Mental Game
The Autotelic Golfer
Take a moment to reflect on the last time you played really well; when you were at your best. What thoughts come to mind? What feelings? How did you act? If you are like most people, you’ll describe many of the same characteristics associated with being in the zone, or in a “flow” state. One of those characteristics commonly reported is a feeling of being disconnected from outcome; not knowi...
Purposeless Practice
Purposeless practice, loosely defined, is practicing a skill that doesn’t correlate with the behavior you intend to perform. In my opinion, practicing skills that don’t correlate with the intended behavior is one of the more significant factors holding golfers back from developing to their full potential. Rarely do I see golfers on the range working on skills that are going to help them get be...
Your target may not always be what you think, but whatever you are thinking is always your target.
Before reading this article, please watch the following video: Selective Attention Test What did you learn about your ability to pay attention? Did you count the correct number of passes? Did you see the person in the gorilla suit the first time? Don’t worry if you didn’t, most people don’t, and in fact, the way our brains are wired makes it nearly impossible to consciously pay attention to ...
If confidence is king in the realm of elite performance, preparation is the throne on which it sits.
Confidence is believing in your own ability, knowing what you have to do to win. My confidence was developed through preparation. – Jack Nicklaus Psychological skills are paramount to your success as a golfer. Having the physical ability to swing a golf club effectively, the technical understanding of the golf swing, and the intellectual and experiential knowledge to execute the infinite num...
Why We Resist The Very Thing That Could Make Us Great
In my years of coaching, I frequently ask golfers, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being “very important”, how important they think the mental game is to their success in the game of golf (By the way, what number would you pick?). On average the answer is usually 9 or above. I then ask a follow up question that goes something like, “I’m glad you value you the mental game so highly, and I agree,...
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