BE IN LOVE WITH YOUR GOLF GAME

February is the month of love. The feeling of love comes from your heart. The feeling of hitting a perfect golf shot resonates in your heart. Discounting that feeling by judging the result keeps you in your thinking mind.

When you love something, you don’t have expectations. You just enjoy the experience.

It took Billy Joel 30 years to regain his love of song writing to produce a new song this year. Find your joy and resultant success now by loving to play golf.

Golfers experience this feeling of love on the golf course when they let go of trying to make things happen, stay in the present moment, and experience the joy of being “in the zone.”

Love is who you are. Whenever we disengage the great filter called “self” and lose ourselves in play, we shift our focus from survival pursuits into larger patterns of connection with unlimited possibilities.

Love is a state of peace inside where you are focused in the moment. There is no worry, fear, doubt, indecision, humiliation, feelings of self-doubt, unworthiness, inferiority, or superiority.  Any impulse to aggressively control your game will move you into these feelings of self-judgment.

When you let go of judgment and evaluation, what is left is awareness. Awareness is the key to all change. Develop your awareness by using your imagination and intuition to discover your authentic self.

Love is a force. It is also the pure essence of being. Even after you have stopped playing golf, you will remember with feelings of love the experiences you had that were so exhilarating. We know with our minds. We believe with our hearts. When you play from your heart, you are free and your possibilities are limitless, especially when you least expect them.

Your life and your golf game are miracles waiting to be fully explored and discovered. Only an open heart can unlock the treasures that wait for you. Love is what makes the world go around. Love is what makes life worth living. Love is the feeling of the utmost high. To play golf well is to love playing golf.

Self-Judgment of Lack & Limitation

One of the mental keys for successful golf is to let go of self-judgment. When you think about how you are doing, or how to do it, you are judging yourself, and your performance under the guise of helping your game. When you judge yourself, you are likely to feel anxious, guilty, embarrassed, or angry. These feelings will ultimately sabotage your golf game, lower your self-esteem, and keep you from being successful.

In the rounds of golf where you are in the zone and everything seems to flow in perfect order, your heart rhythms, blood pressure, and brain waves are entrained, or in sync. When you have a passionate love for what you are doing and are playing at your peak performance level, you have bypassed the fears of the ego.

The power to do this is in the heart. By activating feelings of the heart, you gain powerful insights that we call intuition, or inner wisdom. You intuitively know what to do.

Your mission is to discover and embrace the real you, not the person you think you must be to be loved or accepted. Your hopes and dreams are waiting for you. Claim what your heart already knows and turn your dreams into reality. Love is the intuitive knowledge of our hearts. Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned about limiting our belief in ourselves. When we release the self-limiting and self-sabotaging thoughts, we free our minds and can return to love.

Change Your State from Fear to Love

Everything in the universe is connected by love. We are disconnected by fear.

By 1965 Arnold Palmer had fallen into a prolonged slump. He said, “I suddenly got to worrying about disappointing everyone. For the first time in my life, I guess I was afraid.”

You will have your share of heartache on the golf course, but it doesn’t have to be negative. See it as another vitally important experience that is useful to learn from. Then bring your awareness back to your heart to remember why you love to play this intriguing and seductive game.

Every thought and emotion you have produces chemicals and affects your central nervous system. When you are frustrated on the golf course and your body produces adrenaline, there is an easy way to use imagery to bring your state back to peace and calm. All you need to do to access this state is to move your thinking from your head to your heart. Holding the feeling of love for thirty seconds will balance your hormonal system.

To change your state and move into your heart, think about someone or something you love. For example, think about your pet. Imagine your pet giving you its unconditional love by jumping up and down, being excited to see you, licking you and wanting to play with you. With this easy imagery, your heart is filled with love, and the frustration you experienced moments ago dissipates.

When golf becomes too serious, the fun vanishes from your game because it is no longer just a game. Examples of this would be wanting to beat your opponent or to shoot your lowest score. The research about being in the zone/flow state shows that the fun is gained from the pure purpose of experiencing the game. If your motivation to play is dependent upon the prizes or praise, and you don’t get them, your amount of enjoyment fluctuates depending upon how many external rewards you receive.

You have probably experienced the separation of mind and body and heart and called it indecision or doubt. It is when you know in your heart you want to choose a certain club, and your rational mind talks you out of it.

You will be creating at your highest level when the electrical patterns of your heart and mind are entrained. This is done by creating positive attitudes and beliefs in your mind and by feeling emotions of love and fun and in your heart.

