I know you have heard the entire how to’s about holding you club, your golf swing, placing of your feet, down swing, follow through and the list goes on and on. Right? Well I don’t know about you but every time I read an article about one of the above my game took a big turn. Not necessarily for the better. So here’s hoping that my little article turns out better than those.
I would just like to add a mental aspect to the game. I have been accused of being mental about the game but that’s not what I mean. What I want to talk about is how you think about not just your golf swing, but each and every shot you make. I would be willing to bet that you and I have a hard time being positive about our ability to strike the ball. Also where the ball is going or any one of a thousand things that could go wrong with the shot. Do you think Tiger has all that negative energy going on during his golf swing? I think not.
I like to use Tiger as an example because he is such talent and so good for and too the game of golf. There is no way he steps up to the ball and thinks about the last bad shot he made. He is not thinking of any of the things he could do wrong because he knows he is better than that. I don’t know Tiger but I am willing to bet that most of his address and setup is automatic. He is thinking of where he wants to put the shot and how good he will feel and has felt the last great shot he made.
That is the trick! The mind is the world’s greatest computer. Just like any other computer if you tell it what you want, and think about how you felt the last time you made the shot (like striking the ball to the green) your mind will make the needed adjustments by sending out the needed commands to your body.
Does that mean you can forget about the basics? No. You already know the basics. What you need to do is find a way to put them all to work when you need them. So, you have made a good or even great pitch in the past and your mind has recorded that action. What I am telling you is this, once you have physically set yourself for the shot, remember how you felt the last time you made it. This will complete the process and will keep your mind busy with a positive thought. It will also replay, in your mind, the last good pitch you made. Signals will be sent from your brain to your body. You will want to feel that way again and your body will respond positively.