a few of the fundamentals of golf if you haven’t already done so.

To play better golf, you need to build and practice a

consistent swing that you trust.

Forget the right forearm and the left hip. Forget pushing, pulling, and rotating. Make your game as

simple and repeatable as possible. Focus solely on doing


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what is necessary for you to square the club to the

target line at impact.

To square your club to the target line at impact, the following four ingredients are a must:

1. A good grip

2. The proper set up 3. The right swing speed

4. Gaining a feel for the swing

The first two ingredients—a good grip and the proper set up--are easy if you don’t already have them.

A good pro at your club can give them to you in a few minutes.

Getting the right swing speed and gaining a feel for

your swing are tougher, because your mind can creep in, become overly analytical, and create errors. A

common cause of errors in your swing is over-tightness in the muscles, which happens when you tense up.

When your muscles tighten, your swing slows, you

cannot connect to the feel of your swing, and your drives get shorter and shorter.

This is why it is so important to master your mental

game. Not only do you enjoy golf more, your drives become longer and more consistent.

The Mindset of Most Golfers


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The vast majority of golfers have the exact same

mindset which causes them to play far below their potential.

10 Mental Strategies That Never Work—

Yet Golfers Always Try

1. The first is to try and correct the mechanics of your swing UduringU your swing.

2. The second is to try to eliminate your negative

emotions in golf. This never works.

3. The third is to think about whether or not you will make your shot.

4. The fourth is to try to force yourself to be positive

when you are frustrated.

5. The fifth is to get into an “inner war” with the ball by

becoming combative with it, whacking at it, and venting your frustrations on it.

6. The sixth is to panic when you lose your confidence

and tell yourself, “I can’t choke today!”

7. The seventh is to neglect your pre-shot routine.

8. The eighth is to lose your connection to the love of the game.


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9. The ninth is to over-criticize yourself when you play

poorly.

10. The tenth is to forget to praise yourself while you are golfing.

In addition to these 10 mental strategies, here is

how most golfers react to a poor shot or round:

First, they become frustrated and/or angry.

Second, they become anxious about the next shot, worried it might be worse.

Third, they get upset about their sudden loss of

confidence and tell themselves to ‘get over it’.

Finally, they approach the next shot with tension. They tell themselves to correct the problem, and

FAST.

They may even start thinking about their swing or technique to make sure the next shot is better.

The problem with this reaction to a poor shot is

that it does not lead to magnificent, consistent,

enjoyable golf.

Finally, all golfers are obsessed with three things.

1] Performing well


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Most golfers are obsessed with hitting the ball well.

They’re thinking about how to look good in front of their friends and colleagues.

They’re thinking about how to stop themselves from

choking. Most of all, they’re thinking about how to avoid humiliation on the golf course.

These impulses are a big handicap to success on

the golf course.

They are a big handicap because they put pressure on you.

Your edge will come from reducing pressure on

yourself instead of intensifying it.

2] Golf mechanics

Most golfers are fanatical about the mechanics of their swing. They’re constantly trying to adjust their

mechanics so they can make the ball go where they want it to go.

As a result, they have a running dialogue in their

minds about their grip, their arms, their shoulders, their head—the list is endless.

This obsession is a huge disadvantage, because you

cannot think about the mechanics of your swing and swing properly at the same time.


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Your edge will come from trusting your body. You do this by selecting the right mental focus for every shot.

Once you internalize the skill of selecting the right mental focus for your shot, you will unleash your body’s

innate ability to learn golf. You can even seek out more technical coaching without becoming self-conscious or

clumsy.

3] Negative Emotions

Every golfer is searching for the ‘magic pill’ that will

cause his anger and frustration to vanish permanently.

Golfers who do mental training start out with the same goal:

To win by eliminating fear, anger, and

frustration from golf.

If your goal is to eliminate your negative emotions at golf, you will always be unhappy, because this is an

impossible goal to achieve.

Your edge will come from managing your negative emotions effectively, not eliminating them. This Book Will Give You The Edge in Golf

You Are Learning the Mindset of A Champion


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I have taken great pains to describe the mental

habits of over 97% of golfers.

You, however, are going to be different.

You are learning the mindset of a champion, which means you are going to learn exactly how to approach

yourself as a unique individual.

In part, you are going to do this by learning what the world’s best athletes, including pro golfers, have

done to be successful.

But this book is not about other athletes. It is about you, and what works to get you into the zone.

The Zone

The zone is your ideal ‘inner climate’ on the golf

course. You will play better golf when you have the following feelings:

When you feel relaxed and focused.

When you feel optimistic and positive. When you feel a genuine sense of enjoyment in your

play. When you feel mentally alert and filled with energy.

When you feel highly self-confident.P

1P

Most importantly, when you are in the zone,

You are not focused on whether you hit the ball well.


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You are not focused on your score. You are not focused on your emotions.

You are in the present;

You are completely absorbed in what you are doing.

You can take the good with the bad.

Every mental strategy in this book will help you UgetU

and Ustay U in the zone as often as possible, regardless of what’s happening on the golf course.

Part I:

How to Achieve Maximum Confidence At Golf

Great golfers are not people who perform well under pressure. Nobody performs well under pressure.

Great golfers are people who create an internal

environment for themselves in which they do not feel overwhelming pressure.

How Golfers Put Pressure on Themselves

Here is the main way we put pressure on

ourselves: we accept ourselves when we succeed and we criticize ourselves when we fail.

This is another way of saying that you love yourself

when you succeed, and you hate yourself when fail.


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You may not be consciously aware of this

phenomenon, but if you observe yourself carefully, you’ll see that it is true.

Consider your most painful failures for a moment. I

suspect the hurt of these failures is really the emotion of shame.

Shame is the emotion we experience when we

criticize ourselves for being powerless to get what we want.

When we lose, we criticize ourselves because we did

not have the power to win.

When we perform poorly, we criticize ourselves for not having the strength to deliver a peak performance.

When we choke, we criticize ourselves for not

having enough power over ourselves to be confident.

In all these situations, we feel weak and powerless.

Then we criticize ourselves for being weak and powerless.

Billy Mayfair: Holding On by a Thread

Billy Mayfair missed the cut both times in the first

two major golf events of 1995. A few hours before the start of the Phoenix Open, he told his sport psychologist

he was afraid he was going to embarrass himself in the tournament.


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Mayfair was afraid that he would never play well again…or, if he did play well for a few rounds, he’d blow

his lead.

Mayfair’s worst fear? That he was going to play his way off the tour.

The key to reducing pressure on yourself is to

accept yourself even when you are powerless to get what you want—whether it is a peak performance or

confidence on the golf course.

Accepting yourself means refusing to harshly criticize yourself when you lose, under-perform, or lack

confidence.

The Starting Point of Reducing Pressure: ‘Want, Not Need’

Stacy Wilson, captain of the Canadian Olympic

hockey team, said: “Everything changed the moment we stopped saying as a team, ‘We have to win’.

We just started saying, ‘We want to win.’ Suddenly,

everybody relaxed and started to play her game.”

The main thing I want you to realize and learn—the thing that will give you tremendous, unbeatable

advantages in golf—is that you don’t NEED all the things you think you need. They are only desires.


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Wanting to hit the ball is only a desire.

Wanting to look good in front of others is only a

desire.

Wanting to feel confident is only a desire.

These are all wonderful things, and they are very nice. But you must learn to relate to them all as desires,

not needs, because you cannot control them.

If you could control your shots, you would always hit the ball perfectly.

If you could control your emotions, you’d always

feel confident, happy, and optimistic.

When you realize you don’t need any of these things to accept yourself, you can relax. As you relax, you lose

your performance anxiety and have fun. You start delivering peak performances and enjoying them.

It’s a paradox: the moment you stop needing to hit the ball perfectly, the better you play.

Why not test this idea by recalling your best performances? Think about the last time you were “in

the zone”. I’ll bet you weren’t tense, stressed out, or worried about winning. My hunch is that you were

having fun and expressing yourself, and the win took care of itself.


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This is the true psychology of success in sport.