Remember why you love the game of golf. All great athletes play their sports from their hearts. They “know” how to enjoy using their talent and skills to perform for their own enjoyment. In their hearts they “believe” they deserve to be the best and win. Use your imagination to visualize and feel yourself enjoying playing at your personal best.

Being in the flow or zone happens when a golfer is totally engrossed in the process of playing. Happiness is experienced in the heart, not in the circumstances. The fun happens when the golfer’s mind and heart are entrained in the challenging activity that matches the person’s skills. You forget about yourself and are one with the feeling of euphoria that comes from being in love with playing the game. The mystery is then solved, and you want the feeling and game to go on forever!

Play “in the zone” with Joan

      Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Additional newsletters on all aspects of the mental golf game are available on the Positive Mental Imagery website at www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

To train your brain for improving and trusting your short game, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828.707.5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

“THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances explores and explains negative emotions such as fear and performance anxiety, the four Cs of mind blockage, the four progressive stages of learning the supreme intelligence of the heart, and the way to access the zone in competition. It is a player’s guide for developing your true inner self by returning to the joy and love of self instead of seeking praise and rewards from the outside world.

This guidebook for transforming your life and golf game is available at https://amzn.to/3jEMVuv

All royalties will be donated to junior golf.

SET YOUR GOLF GOALS NOW

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to January 2024, the beginning of the New Year and a fresh start to your life and your golf game. 2023 was a challenging year for just about everybody on our planet. As golfers we are fortunate to participate in a sport that gives us relief from the drama and chaos to focus instead on something we enjoy doing.

Now is the time for reviewing your intentions and accomplishments during the past year. It is also a time to identify your goals and the possibilities to move you forward for the success you desire in the coming year. Studies show that setting goals increases your chances for success. For information on setting good golf goals, go to www.pmi4.com and click on https://cutt.ly/6wHANvx6 for Archived Newsletters January 2011.

If this is the “off-season” golf time for you, it is your opportunity to look forward and create a new vision of the golfer you want to become. It is the perfect opportunity for a new beginning to develop the golf game you have dreamed of that will pay the most dividends for you.

Making New Year’s resolutions is a tradition where a person makes a promise to take action for self-improvement. We all know that New Year’s resolutions don’t last very long. One of the reasons for failure is by setting unrealistic goals, and not keeping track of your progress. Resolutions are formed and controlled in your conscious mind. It is called will power. Your resolution lasts only as long as you are thinking about it. Peak performances in golf aren’t a matter of will or strength in your mental game as many would have you believe. Being in control of your golf swing is a matter of trusting the training you have done, and then allowing your subconscious mind to respond to that programming.

Where to start to improve?

 Self-improvement always begins by going within. There must be a balance between your belief in yourself and your physical golf game. Honest reflection of self can only be done if your mind is not consumed with fear, anxiety or negative thoughts. These kinds of belief codes keep you locked in moving away from what you truly desire. Create new belief codes by letting go of thoughts that keep you attached to failure and the lack of success in the past. Change your thoughts, words, intentions, actions, and emotions to positive ones linked to success. Then the fears associated with failure and embarrassment will vanish. To change your golf game you must manage your inside thoughts and feelings, and then your whole physical golf game changes.

 Self-knowledge breeds success

Within you lies the power to make these changes. It is you who must decide what you wish to believe and how you plan to attain your goals. Create a new year of possibilities. Take the time to envision now the golf game you desire, and the golfer that you aspire to be.  What you think, you create. What you can conceive and believe…. You can achieve!

The first step is to ask yourself if you are open to change and the possibilities it will bring to you. Are you ready to release limiting thoughts, regrets, angers, or self-defeating emotions that hold you hostage in old belief codes?

If you are willing to release the past, use your imagination to visualize yourself playing as the golfer you have always dreamed of becoming. Greet each new day as a new beginning, a chance to express your inner creative power.

As you allow your imagination to play, it frees you from the limits you place on yourself. It opens you up to the realm of potential and possibilities. Believe in yourself no matter how bad the results are. Remember that every day and act accordingly. See yourself as unlimited; accomplishing the dreams you dare to dream.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart and Mind for Peak Performances

To entrain your heart and brain to play your best golf, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-hypnosis guided imagery CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home; available at www.pmi4.com/cart

Additional information on all aspects of the mental golf game is available on the Positive Mental Imagery website at www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828-707-5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

To all who love to play golf,

Thank you for being a part of my blog community and for the trust you have placed in me.  Please accept my warmest wishes for this holiday season, for the happiest and most successful of New Years, and for an abundance of joy, peace, love, happiness, prosperity, radiant health, and whatever else your heart desires. Be well, be safe, be healthy, and may abundance come to you soon in many, many ways.

