'The weather is like golf - things can look bleak, then a break appears in the clouds and everything has changed.'
So why do we so often carry a bad shot in our minds with us to the next one and possibly the one after that; making sure that the cloud continues on through a good part of the game?
This has a lot to do with being able to turn OFF that irritating mind chatter that can often only serves to reinforce how disappointed you are in yourself. So I have dedicated this article to turning off negative thinking and clearing space in your mind to allow your mental state to complement your physical game.
If you can learn to turn off negative thinking this will change YOUR GAME OF GOLF FOR THE BETTER FOREVER!
There are many reasons why we have difficulty when trying to focus and play in the moment; often it is our mind chatter that will distract us when we need to concentrate the most. It could be for a multiple of reasons that our thoughts begin to wander away from the task at hand. One thing for sure is that the biggest obstacle to achieving an effortless swing is our inability to turn off that incessant mind chatter when we need to.
How can you possibly find that inner calmness needed to be in 'the zone' if you have constant thoughts invading your mind?
How would it be to find that 'OFF' button; to be able to focus completely to the exclusion of everything else going on around you? It is difficult in this short space to give you the answers you seek, but let's create some awareness and provide a couple of tips to try.
For now let's take a look at this voice in your head whilst you are on the golf course and take a peek at what it is saying to you.
The voice comments - 'Hey, you are never going to get over that water hazard … who are you kidding?'
The voice compares - 'You are never going to be as good as Dave at golf so why bother trying?'
The voice complains - 'I am fed up of waiting on every tee, play is so slow it's affecting how I play.'
The voice judges - 'What is she wearing, she should know better at her age and on the golf course as well!'
The voice has an opinion - 'I really dislike it when Janet starts going on about how wonderful her son is at everything!'
The voice is jumping ahead - 'If play speeds up I will be able to stop at the supermarket on the way home, pick up something for tea and still be in before the kids!'
The voice is in the past - 'I remember the last time I played this hole it went straight into that bunker to the right of the green'.
This voice usually isn't relevant to anything that is going on with your playing your golf shot - if anything it can be very distracting and damaging. I think you get the picture!
The problem with any thoughts other than focusing on the task in hand is that whilst thinking about something else this will often carry a mental picture along with it. So if your mind is busy concentrating on getting some shopping on the way home, what to make for dinner or the next sales meeting … it is little wonder how difficult it is to achieve that most important component to achieving a great shot - a clear mind and the ability to FOCUS on where the ball needs to go.
REMEMBER: I have mentioned often in the past that your actions follow what you last visualized. I wanted to remind you at this point to ensure that you keep a definite image of where you want your ball to land to the exclusion of all other thoughts.
For many of us that little voice in our heads is our own worst enemy - believing it to be a friend there to protect you from danger - what it often does, however, is limit your beliefs in your ability to achieve that which you desire the most. Like a well-meaning parent it will be there to protect you when you fall - because 'fall' is what you will surely do when your mind is bombarding you with negative opinions about what might go wrong.
The great thing is though is that you can choose to FREE yourself from all this mind chatter.
It takes time to practice 'switching off' your self-talk during these important few seconds. This is usually the time that will affect your shot the most and it is when your self-talk is most likely to be telling you something either distracting or negative. So by trying out some of the following tips you can learn to switch off your mind chatter and focus on making that great swing.
TIPS: Here's how … look at the following and see which jumps out at you - go with your instinct and try out what you instantly feel would work. But remember to do this during practice time or friendly round first. 1. You can mentally count through the swing - at the correct tempo for you i.e. 1,2,3, HIT. 2. Or you can use a series of words such as FOCUS, SWING, COMMIT…again time this to the correct tempo for your swing. 3. Or you could try and sing or hum to yourself as you go into your backswing- this will distract your self-talk and make it virtually impossible for any negative thoughts to creep in.
All these suggestions are designed to help you focus on what is important and to not allow other thoughts to creep in to the process.
Let your subconscious take over and help get you into the 'zone' and be able to focus fully on the task at hand. It is possible to create the right mindset for the few seconds needed to focus on where you want that ball to land.
REMEMBER: Whichever of the above tips you try you must repeat and repeat so that they become habitual. This is what makes a truly productive pre-shot routine. The idea is to make the process as automatic as changing the gear on your car.
Finally, remember that one bad shot can be followed by a fantastic shot - golf is as unpredictable as the weather, as the quote at the start of this article mentions. It is up to you to create as many cloud-free moments as possible by turning off that distracting self-talk.
In the next issue of my newsletter we are going to take a look at one of my favourite subjects; VALUES! Did you know that what we value in life affects how we play our golf?
This is a really fascinating insight into what can take us from zero to completely stressed out whilst playing a round of golf. This is definitely one not to miss.
In the meantime take advantage of all this lovely weather and get yourself off to the driving range or practice greens as confidence in your ability will help support a confident mindset.