Mark Tewksbury: ‘Want, not Need’

Mark Tewksbury, one of the finest swimmers in history, did a number of things to get himself to a place

of ‘want, not need’ before winning the gold medal in the 100 metre backstroke in the 1998 Olympic games.

…the world had become much more competitive. The medals, which used to be shared by 8 countries, were now finding their way to more than 25 nations. This made a big impact on me. On the first day of swimming I was shocked by the results. Because it was so close and there were so many surprises, it became clear that anything could happen. On the second day of the swimming…there was another close race at the pool and I thought to myself, ‘Hmm, silver would be good.’ I wasn’t giving up but it was so close there were absolutely no guarantees. Even legends like Matt Biondi, the world record holder in the 100-metre freestyle, were leaving the pool without going to podium. It seemed as though it would be a feat simply to win any medal.2

The first way Mark took pressure off himself was to view a silver or bronze as success, not failure. So the

first step for him was deciding that he didn’t need to win gold to feel successful. Mark continued this shift when

preparing for his final.


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The American, Jeff Rouse, was favoured to win, but

Mark was swimming well, too. Mark set his sights on winning, but took a low-pressure approach within

himself.

Instead of saying, “I’m the best, no one can beat me, I should win,” he merely said to himself, “Somebody

has to win this race. Why not me?”

This simple phrase is a perfect example of the

‘Want, not Need’ philosophy. “Why not me?” is a beautiful thought. It is optimistic and confident—but

wonderfully absent of the pressure athletes normally put on themselves. This focus gave Mark the relaxed yet

energized focus he needed to deliver a peak performance.

“Why Not Me?” is a great question to ask yourself

when faced with a difficult shot.

Indeed, why not you?

Re-training Your Mind

Re-training your mind in the ‘Want, Not Need’ mentality so you can achieve maximum confidence is

simple, but not easy.

To free yourself from the fear of failure using the ‘Want, Not Need’ mindset, you must re-train your mind.


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This is why the Dahlai Lama is so peaceful. Since

the age of 6, he's been training his mind towards enlightenment.

You can also re-train your mind. Here are 4

strategies you can use to train your mind in the ‘want, not need’ mindset for maximum confidence under

pressure.

Strategy #1: Stop Correcting Your Mechanics UDuring U Your Swing

Have you ever noticed that the more you try to

correct your mechanics, the worse you play?

Consider what Charles Price had to say about it:

What would seem to be the simple act of hitting a golf ball is actually one of the clumsiest movements imaginable, as any golfer who has ever tried to think about it while doing it would testify.3

On the surface, thinking about your mechanics makes sense. I mean, don’t all the instructors give you

technical tips on your swing?

Unfortunately, obsessing about your grip, your shoulders, your arms, and your head rarely moves you

into ‘the zone’.

If it did, every golfer would perform to potential. Few do.


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Why Thinking About Mechanics Destroys Your Swing

When you are thinking about the mechanics of your

swing, what you are doing is trying to Ucontrol U your body.

The moment you try to control your body, you become tense.

Your muscles tighten up, leading to the most

common physical cause of error in golf: over-tightness.P

4P

This is the paradox of golf. The more you try to control your swing, the more out of control it gets.

I’m not suggesting that you refuse to learn about the mechanics of a golf swing.

I am merely pointing out that thinking about a

specific part of your body—your grip, your arms, your shoulders—Uwhile you swing U will tend to make you

clumsy.

Recall the last time you were hitting the ball smoothly. I’ll bet you were relaxed. It is self-trust, not constantly correcting yourself, that will bring out your best.

Strategy #2: Stop Thinking About the Outcome of Your Shot


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A fatal mental error in golf is to think about the

outcome of your shot.

The moment you do this, you shift your focus from something you can control (e.g., the rhythm of your

swing) to something you can’t control (where your ball ends up).

When you focus on something you can’t control, the first emotion you feel is anxiety.

Once again, you tense up; you lose your relaxed

swing, and you become inconsistent.

I had ‘outcome anxiety’ the very first time I golfed.

After doing a few practice swings, my instructor placed the ball on the tee in front of me.

Right away my palms got sweaty and my mind

raced: What if I duff it? Then I remembered the age-old lesson of all sports:

The moment we focus on an outcome we can’t control,

our performance shuts down.

Vijay Singh: Getting in the Zone

On August 15, 2004, Vijay Singh won the 86th PGA Championship. In an interview earlier that day Singh

said:


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My focus two months ago was the wrong thing. I was focusing so hard to get to the No. 1 spot that I started not focusing on my own game. Every time I teed it up, I didn't want to play bad. I started making simple mistakes. Now, I am totally focused on what I am doing, my game, and not worried about the rankings... it doesn't bother me at all.

Singh's experience is what we are all seeking on the golf course: freedom from the fear failure. Freedom from

this fear has many names: the zone, the zen moment, enlightenment.

Exceptional performers understand how to be

present on the golf course. They move through the golf

course fully responding to whatever the moment requires of them, and reduce their focus on the

outcome.

They are one with the ball, one with what they are doing, one with the Now.

Marion Jones

If you watched the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, you know that American track and field star Marion Jones

was predicted to win five gold medals (she won four).

I watched the 200 metre race, which was her first event.


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The media was creating drama. As the cameras zeroed in on Jones warming up, the commentator began talking about how the entire nation’s hopes were pinned on Jones to bring home the gold.

The announcer turned to Olympic medalist Michael Johnson and said, “All eyes are focused on Marion Jones as she gets set to start her race. What is going through her mind right now?” The camera panned to Michael, who looked as though he had just been asked the most ridiculous question of all time. Quietly, he replied, “Well, I’d imagine she’s thinking about how to get a good start out of the blocks.”

A world-class athlete himself, Michael knew Marion wouldn’t be thinking about winning or losing the race.

He knew instinctively that she would pay attention

to something she could control: her starting position.

By choosing this focus, Marion stayed relaxed, and

winning took care of itself.

The question remains:

If you’re not supposed to think about

a) your mechanics or b) the outcome of your shot,

What are you supposed to think about?


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This leads us to strategy #3…

Strategy #3: Trust Your Body and Watch Your

Mistakes Disappear

Most people believe that golf is really complicated. They over-analyze and over-try to the point of complete

frustration.

They stop trusting their body’s natural ability to learn.

You, however, are different.

You are going to approach golf with a strong belief

in your body’s ability to self-correct mistakes. Remember, your body is smarter than you are.

It can produce shots that will amaze you if you stop interfering with it.

How to Increase Self-Trust

Tim Gallwey, one of America’s most influential

sports coaches, pioneered a new approach to self-trust in golf, tennis, and skiing.

He says that the way to increase self-trust is to

increase your awareness of exactly what’s happening with your shots right now. P

5P


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To do this, you need to decide on your mental focus

for each shot before you swing.

Strategy #4: Pick the Right Mental Focus for Every Shot

The easiest way to trust your body is to pick the

right mental focus for every shot. Your “mental focus” is what you are paying attention to while you golf.

Six Mental ‘Secret Weapons’ You Can Use On the Golf Course

Here are six mental ‘secret weapons’ you can use

on the golf course to maximize your confidence.

I call each focus a ‘secret weapon’ because it is under your control.

Although you cannot control the ball, opponents, or conditions, you can control what you pay attention to.

This is called your focus.

The ability to control his focus one of the reasons Tiger Woods has become the most accomplished golfer

of all time: I’m asked all the time about my ability to focus and stay in the moment when the pressure is on.


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It’s simple. I realize that the only thing I can control is my game. That is my only security blanket in a game where you could easily feel naked in the world.

I focus only on what I can control—my next shot—not things I can’t, like the heat. I focus only on what I can control—my game—despite the conditions.6

When you get yourself absorbed in the things you can control, you relax. Relaxing helps you have fun.

Relaxing helps you succeed.

Try these six ‘secret weapons’ and notice how they work for you. They are different from the technical tips

you’ve gotten before, because they do not tempt you to become overly technical.

Instead, they get your mind absorbed in what you

need to pay attention to in order to execute the shot. This will lead to self-trust. Remember, your body is

smarter than you are. Use your mind to program it to

pay attention to what you want, and then get out of your body’s way.