With my heartfelt wishes for you,

Joan

 

PLAY GOLF FROM YOUR HEART

As a charter member of HeartMath, I learned years ago that the human heart actually possesses the equivalent of its own brain. HeartMath calls it the heart-brain which interacts and communicates with the head-brain. The two brains continually exchange critical information that influences how the body functions. Your heart is the 15th club in your bag and is surely the most important one. Playing from your heart is always going to be more meaningful than playing from technique.

Anyone who has ever played the game of golf knows that it is different from all other sports and games. The golf ball waits for the club to hit it. The golfer also waits for his/her turn. In this waiting period the mind of a golfer conjures up many negative scenarios unless the brain has been trained to focus in the moment on a predetermined strategy. That strategy is to love playing the game regardless of the circumstances and outcome.

The real creation of your golf game and swing are in doing it and feeling it. Your body is what gives you the good feeling in your heart of hitting a perfect shot. There is a big difference between thinking about the golf swing and feeling it. The happiest person is the person who is enjoying life. The meaning of life is feeling. When you let go of all outside distractions you can feel in your heart what is inside.

The mind can be convinced but the heart has to feel it. Play with the simplicity of the heart of a child; no doubts, no questions, just feeling. You still have the heart of a child, but it’s been buried under so many rules. It is time to let go of all the self-limiting rules and let the heart of a child perform. In the feeling of a full heart, time stands still (the zone state). Let your heart be your guide. Let go of the mind and return to your heart.

If you base your success on the outcome of the shot, you have made a judgment. You have ignored the feeling by thinking it was good or bad. If you are constantly thinking about what you didn’t do perfectly, your game will not improve. I was told early on in my golf career that when I took a lesson from the club pro, ask him what I was doing right, and to practice making that better.

What gifts do you have inside yourself? Are you an athlete? Or do you believe you are not athletic? What gifts can you bring to playing the game of golf? Thinking and feeling. What gifts are you over-using? Over-thinking and negative feelings. What gifts do you need to develop? Acceptance, trust, allowing, loving.

The Human Spirit of the Golfer

Golf reflects the journey into your inner self through exploring the mysteries of this royal and ancient game. At its highest levels of hitting perfect shots, and achieving your fullest potential, your spirit quietly soars “into the zone” where you are in a state of euphoria and trust. No longer is your spirit dampened by past experiences of fear, anxiety, indecision, distractions, and self-limitations. The joy you experience is in the moment, and not in the outcome.

When you take the self-imposed stress out of your golf game and regain confidence in your ability, you will be able to enjoy the game as a means of relaxation and a source of enriching your spirit and soul. To do this is to focus on what you love about the game and not on your limitations.

Choose to Balance your Mind-Body-Spirit

Use your thoughts to create your world, and the golf game that you desire. Enlighten yourself with positive visions. See the good in all the things you are experiencing, and you will feel the happiness deep within yourself. Feel it, see it, experience it, and react to the happiness you have created. Feel the shift in perception. You create in your world exactly what you focus your attention on.Here are six mental, emotional, and spiritual attributes to bring you into balance for a more rewarding golf game:

  1. Develop a good sense of humor. Think happy thoughts. There are an unlimited number of jokes about the game of golf and its unpredictability. Standing and waiting for your turn to hit has always been a traditional time to tell golf jokes. Perhaps it is a lost art that needs to be reinstated. Laughing is the best medicine for calming the mind and body. When you play and laugh it reminds you to be grateful you are alive.
  2. Develop a sense of humility. When you let go of the judgments you have about yourself, golf becomes a game to enjoy. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t take other people too seriously. Don’t take life in general too seriously. Remember that your number one reason for playing golf is to have fun.
  3. Accept your circumstances. Acceptance is surrendering to your feelings, your problems, your relationships, your golf game. Before you can change, recognize that this is the way it is right now. Abstain from the struggle. Accepting the situation releases the pressure and brings relief. When you relax, you change your heartbeat, physiology, and energy pattern. Then you are better able to see what to do next.
  4. Think clearly and decisively. Do not make choices out of fear. What you fight against enhances what you fear. Use discernment. When you are feeling fear on the golf course, recognize it, feel it, and breathe deeply to relax your mind and body. Step away from the ball and practice swinging your club until you feel the rhythm and tempo you had intended. Then focus on your pre-shot routine.
  5. Be kind and patient with yourself.  Acknowledge yourself often and criticize yourself and your game less. Use the Power of Love for yourself, not the Love of Power. You deserve your own self-love. Love creates change.
  6. Don’t compare yourself to others. Because of the competitive nature of sports, it is easy to compare yourself with others, which adds to your sense of personal inadequacy and struggle to do better. Life lessons come from your inside world. Focus on yourself and what you are doing. You will become what you focus on. Your focused intentions are the most powerful tools you possess.