Mental Focus #1 Swing Rhythm: ‘Tick Tock’

The first time you try this focus, do not use a ball. Merely do it with practice swings.


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First, as you bring the club back on the backswing,

say the word ‘tick’ to yourself. Begin saying the

word the moment you start bringing the club back and draw the word out until you are at the very end of the swing such as, ‘Tiiiiiiiiiiick.’ Second, as you bring the club down towards the ball, say ‘tock’. Again, draw the word out during the entire downswing. ‘Toooooooock.’ As you do this exercise, try to feel where the club head is at every point in the swing. Do not try to control your swing in any way; merely notice how smooth or choppy the swing feels.

Now, add the ball into the exercise. However, do not tell yourself to hit the ball in any particular way (straight, high, etc.). Even though a ball has been introduced, your goal is to keep your ‘tick tock’ rhythm smooth.

The first time I put a ball in front of me after using

‘tick tock’ with only practice swings, it surprised me how

tense I got just from seeing a little white ball.

I had unconsciously shifted my focus from my swing rhythm to whether I would hit the ball.

Only when I went back to a genuine focus on my

rhythm using ‘tick tock’ was I able to swing with relaxation…and hit the ball well.

Mental Focus #2:


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Swing Speed

If you bring your club down too slowly on the downswing, you are likely to make errors when hitting

the ball.

However, if you become anxious and swing too fast, your rhythm will deteriorate too.

The following mental focus will allow you to self-

correct your swing so you bring your club down at exactly the right speed for you.

After each swing, give yourself a number between 1 and 10 according to how fast you thought your downswing was. A ‘1’ means that your swing is very slow; a ‘10’ means it is very fast.

When I tried this, I noticed right away that my best

shots happened when my downswing speed was a 7-8.

However, as soon as I took my mind off this focus, I would unconsciously drop the speed of my downswing

back down to a 5, and my shots would deteriorate.

At this point, my golf partner would help me re-focus.


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She’d ask, “What number would you give that

swing?” making me realize that I had unconsciously slowed down my swing again.

Each time I gave my downswing a number, my

speed went back up—as did the quality of my shots.

When using this focus, it’s important that you don’t TRY to speed up or slow your downswing. Trying will

tempt you to focus on mechanics and disrupt your rhythm.

If you give your downswing the correct number

according to its speed, you will naturally adjust it.

Mental Focus #3: ‘Quiet Eye’

In the movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks,

there’s a scene where Forrest learns how to play ping-pong.

His teacher turns him into a world champion using

only one sentence: “Gump, the secret to this game is:

Never, ever take your eye off the ball.”

The concept of ‘Quiet Eye’ is a bit like that.

‘Quiet Eye’ comes from the groundbreaking research of Dr. Joan Vickers at the University of Calgary

in Canada.7


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Dr. Vickers wanted to know why NBA basketball

players like Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t sink a high percentage of their free throws no matter how much

they practised shooting.

Could it be that these players weren’t keeping their eyes on the target?

Using an expensive computer helmet on athletes to

track their gaze, Dr. Vickers discovered two things:

1. If you look at a target for at least one second before you shoot, you are more likely to hit it.

2. You do not need to look at your target while you

shoot, because your ‘aiming command’ is set before you release the shot. P

8P

Most golf pros use Quiet Eye instinctively. Here’s the

focus when putting:

You may be unaware of it, but when you putt you are probably shifting your gaze back and forth between the ball and the hole. When preparing to putt, train your eye on the hole for one second before you putt.

Note: do not train your eye on the hole for longer than one second. Looking at the hole for longer than one second can interfere with accuracy.


36

When swinging during your putt, keep your eyes trained only on the ball. Once you’ve sighted the hole, resist the temptation to look back at it. Trust that your body knows where the hole is and keep your eye trained squarely on the ball. As you follow through on your putt, keep your eye on the spot where our ball was—do not follow your ball as it is rolling towards the hole. Listen for your putt to go in rather than watch it go in.

Mental Focus #4: Narrow Your Target

When you’re on the fairway, it’s critical that you pick the smallest target possible

before your shot.

Ben Hogan, who won four US Open titles, is a master at this:

Hogan came to the 5t h hole, a 476-yard par five on which the green, because of the slope of the land, is not visible from the tee.

A cluster of four palm trees, planted only a few feet apart, stands immediately behind the green and towers above the horizon.

When Hogan arrived at the tee, he asked his caddie for a target.


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‘Aim for the palm trees, Mr. Hogan,’ the caddie replied. To which Hogan answered, ‘Which palm tree?’ 8

Pro golfer Dave Love III swears by the strategy of picking a target:

Davis on how sport psychologist Bob Rotella taught him to find a target:

“Bob often encourages players to become very target-oriented. Often the target is the hole itself. If a player responds to an aggressive thought, Bob will say, ‘Knock down that flagstick!’” If you get the target down, everything else will take care of itself. 9

Mental Focus #5: The Downswing: High vs. Low?

If you’re swinging your club too low on the downswing, you will hit the ball underneath it, or ‘fat’.

If you’re swinging your club too high on the

downswing, you will graze the top of the ball, hitting it ‘thin’.

The moment after you swing, watch your ball and determine whether you hit it ‘fat’ or ‘thin’.


38

To sharpen your awareness of what each one feels like, deliberately hit the ball fat and thin a few times.

Once you know what ‘fat’ and ‘thin’ feel like, merely tell yourself whether you are doing either one after your shot. Even if you are consistently hitting the ball ‘fat’ or ‘thin’, do not try to bring your club higher or lower on the downswing. Just notice what’s happening with your ball, and you will self-correct this problem over time.

The first time I tried this focus, I had to laugh at

myself, because I literally couldn’t feel the difference

between fat or thin.

After each shot, my golf partner asked me whether I had hit the ball fat or thin. The first eight times, I was

dead wrong every time.

This made me appreciate how difficult awareness in golf can be!

Mental Focus #6: Become One with the Ball

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra says that getting

combative with the ball and venting our frustrations on it is the quickest way to mess up our game.


39

He recommends becoming ‘one with the ball’

instead:

I prepare for every shot by imagining a line that runs from my heart to the ball. I push my diaphragm in and out at the navel with a few conscious breaths, an exercise used in Yoga. This special breathing is for relaxation; the line from my heart to the ball is for concentration. Finally I place my tongue against the roof of my mouth to stop the internal dialogue in my mind.10

The first time I imagined a line from my heart to the

ball, I noticed a connection to it I hadn’t had before.

The ball absorbed my attention in a way I cannot explain.

I stopped worrying about whether or not I was

going to hit the ball…and, of course, I hit it.

Part II: How to Deal with Distractions, Challenges, Stressors, and Adversity in Golf

Part I of this book taught you exactly what to focus

on (pay attention to) while golfing to trust your body for maximum confidence.


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The ‘want, not need’ mindset combined with the

proper mental focus before each shot will allow you unleash your body’s innate ability to play golf well.

The four strategies you learned in Part I will curb

your tendency to over-analyze your game. They will help you trust your swing, which is the essence of peak

performance in golf.

Now that we have eliminated your tendency to interfere with your mechanics, we turn our attention to

conquering golf frustration.

The Unique Mental Challenge of Golf

Every sport requires mental toughness, but there

are several phenomena that coalesce to make golf a unique mental challenge.

Point of Contact

The first concept is called 'point of contact.’ It states

that the more contact you have with the ball in your sport, the easier it is for you to concentrate.

For example: in tennis, basketball, and volleyball

you have more contact with the ball than in golf. Even in hockey, where the best players only handle the puck

for approximately 14 seconds per game, this is much more point of contact than in golf.


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The Social Element

In addition, golf can be a highly competitive game,

but it's also a social game. You can play by yourself, but we usually play in two-somes and four-somes where you

socialize. This creates an added distraction.

Bad Shots

Add into the mix the distraction of bad shots, especially if you are a recreational player. We lose our

focus on the present, and start thinking about past and future shots.

Length of Games

The length of a golf game further complicates the

issue of concentration. Several hours is a long time to maintain concentration on anything. Cardiovascular

surgeons have the same concentration challenge as golfers.

Coronary bypass (heart) surgery lasts an average of

5 hours, and it's typical for these surgeons to do 3 of these a day. That means they are doing 10-15 hours of

operating a day.

These surgeons know that they can't maintain total intensity and concentration on everything they do

during that time.


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Their solution is to teach themselves how to

manage the ebb and flow of the operation. During the mundane parts of the operation, they get into a lighter

concentration flow.

But once the patient's heart is stopped, they need to get the operation done in less than an hour. During

that time, they have absolute, total focus. They submerge the mind so that everything around them is

blacked out.11

You Are Alone

There is final reason why golf is so hard on the psyche. There is a famous quote by Pogo:

“I have met the enemy, and he is in us.”

The game of golf isolates you as the main agent of

success…or failure.

Most sports give us many other factors to think about and blame: teammates, judges, coaches, and

officials.

Golf offers few such luxuries.

Left alone with ourselves, we quickly realize that the barriers to success are inner barriers: fear, self-

criticism, and pessimism.

Golf is maddening because it is an inner game. P

12


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The unique mental challenge of golf is that it demands total concentration under difficult

circumstances—without the presence of the ball to absorb your focus.

Arnold Palmer, who won four Masters titles,

remembers the price he paid for losing his concentration there:

'As I walked down the fairway approaching my second shot, a friend of mine in the gallery hollered at me and I violated one of the golden rules of playing tournament golf. I walked over to him and shook hands. By doing that, I lost my total concentration and ended up making a six on 18, and lost the Masters. That was devastating.'

To properly concentrate, you will need to successfully deal with the distractions and stressors

that trigger negative emotions in you at golf.

The Source of All Negative Emotions in Golf

To effectively manage your negative emotions, you need to understand what these feelings are telling you.

Consider the following definitions:

Anger Desire contaminated by helplessness


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Frustration Lesser form of anger Sadness Rage at being attached to a desire we

cannot fulfill Grief Extreme sadness Disappointment Milder form of grief Resentment Form of anger related to others (others

have limited my opportunities) Fear Desire for the future contaminated by

helplessness 13

Virtually all negative emotions are a variation of the

same theme: you desperately want something, but feel helpless to attain it.

The key word here is helplessness. It is the

underlying theme behind anger, frustration, sadness, and anxiety.

To gain emotional self-mastery on the golf course,

you must first learn which events trigger helplessness in

you. Then, you must successfully deal with your helplessness.

Here are some typical examples of stressors golfers

often cite:

A bad start or shot

Opponent gets a good start

Inconsistent performance

Overly talkative playing partners

Opponent says something negative to me


45

Losing to or playing against a particular opponent

Opponent is playing obvious “mind games”

Having a bad warm-up

Family member or friend is watching

Being pre-occupied with life outside of golf, e.g., a problem at home

Equipment problems and hassles

Golf course maintenance (e.g., temporary greens or

temporary tees)

Bad weather conditions

In the space below, list your top 7 distractions

(events that trigger helplessness and therefore negative emotions in you):

1.

2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7.

Now, put your stressors in the following order from most bothersome to least bothersome.

1.

2. 3.

4. 5.


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6.

7.

The very first thing on this list is your “rock”. Your “rock” is the thing that has the most potential to cause

you to lose confidence, choke, or under perform. It is the event in golf that produces the most helplessness in

you.

This is very powerful exercise, because now you have the opportunity to transform your game by

transforming your reaction to you “rock” and other stressors. This means overcoming your helplessness

when these events occur.

Here are 4 strategies for overcoming your helplessness and achieving emotional self-mastery.

Strategy #1: Stop Pressuring Yourself To Be

Confident And Positive 100% of the Time— And Watch Your Game Fall Into Place

Answer the following question with total, ruthless

honesty.

Of the 100% of the time you spend golfing, what percentage of that time do you expect yourself to feel

positive, optimistic and confident?

Write down your answer in the space below. Your thoughts will reveal how you approach golf.


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If you’re like most golfers, you expect yourself to be

positive 70-80% of the time no matter what’s happening on the course.

Did your answer reflect this? If so, you’re not alone.

UThe Truth about Negative Emotions

The first truth is that we cannot Ueliminate U negative emotions at golf.

The second truth is, you can expect to feel

negatively (frustrated, afraid, pessimistic) approximately 50% of the time you are golfing.

Does this surprise you?

Does this disappoint you?

Why You Cannot Eliminate Negativity in Golf

Sport is a war, complete with an enemy:

your opponent.

Consider the golf commercial where the true thoughts of the competitors are revealed.


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One guy is holding the stick while the other putts.

As the ball moves toward the hole the first fellow is shouting internally, “Miss it! Miss it!”

The ball drops in the hole. With a smile and a calm

voice he says, “Great putt.” P

14

Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player ever, understood that sport is a war. After Wayne was traded

from Edmonton to Los Angeles, he had to go back and play against his old friends:

Sooner or later I had to go to the one place I really wanted to avoid. It was a game I dreaded. I saw Sather [Edmonton coach Glen Sather] before the game and he didn’t say a word to me. He’s pretty honest that way. I didn’t exist because I was on the other team now. He’s not phony about it… I told reporters before the game I thought Mess would check me, but I was wrong. He steamrolled me, backed up and steamrolled me again. The guy is a competitor and this was a game he wanted to win.

Now I know why people cringe at the sight of him. 15 P

Golf isn’t just a war with your opponent.


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It’s also a war of control. We are trying to control

something that fundamentally can’t be controlled: the ball.

If you understand that golf is a war, can you

imagine a war without negativity?

Where there is war, there is anger, frustration, and disappointment. It’s part of the game.

Golf is Hard

Golf is hard. As a result, you’re going to miss a

certain percentage of your shots. When you miss, you’ll be frustrated. This is quite

natural. It’s the agony and ecstasy of sport.

In the baseball movie A League of Their Own,

Geena Davis grows tired of how demanding her sport is—and quits just before the playoffs.

Her coach, Tom Hanks, is furious. He demands an

explanation. “It just got too hard,” she tells him.

Hanks glares at her for a minute and finally says, “It’s supposed to be hard. That’s what makes it so

great.”

Think about any game you know: scrabble, chess,

dodge ball, golf, or basketball. The common ingredient of every game is that it has a challenge.


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“Challenge” means that you can’t succeed all the time.

The upside of golf is that it’s exhilarating when you

succeed. The downside is that it hurts when you fail.

Understanding that golf has a duality—an upside and a downside—is critical to mastering your inner

game.

How You Can Gain the Mental Edge

When most golfers feel anxious, frustrated, or angry, they usually try to be more positive and “re-

focus.”

However, if their attempt to ‘be positive’ doesn’t work, their frustration intensifies.

Now they have 2 problems:

1) They are frustrated about their bad shot, and

2) They are panicking about the fact that they’re

frustrated.

They reason, “I should be able to stop my negativity. Why can’t I just be more positive?”

Feeling more and more out of control, these golfers

conclude they are ‘mental marshmallows.’


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Their confidence plummets, and their game deteriorates

as a result.

But notice:

Their game is affected more by their reaction to their anger than the anger itself.

This is called the “second reaction”.

Your anger about making a bad shot is a simple

emotion. It’s merely an energetic reaction to your shot.

You didn’t choose your anger. Anger is the first emotion we have whenever we don’t get what we want,

and it’s part of the heart. P

14 You cannot control whether frustration spontaneously occurs in you or not.

The “second reaction” is different.

Your “second reaction” is your attitude about your

anger and frustration. Your second reaction doesn’t come from the heart—it comes from your mind.

When you disapprove of your negative emotions,

you feel worse.

You become angry about your anger, fearful of your fear, and frustrated by your frustration. P

15

Shift Your Second Reaction


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You will gain an edge over the competition if you

start to shift your “second reaction.” Instead of getting upset about your helplessness (which is creating your

frustration and anger), you basically accept this feeling as a temporary part of the golf experience.