Being “in the zone state” on the golf course is the feeling of being in love with what you are doing. It happens when you have given up your ego self by being in love with the game. You have let go of the worries, judgments, and thoughts you have about yourself. You have aligned with your mind-body-spirit by experiencing love for the game rather than fearing the outcome. This is how you create your own personal happiness.

Look for the experience of love in everything that you do. Believe in it and it will happen. It is your superpower.

May the reason for the season bring you love, hope, peace, joy,

and unlimited fun on the golf course.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

      Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

Additional newsletters on all aspects of the mental golf game are available on the Positive Mental Imagery website at www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

To train your brain for improving and trusting your short game, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828.707.5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances” explores and explains negative emotions such as fear and performance anxiety, the four Cs of mind blockage, the four progressive stages of learning the supreme intelligence of the heart, and the way to access the zone in competition. It is a player’s guide for developing your true inner self by returning to joy and love of self instead of seeking praise and rewards from the outside world.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guidebook for transforming your life and your golf game is available on Amazon and Kindle https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAN YOU BOUNCE BACK FROM MISSED SHOTS?

Overthinking your situation will cause a missed shot. Not letting go of a missed shot will also sabotage your round.

How you view yourself and your golf game determines the success and enjoyment you will have. Not being able to let go of a missed shot is one of those life lessons. Holding on to feeling bad about yourself because you didn’t perform up to your expectations will ruin your self-confidence and cause you to be tentative on subsequent shots.

Since we are the only ones who think in our own minds, letting go in life and in golf requires a change in our belief about ourselves. Here are what some of the pros do to change their thinking about bad shots:

Tom Watson said, I had learned from years of experience with this intriguing little game of ours to simply put it out of my mind. There was nothing I could do to replay the shot, so why worry about it?”

Walter Hagen said he expected to hit seven bad shots a round.

Ben Hogan was one of the most skilled golf ball strikers on the planet. He once said that he expected to hit about 7-10 bad shots per round. So when he did hit a less than perfect shot, he didn’t react negatively. He accepted it as one among those 5-7 shots and moved on.

“Bounce Back” is a stat on the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour tracks bounce backs for its players. According to the PGA “Bounce Back is a stat that measures how a golfer recovers after a bogey or worse to make birdie or better on the next hole.”

Bad shots are part of golf, even for those who are The PGA Tour’s top players. There is no such thing as a perfectly played round.  The difference between pros and amateurs is that the best players don’t let a bad shot lead to another bad shot which could produce a bad hole.

Even on your best days, one bad swing can ruin a hole. Without a positive mental attitude, it can escalate to more bad holes and even to the round.

It is important to keep the game in perspective. When a person falls apart after a bad shot or a bad hole they are thinking “all” or “nothing.” Remember that the bad shot or bad hole is only a fraction of the entire round and that there is sufficient time to bounce back. Avoid negative self-talk such as “It’s going to be that kind (bad) of day.” Learn from your mistakes and move on to the next shot. Use your mistakes as motivation to play the rest of the holes well. Tell yourself that you are going to enjoy each shot no matter what the outcome.

This is the time to remember your best shots, to encourage yourself with positive messages and to relax. When “the wheels come off,” golfers usually begin to swing faster from nervousness. Concentrate on regaining your rhythm and tempo by slowing down your pace of play. Take practice swings before you hit the next shot to feel your personal timing and tempo. This will help you get back into the same frame of mind for every shot.

Tiger Woods showed us his emotions on the golf course. When he was successful, he celebrated with a powerful fist pump. When he was upset with his performance, he swore and slammed his clubs like any other golfer.

Tiger had a strategy for getting out his frustration. He gave himself 10 steps forward after hitting a bad shot to let his anger go. After those ten steps he was ready for the next shot. He taught this concept to his son Charlie to control his emotions. Tiger was quoted as saying:

“Son, I don’t care how mad you get. Your head could blow off for all I care, just as long as you’re 100% percent committed to the next shot. The next shot should be the most important in your life. It should be more important than breathing.”

Your strategy for bouncing back is to be patient and not frustrate yourself more. Everyone who has played the game of golf knows that the game can turn around on the next shot. It is important to regain a relaxed state by deep breathing to slow down your thinking and physical arousal level.