If you do not perceive your frustration as disturbing, it will become more manageable.

One way to think about your frustration at golf is to view it the same way you view physical pain during

exercise.

If you work out, you experience at least a little physical pain.

What if you thought it was “wrong” or “weak” to feel physical pain during workouts?

What if you thought that no one else at the gym was in pain

except you? You might conclude that you were exercising

incorrectly, or that you were a mental marshmallow. You’d spend the whole workout trying to find a way to

stop the exercise from hurting.

At best, you’d probably feel demoralized.

At worst you’d quit.


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In fact, isn’t this the problem with people who don’t

go to the gym? They refuse to accept that the gym hurts.

Fit people, however, gracefully accept this. They don’t enjoy the pain, but they accept that it is part of

becoming fitter. They use the adage, “No pain, no gain.”

Why Trying to Get Rid of Fear Causes You to Choke

Negative emotions are instinctive, energetic

responses that arise deep in the unconscious mind. They arrive unbidden and without intention on your

part.

Negative emotions are energy. As such, they follow one simple rule:

“What you resist, persists.”

If you resist an energetic force, it will intensify.

Put a lid on a pot of hot water, and it will boil. Tell a crying child to be quiet, and she will wail louder.

Tell yourself not to eat chocolate (resist your desire

for it), and you want it more. Order yourself to go to sleep (resist your impulse to stay up), and you will lay

awake for hours.


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In the end, you only strengthen the negative when

you fight it. In fighting the negative, you fight yourself, and you cannot fight yourself and win. P

16P

This is why trying to get rid of nerves causes you to

choke.

The more you tell yourself to stop being afraid, the more these feelings fight for life, and the more afraid you

become.

How Golf Pros View Their Negative Emotions

Mentally tough golfers understand that negative emotions are part of golf (and life).

Grasping the idea that you will feel negatively at

least part of time reduces your “second reaction”—and enhances your game.

This was a strategy Jack Nicklaus used to become

one of the greatest golfers ever.

Jack went into a major slump from 1967 to 1970 and did not win a major tournament for three years.

Here are his comments:

Possessing the kind of mind that says that nothing is impossible, and having progressed so rapidly at golf as a youngster, I eventually reached a point as an amateur where my ball-striking and shot-making potentialities seemed limitless.


55

As a result I sort of believed when I turned pro that, now that I could practice and play non-stop, I should be able to attain optimum form then hold onto it for long periods, maybe forever. Reality gradually hit home once I joined the tour, forcing me to recognize and accept golf’s eternal inconstancy. Looking back, I believe that this had a certain demoralizing effect on me around the mid-1960s that reduced my drive to work at the game.17

Jack was demoralized because he assumed once he

turned pro, he would attain ‘optimum form’ all the time—and never be frustrated.

His demoralization didn’t come from his frustration.

It came from his unrealistic expectation he would feel positively all the time.

His saviour was realizing that golf would always frustrate him

some of the time.

I am not naïve enough to tell you enjoy your negative feelings. I am suggesting that you view nerves,

lack of confidence, anger, and frustration as normal on

the golf course.

Put a Good Name to Your Negative Emotions


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An easy technique you can use to shift your second

reaction is to put a good name to your negative emotions.

John Molo, a professional drummer who has

performed with many successful singers including Bruce Hornsby, says that the name you put to your

emotions has a huge impact on how you experience them.

Consider his experience at the Grammy awards:

The night of the Grammy awards I’m pretty nervous as Gary Shandling introduces us. When you get really nervous, no matter what the situation is, just equate it with excitement. Seeing nervousness as excitement has worked for me, but it is an acquired skill. You need to practice it.18

Phil Mickelson: Enjoying the Nerves

At the Final-Round Interview at the 2005 AT&T

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Phil, the champion, was interviewed on his thoughts.

One question was: “Phil, in almost all your wins

there has been some excitement or battles, if you want to call it that, on the back nine that's been absent the

last two weeks. Which do you find more enjoyable?”


57

Phil replied, “Well, I actually enjoy both of them. I

enjoy the stress free day at Pebble Beach playing with friends. But I also enjoy that intensity and the

nervousness and the excitement of having to pull off clutch shots to win tournaments.”

A Practical Exercise

Pick a stressor from golf that invokes negativity in

you. Develop a sentence about it that begins with, “It’s OK”. Here are some examples:

It’s OK to under-perform.

It’s OK to feel powerless.

It’s OK to miss shots.

It’s OK to lose.

It’s OK to be frustrated.

Repeat this affirmation to yourself many, many

times this week with your event in mind. Remember that you are not saying that you approve of this

situation, nor are you striving to it.

You are merely acknowledging the reality of your

emotions about it, and accepting these feelings without resistance.


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If the term “OK” bothers you because it suggests

approval, substitute the term “acknowledge”. For example, you could say, “I acknowledge that I missed a

key shot in the game.” Breathe and say it with as much conviction as possible.

As you work with your “second reaction”, you rid

yourself of the irrational fear of feeling. You understand that golf will sometimes agitate you and sometimes

frustrate you.

You gain a composure that your opponents want, but do not know how to attain.

Strategy 2: “Pool” Your Frustration

Now that you have eliminated your destructive

second reaction – and are far less disturbed by the fact that you are upset – you can practice “pooling” negative

emotions when they arise.

“Pooling” is the art of setting aside your frustration temporarily so you can concentrate on your next shot.

You do this because you understand that by succeeding in your next shot, you will magically cure your

helplessness, and your negativity will melt away.

In the 1984 Olympics, kayakers Alwyn Morris and Hugh Fisher ran into a situation where they needed a

short-term strategy for managing emotions.


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After a hopeless start, Morris and Fisher lost the 500 M final—which they both knew they could have won. After the 500 M final, we were so mad and frustrated and disappointed in ourselves for making a mistake at one of the most important events that we’ll ever participate in during our lives. I remember going to the podium, and a lot of people were cheering. I didn’t listen to it. I was mad…I almost cried… We saw the replay and I said, ‘Why did we drop?’ Hugh got really mad, just fuming, and I said to myself, ‘Get out of the room!’ I walked around the hotel grounds, then I jumped into the pool. As I sank to the bottom I thought, ‘Okay, that’s it!’ I felt like it took me fifteen seconds to drop to the bottom. I had time to think, ’Okay, that’s it, no more, this is it!” I remember pushing off the bottom and jumping out of the pool.19

Alwyn left his devastation at the bottom of the pool. He ‘pooled’ it.

The next day, Alwyn and Hugh won the Olympic

gold medal in the 1000 M race.

‘Pooling’ is really the art of invoking concentration by setting these feelings for a few moments. Your job is

to learn how to build your concentration before each shot and 'turn it off' between shots so this is easier

when you are upset.

Tiger Woods: Pooling Distractions


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Tiger has often called Earl Woods his best friend and mentor. After Earl passed away in early May 2008,

Tiger took a month off before returning for one of the toughest U.S. Open courses, the Winged Foot.

His return for this event simply showed his

readiness: “Dad was adamant of whenever you're ready to play, play,” Tiger said. “If you're not ready, don't

play.”

However, despite whatever feelings and distractions he may have had off of the golf course, Tiger had to

learn to ignore them and focus on his golf game.

“[Once you step past the ropes] everything else,” Tiger said, “goes away.”20

Turning On Your Concentration

To improve your concentration, I suggest you go play by yourself. Go early in the morning, when the

course is usually empty, and do not use a scorecard.

Being alone will reduce your distractions. Without your score card, you will learn to divorce your shots

from your results.


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When you play, bring your focus into the NOW. Use

your pre-shot routine and practice ’turning on’ your concentration before hitting.

Strategy #3: The Magic of Optimism

Sometimes you can diffuse your negativity by

accepting it (eliminating your second reaction) and then pooling it (focusing on your next shot).

Other times, these two strategies are not enough to

reverse your helplessness and restore your concentration.

The third mental strategy is to attack your

helplessness directly. It is called optimism.

The Magic of Optimism

According to 25 years of research on optimism, we

don’t respond to life based on what happens to us.

We respond to life according to what we think will

happen to us.

In other words, we don’t go to work because we get paid…we go to work because we think we’ll get paid.

This is no small distinction, because it means that

our actions and emotions are heavily influenced by our beliefs.


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In fact, in a landmark psychological experiment, it

was proven by psychologists that when faced with failure, most people become pessimistic and give up.

Pessimism on the golf course means that when you

suffer a setback, you assume it is going to continue.21 Example: You suddenly you miss three shots in a row.

Most golfers, when faced with this situation, develop an unconscious assumption that the slump will continue.

From Pessimism to Optimism

Unequivocally, research on top performers in every

domain of life concludes that the more optimistic you are in your thinking, the happier you will feel and the

better you will perform.

I call this strategy the “Muhammad Ali” approach because Ali was famous for psyching himself up before

bouts using positive thoughts. Ali, considered the most successful athlete of the

past 100 years, would call himself “the Greatest.” He’d also tell anyone who’d listen that he was going to win.

In fact, the simple phrase “I can do it” immediately

calms us down and reduces the fear of failure in our minds.

The key to optimism is to convince yourself that

whatever problem you are facing in golf is temporary.

Note: optimism does not mean that you think positively in every situation. Sometimes this is not realistic


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because there is nothing positive in the setback you

have just experienced. What is more important is that you believe the setback you are facing is temporary.

If you hit a bad drive, you think, “Now my nerves

are settled so I can really drive the ball.” If you hit a bad putt, you think, “I can use what I just learned about

reading the greens on my next putt.”

This is the essence of optimism: making sure you view negative shots as a natural, yet TEMPORARY

phenomenon during your golf game.

It’s called hope. And hope is what champions are made of.

Tom Kite: His Money Winnings Soared

Do you know who the first professional golfer was

to hit the 9 million dollar mark? My guesses would have been Arnold Palmer or possibly Jack Nicklaus.

It was Tom Kite.

Tom has had a remarkable 19 PGA wins, 7 Senior

PGA wins and 1 major, the 1992 US Open. Tom also shot 62 four times while playing on tour.

In the 1980’s he played in 53 consecutive events

without missing the cut, which tied him for sixth overall


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with Vijay Singh in the PGA record books at the end of

2004.

Tom’s consistency and his great short game have been his biggest strengths.

How has Tom Kite been able to continually play

winning golf throughout his career? Kite is a big fan of optimistic self-talk.

He says, “You have to think effectively. Seeing the

negative side of what happens on the golf course is not effective thinking.”

It worked for Tom Kite. Why not you?

To begin, write down the pessimistic thoughts each

distraction triggers in you in the left hand column. Then, in the right hand column, write down why the

situation is only temporary.

I have completed the first distraction for you. Note that the optimistic response is not necessarily positive;

it merely suggests that the negative situation is temporary.

Please write out an optimistic thought for every major distraction you have.

Situation Pessimistic Thoughts Optimistic Thoughts You bogey on “I’m playing terribly. “Yes, I played two bad the first two holes I’m going to lose if holes, but I think the of the game I keep this up. I’m next two will be better because


65

brutal today.” I will have gotten the nerves out. I’ve beaten this person before; based on how I know I can play, I think I have an excellent chance of beating him again.”

Strategy 4: Channel Your Negativity Tap Into Your Pride

Sometimes when you are faced with upsetting

distractions, none of the first 3 strategies reverse your helplessness enough for you to genuinely concentrate.

In these moments, I suggest you channel your negative energy into your performance.

Channelling means using your feelings of

frustration, anger, and disappointment to golf better.

Practically every professional golfer has used anger to improve his or her performance at some point.

Have you ever gotten angry and performed better as a result?

Tap Into Your Pride

In golf, there is “good” anger and “bad” anger. “Bad”

anger stems from your helplessness and makes you overly aggressive and combative with the ball. “Good”

stems from your pride, focuses you, and brings clarity to your shots.


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The ‘Tap Into Your Pride’ strategy is your tool for transforming “bad” anger into “good” anger…the kind of

anger that energizes and focuses you.

‘Tap Into Your Pride’ allows you to acknowledge and channel your anger into your game.

When you channel your anger, you turn it back into

personal pride—which you can use constructively.

There are three simple steps to Tap Into Your Pride.

Step One: Express your anger and self-criticism Step Two: Ask yourself for what you want

Step Three: Express positive support for yourself8

Describe the last time you were performing poorly, but tapped into your personal pride and turned things

around. (E.g., you got angry in the ‘good’ way and performed better).

Write out this strategy in detail and try it over the course of the next week. If you are not practising at the

driving range or playing games this week, try it in a different part of life that may be frustrating you.


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Step One: Express your anger and self-criticism Verbalize in your head your anger and self-criticism in a

specific situation. Example: John becomes self-critical when he cannot make a short putt.

Guideline

1. Use “you” statements, not “I” statements. For example, do not say, “I’m a total loser for missing such a short putt.” Instead, John could say, “John, you’re a total loser when you miss such a short putt. You look like a complete amateur when you do that!”

Here is an example for John.

Example:

“John, you’re playing like a complete idiot! It’s as though you’re not even paying attention to the course.

You make me so furious when you completely underperform.”

Step Two: Ask Yourself for What You Want

Ask yourself for what you want. For example,

Example: “I want you watch the golf course with focus! I want you

to pay attention to your opponent’s shots. I want you to visualize your shot before you make it.”

Step Three: Express positive support for yourself.

Be your own self-coach here by expressing how you really feel about yourself in the positive.22


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Example:

“John, you have so much talent! You have incredible touch and instinct for making good shots. You are a

truly gifted athlete and I know you can make another good shot.”

To truly become unflappable on the golf course, you

will need to re-train your mind to invoke these four strategies when adversity hits. Over time, as you

internalize them, they will become automatic reactions to stressors during a round.

You will think that golf has become less

troublesome, but it will be you who has changed.

Part III: How to Psyche Up Before Golf and Neutralize Competitors

&

Part IV: How to Handle Bad Rounds and Come Back More Confident Than Ever

Here are 4 final strategies that will ensure you start

your game with confidence, neutralize competitors, and come back after poor rounds.

Strategy 1: Create Confidence Using Visualization

You can create confidence for yourself using

emotional visualization.


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Creating Confidence =

Accessing the emotion of confidence regularly.

Confidence is not a quality. It is not a character trait. It is an emotion.

There is no such thing as a golfer who is confident

all the time. (There is also no such thing as a golfer who feels insecure all the time, either).

Confidence is an emotion. Sometimes we can access it,

sometimes we can’t. For this reason, our confidence fluctuates from day to day and even from moment to

moment.

Since confidence is an emotion, it is critical for you to be able to access your positive emotions. I call this the

“practice of positive feeling.”

Accessing confidence when you need to most

requires practice.

What is ‘Emotional Visualization’?

Visualization is the technical term for mentally rehearsing success in advance.

Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury is famous for

his visualization skills. When Mark was eight years old, he watched the 1976 Olympics on T.V.


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He decided then and there that he wanted to go to

the Olympics and win.

He wasn’t very good at sports, but he knew how to swim. He talked his parents into letting him join a swim

club. My first experience at the swim club was a shock. It never occurred to me that I would only be able to swim a couple of lengths when I started. It occurred to me that before I could be the best swimmer in the world I would have to be the best in my club, then the best in the city and so on. More importantly, before I could be the best in the club I would have to UseeU myself as being the best. Intuitively I began seeing each race before I swam it. I tried to imagine positive results in my mind so that when I went in to a race I would be in control.

Without knowing it, I was using what is now known as visualization.23

Visualizing your shot in your mind is a great start. For best results, you’ll want to visualize with emotion.


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Many athletes visualize, but without emotion.

Their visualization may help them develop new

skills, but it won’t give them the unshakable confidence they are seeking. They are not harnessing the ‘power of

positive feeling.’

Emotional visualization is the art of ‘seeing’ the shot you want and connecting with the positive feelings it evokes in you.

As you continue to visualize success with emotion,

you will gain more and more access to your confidence.

How To Use Emotional Visualization

To Gain Confidence Before Your Shot

Your #1 job before attempting a golf shot is to focus on the probability of making the shot.

Even if the shot is a really hard one, and the chances of you making it are 99 to 1, focus on the 1%

probability that you will make it.

If you view the shot pessimistically, the negative energy in your mind can change your mechanics.

This is why all sport is led by the mind: “What you

see is what you get.”


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The easiest way to spark your visualization is to do

mental imagery in practice. Note how LPGA golfer Amy Alcott does it:

As I practice, I try to have an idea in mind for each shot. I find that by visualizing each shot, and by picking a different target for each shot, I concentrate more easily and avoid falling into a rut. Once I get to my driver, I like to rehearse my opening drive. I visualize the hole and the type of shot I need to hit, and then I go ahead and hit several of those shots.

I wind up this session by hitting a few more soft wedge shots. This helps both my tempo and my feel for the touch shots I’ll face early in the round. 24

To Create Confidence Prior to A Round

Here is a foolproof emotional visualization exercise

to create confidence prior to golfing:

Sit in a quiet space where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes and relax. Focus on your breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply.


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Once you are relaxed, go back to a time in your mind when you felt really confident, relaxed, and powerful on the golf course. Re-run this scene in your mind, re-playing your best shots over and over in great detail.

Allow the feeling to grow stronger as an energetic experience.

Re-access the confidence, relaxation, pride, and positive energy you had at that time. Continue this for at least 3-5 minutes.

To Take Yourself to the Next Level of Success

Fred Couples used visualization to move himself into the golf elite. Here’s exactly what he visualized:

Couples’ early successes went mostly unnoticed by the press. If he was going to be considered a “legitimate superstar”, he would need to win one of the four major championships: the Masters, the British Open, the US Open or the PGA. In 1992, Couples admits to getting ahead of himself in the weeks prior to the Masters; he said he just couldn’t stop thinking about it.


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‘I pictured myself driving up Magnolia Drive, the famous tree-lined entranceway to the Augusta National Golf Club, the venue each year for the prestigious Masters. I thought of the trophy case in the clubhouse, displaying golf clubs that past winners had contributed. I thought of the annual dinner, for past champions only… I thought of Sarazen’s famous double eagle on the par-five fifteenth hole, where he hit a four-wood shot 235 yards into the cup. I thought of Ben Hogan and the games of perfection he played at Augusta. I thought of Ken Venturi who, as a young man, almost made history by winning the Championship as an amateur… I thought of Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters at age 46 and hugging his son Jackie, who caddied for him. I thought of the wild cheers of the gallery echoing off the tall pine trees that line the fairways of the awesomely picturesque Augusta National golf course…


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I thought of Frederick Stephen Couples making history.’ 25

What To Expect As You Practice ‘Emotional Visualization’

As you access your confidence, negative feelings

may jump out at you.

For example, if you ‘see’ yourself hitting really great shots, you may find yourself having negative feelings.

They may include self-doubt (“Can I keep it up?”),

shame, (“Do I deserve this?”) or insignificance (“Is this all there is?”).

Or, you may not feel anything at all.

You may be able to ‘see’ yourself playing really well

but not have any feelings about it.

Or, you may get in touch with a positive feeling – pride, joy, or confidence – and then lose it quickly.

These are all normal reactions to emotional

visualization.

Be patient with yourself. Do not try to force anything. Continue to return to the positive feeling in

your mind.


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If negative feelings break through, experience them

without resistance. Gradually, they will clear.

As you repeat this exercise, you will find it easier to access and sustain your confidence at golf.

Strategy #2: Develop a Solid Pre-Shot Routine

There’s nothing like consistency on the golf

course to keep you in an excellent frame of mind.

To be consistent, you must have a pre-shot routine that you follow religiously.

In fact, golf pros also use the pre-shot routine to

quell their nerves. Dave Love III did just that in order to qualify for the Masters:

As soon as he took the lead, the distractions intensified. People in the crowd were yelling, ‘Masters tickets! I need Masters tickets!’

In the pressroom, reporters barraged him with questions. Did he think he could win and make the Masters?

Davis knew what to do. Every time someone mentioned the Masters to him he needed to think,


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“If I want to win this tournament and get to the Masters, I have to concentrate on my routine on every shot. I can’t start thinking about the Masters.” 26

Your pre-shot routine gives you two unbeatable advantages: 1) It will absorb you in the present, and

2) It will give you a much-needed sense of control over your shot.

There is no one ‘right’ pre-shot routine; you’ll want to put a sequence that feels just right with you.

To find it, you can experiment with the following

elements.

When you arrive at the ball, set the bag down in the same place every time. Assess the shot.

First, examine the lie. Next, calculate the correct yardage. Third, note the elevation of the green. Finally, determine the direction and force of the wind.

Choose the club.

Choose the correct club. Remove it from the bag and sight the target from

down the target line.


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Visualization Visualize the ball flying at the target with the optimum

trajectory. Approach and stance

Approach the ball deliberately, keeping your eyes only on the ball and the target.

Heft the club slightly in your hands to promote feel in your hands and arms.

After you seat the clubhead behind the ball, step in with your right foot, first, then your left.

Now make any final adjustments in your stance so you feel comfortable.

Quiet Eye

Look at the target and down at the ball. Take the club back and swing through in one smooth,

continuous motion. P

27P

Tiger’s Pre-Putt Routine

Tiger Woods’ putting routine may also inspire you:

1. I take a general view of the putt while standing behind the ball.

2. I walk to the hole, taking a side view of the line to help determine slope.

3. I examine the area around the hole. 4. I walk back to my ball and crouch behind it, getting

the most telling view of speed and break.


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5. I stand alongside my ball and make two practice strokes.

6. I move the putter behind the ball and then shift my feet forward.

7. I take two more looks at the line and hole. 8. I stroke the putt.

Here are more words of wisdom from Tiger:

The thing about my routine is that I never change it. I do it at all the same speed and go through the same thought process every single time. Not only do I gather all the information I need about the putt itself, I also get myself in the best frame of mind to stroke the putt. By the time I take my putter back, I’m a great flow, physically and mentally. 28

To enhance his pre-putt routine, Tiger Woods has a special technique:

A few years ago, I started cupping my hands around my eyes while I read putts. The reason I do this is not because I see more, because I see less. The PGA Tour can get some pretty big galleries, and there’s always a lot of movement I sometimes find distracting. By


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forming a little tunnel with my hands, I can focus totally on reading my line. You probably won’t have too big a crowd watching you play, but still there are distractions—carts zooming around, fellows walking around the greens and so forth. If you have trouble concentrating, try my “tunnel vision” technique. It will sharpen your focus and help you hole more putts. 29

One of the most important things to remember about your pre-shot routine is that it should not be a

long, arduous process.

Most beginner golfers stand over the ball too long. Remember, if you’re deliberating on the shot, you will be

tempted to think about your mechanics.

Picking the right club will probably take up the majority of your pre-shot routine. Bottom line: you need

your routine to be consistent and short.

Strategy #3: Praise Yourself

Confidence is a form of goodwill towards yourself based on self-praise. Not only will self-praise give you

confidence, it will help you eliminate destructive self-criticism.

You cannot criticize yourself if you are

busy praising yourself.


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Focus on Your Strengths

One of the easiest ways to praise yourself is to focus on your strengths.

Focusing on your strengths is particularly

important when you are playing poorly.

Remember: when you are in trouble on the golf course, your weaknesses can’t help you. Only your

strengths can.

Dave Stockton, leading money winner on the Senior PGA tour in 1993 and 1994, used this mental strategy

to take pressure off himself.

Rather than berate himself for his poor drives (which most golfers do), Stockton focused on his short

game instead:

My father would tell me not to get mad because everybody was out-driving me. He said the pressure I could put on them with my next shots…offset my lack of length off the tee, because none of them could putt as well as I could. Consequently, I developed a philosophy whereby I said that with my short game, I could whip an opponent every time. So I would never give up mentally. 30


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Stockton is one of the best putters in the world. By focusing on his key strength, Stockton mentally out-

foxed his opponents to win in the end.

Support Yourself

Top performers know that self-acceptance leads to best results. David Graham was surprised to learn this

about Jack Nicklaus, five time PGA Player of the Year:

In all the years I’ve spent playing with Jack Nicklaus, the cruellest thing I’ve heard him say to himself was, ‘Oh Jack!’ He knew he could do better and he resolved to give himself a chance to do better. He didn’t resign himself to feeling badly about himself or his game. 31

Dave Love’s father taught him how to be self-supportive at golf:

My [father] would always tell me to be my own best friend on the golf course. If I’d berate myself he’d say, “Would you talk to your best friend that way?” And I’d say, “No.” And he’d say, “Then don’t talk to yourself that way either.”


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On the course, I try to tell myself the things that I need to hear. I try to encourage myself, explain away bad shots, praise myself for my good shots…

Be patient with yourself. Be your own best coach. If your coach won’t berate you, then don’t do it yourself. 32

Here is an exercise to develop your capacity for self-

praise.

Starting today and continuing each day for the next

7 days, write 5 new and different endings for the following sentence.

Here is a sample of one day’s endings from a real golfer:

If I were 5% more appreciative of myself as an golfer--

I would accept my bad shots along with the good. I would feel more confident. I would drive the ball straighter. I would make more putts. I would let go of anger sooner. I would play more aggressively. I would keep self-doubt at bay. I would have positive swing thoughts. I would think how lucky I am to have the opportunity to

play! I would play more by feel than by thought. I wouldn't care so much about my score.


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I would enjoy the sunshine, the green grass, and the great workout it provides (I walk and carry my bag).

I would turn off my mind and let my body go.

Continue each day, even if you see repetition in

your endings. Generate new endings as much as possible.

Strategy #4: For Love of the Game

When Michael Jordan first signed with the Chicago

Bulls in 1984, the NBA’s Uniform Player’s Contract included a clause that prohibited players from certain

activities in the off-season, including playing basketball.

If you played without obtaining permission from the team and were injured, the team could get out of their

contract with you.

This was something Michael Jordan just could not agree to:

There was no way I could live with that kind of restriction. I needed to play. Not only had I always found comfort on the court, but I used the summer to improve. The Bulls finally agreed to include what I called the ‘Love of the Game Clause’. 33

Why Do YOU Play?


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In the space below, write down why you golf.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Next, write down the qualities you want to express

while golfing.

They could include power, mastery, playfulness, rhythm, fun, coordination, balance, self-confidence,

relaxation, trust, or finesse.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Knowing exactly how you want to express yourself at golf can remind you why you started golfing in the

first place.

For best results, it’s essential that you continually re-connect to why you play. P

34P

Getting back the ‘love of the game’ has saved many

pro golfers from devastating results on the golf course, including Billy Mayfair:

Billy Mayfair missed the cut both times in the first two events of 1995.


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A few hours before the start of the Phoenix Open he told Rotella that he was feeling as though he was ‘holding on by a thread’ and that he was afraid he was going to embarrass himself in the tournament. He was afraid that he would never play well again, or if he did play well for a few rounds, and got in contention, he was afraid he would blow his lead…he was afraid he was going to play his way off the tour.

Mayfair and [Rotella] discussed a strategy that was just hours away. Mayfair made the commitment to enjoy himself and rediscover the joy of the game that day. He did indeed start to play better. As a matter of fact, he almost won. He tied with Vijay Singh and lost in a playoff. 35

Fred Couples made a decision early on to always

keep the love of golf at the forefront of his mind:

I've never taken the game too seriously. From the time I started to play golf, I promised myself that I would play the sport only for fun. Even now that is why I play, and I have my carefree attitude to thank for that.


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The press still considers me one of the most laid-back athletes since Babe Ruth. That’s supposed to be a criticism, but I consider it a compliment because I think being carefree on the course is one of the secrets to scoring well consistently. When you are carefree you are relaxed, and when you are relaxed you swing more freely. P36P

‘Fun-O’

When you’re golfing, there is a game within a

game.

You can play the achievement game in which you try to hit the ball ‘right’ for best results.

Or, you can try ‘Fun-O’, a game invented by

sports coach Tim Gallwey.

‘Fun-O’ only has two rules: 1] You hit each shot in whatever way is the

most fun for you in that particular situation.

2] You relinquish entirely any concern for

results.

You still play golf—that is, you go for the hole with the least number of swings—but


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your goal is the enjoyment you get out of each stroke, regardless of the outcome. 37

Try ‘Fun-O’ when you are most frustrated on the

golf course, and see what happens.

ADVANCED Training

Thank you for being part of Breakthough Golf! It has

been a genuine pleasure serving you. If you get stuck, or want one on one mental toughness coaching, you can

email us at The Courage to Win office at [email protected]. We truly want you to be the best golfer you can be, and

we’re available to help you. If you want more advanced mental toughness strategies, I’ve developed a Courage to

Win in Sport ADVANCED 30 Day Home Study Program. For details, go here:

http://www.thecouragetowin.com/sportstudy.html

Your friend,

Lisa Lane Brown

The Courage to Win®

P.S. If you you’d like to send me a question, follow these

guidelines:

1. Keep it short and to the point.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thecouragetowin.com/sportstudy.html


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2. Tell me what’s working for your mental game before you ask your question. I appreciate the “Your approach is great” comments, but I DO need to hear your specifics because this helps me understand where you need to go next in your mental game.

3. If you have a Success Story, write “Success Story”

in the subject line of the e-mail. I read those first.

4. At the end of the email, give me your name and where you’re from.

5. Send it to me at: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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Bibliography

1. Loehr, J. (1984). Mental Toughness Training For Sport.

Penguin Books: New York, NY.

2. 23 Tewksbury, M. (1993). Visions of Excellence. Penguin Books Canada Ltd.: Viking, AB Canada.

3. Degunther, R. (1996). The Art and Science of Putting. Masters Press: Indianapolis, IN.

4. Gallwey, T. (1998). The Inner Game of Golf. Random

House: New York, NY.

5. Gallwey, T. (1976). The Inner Tennis: Playing the Game. Random House, New York, NY.

6. Woods, T. (2001). How I Play Golf. Warner Books, Inc: New York, NY.

7. Harle, D.K & Vickers, J.N. (2002). Quiet Eye Improves

Accuracy in the Free Throw. University of Calgary,

Alberta, Canada.

8. Rotella, R. (1995). Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect. Simon & Schuster: New York, NY.

9. Love, D. (1997). Every Shot I take: Lessons Learned

About Golf, Life, And A Father’s Love. Simon &

Schuster Inc: New York, NY.


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10. Chopra, D. (2003). Golf for Enlightenment: The Seven Lessons for the Game of Life. Harmony Books: New York, NY.

11. Tribble, Curt. Remember and Forgive. Journal of

Performance Education, Center for Performance Education, 1996.

11. Gallwey, T. (1998). The Inner Game of Golf. Random House: New York, NY.

12. Money is My Friend, Phil Laut, 1999.

13. Evan, P. (2003). Mental Medicine: The Ultimate Build

A Force Field Around Your Mind-Golf Guide for Becoming Mentally Indestructible.

14. Gretzky, W. (1990) An Autobiography.

HarperCollinsPublishersLtd: Toronto, Ontario,

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15. Ruskan, J. (2000). Emotional Clearing. Broadway Books: New York, NY.

16. Nicklaus, J. (1997). My Story. Simon & Schuster Inc:

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18. Orlick and Partington. Psyched: Inner Views of

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24. Alcott, A. (1991). Amy Alcott’s Guide To Women’s Golf. Penguin Books USA Inc: New York, NY.

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30. Stockton, D. (1996). Dave Stockton’s Putt To Win: Secrets For Mastering the Other Game of Golf. Simon & Schuster Inc: New York, NY.

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Golf. Penguin Books Ltd: New York, NY.

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About Golf, Life, And A Father’s Love. Simon &

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Breakthrough Golf! © Lisa Brown 2012. All Rights Reserved. … · 2020-01-08 · parts that leap out at you, then go back and read it from cover to cover. Select those strategies