5 physical routines for bouncing back

  1. Bad shots create frustration. Vent your anger quickly in a manner that doesn’t involve others. Golfers usually use a favorite swear word to vent their anger.
  2. Create a physical trigger to announce to yourself that it is time to let go and move on to the next shot. An example would be undoing the Velcro on your glove, or taking your glove off as an action that you are finished with it.
  3. “Shake it off” by tapping your shoe or the ground a couple of times with your club (putter) as a signal that you have let go of the missed shot.
  4. Create a “moving-on” routine. Decide that once you put the club back in your golf bag, the last shot is over. Move on.
  5. Release your tension by taking slow, deep cleansing breaths. Give yourself a positive self-affirming directive like “It’s over. I am ready for the next shot.”

Mental strategies for bouncing back

  • The first rule for bouncing back is to accept that mistakes are part of this great game of golf.
  • The higher your handicap, the more you need to allow yourself to make mistakes.
  • Remind yourself the bad shot is only a small part of the entire round.
  • Let go of the missed shot and emotion before you step up to hit your next shot.
  • Take deep breaths to release tension and anxiety.
  • When you make a big number, remember that you can’t make it all up on the next hole. Accept that it might take a few holes.
  • Keep the ball in play. This is not the time to try and pull off a miracle shot.
  • Think conservatively about what you need to do to create your next shot, not about what didn’t work.
  • Use your pre-shot routine to get prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

      Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

Additional newsletters on all aspects of the mental golf game are available on the Positive Mental Imagery website at www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

To train your brain for improving and trusting your short game, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828.707.5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

 

GOLF IS A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY

The puzzling question in golf has always been; “How do I get into ‘the zone’ or ‘flow state’ to play automatically at my personal best?” This is the biggest mystery of golf.

I live in an area that is known for being a rainforest. We have a substantial amount of sunshine and an equal amount of rain to keep the grass, trees, and flowers lush and growing. This fall I dug up the crabgrass in my lawn and planted grass seed in the bare spots. I watered it faithfully every day for a week and then I got busy and didn’t water it for three days. The hot summer sun dried up the seed and most of it died. Weeds grew In the remaining dirt because weeds don’t need water. Weeds grow because they have shallow roots and absorb water at the top of the soil which steals it from the grass that has deeper root systems.

Nature is a metaphor for the growth and success we desire in our golf games. When we win, fulfillment is only temporary. It must be done again. Even the grass goes dormant in the winter.

What we need to do first is get rid of the baggage (the weeds) we are holding inside so it won’t come back and interfere with our future successes. To be successful at golf requires finding the right knowledge (soil), removing negativity (weeds) and a healthy sense of self-esteem (water).

Mental Interference

Your mind is your servant, and you can do anything you want with it. While your mind is the most powerful computer, we constantly interfere with the programming we have put into it. And we are not always aware of the existing programming we accepted in our childhood as truth. We are still being manipulated by someone else’s beliefs. You will be the master of your mind when you clear out thoughts and beliefs that are not your own. The latest buzz word is “overthinking.” Let go of too much analysis and instead learn from the experience of feeling to give you awareness. It is only in your quiet, focused mind that you can access “the zone.”

Fearless Golf

Fear and excitement operate in the same vibrational frequency. The difference is that fear keeps us stuck in our old patterns which have mostly been handed down to us. Fear keeps us anchored in belief systems that may not even be ours to begin with. Discern what is your truth and what belongs to others. Pay attention to your feelings. They tell you about you.

The only way to remove fearful thoughts and emotions is to face them head on. When you face them, your anxiety will go away. Fear is only part of the equation when it comes to facing something uncomfortable. You need motivation to conquer your fear. Instead of letting fear hold you back, use it as motivation to achieve your goals.

In my golf career I took lessons from many of the top Professional Golf Teachers. They all had different ideas about the golf swing depending on their own experience. My home Pro spent restless nights trying to figure out how to cure my shanks. It wasn’t until I shanked my way all around a par 3 during the club championship, that I was motivated to go to the range to discover how to shank on purpose. Then I was aware of what I was doing and how to correct it. To exercise control over your mind, you must detach from your thoughts (or someone else’s) and experience for yourself.

Golfers think that finding the perfect swing is the answer. They spend hours practicing technique to groove their swing. How many times do you revert to your “old” swing when things are going badly? You do not use the same swing every time. Every shot and situation are a new and different experience. The one constant to practice is your personal tempo, which is a feeling, not a thought.

The Zone State of Awareness

I easily recall the feeling of being in the zone on the golf course. Although I shot memorable scores, it is the feeling of this higher state of consciousness that reminds me of the freedom that happened without conscious effort or thought.

In this higher state of awareness, there are feelings of total calm and peace (no fear or anxiety); ease and effortlessness in swinging; a heightened sense of intuition; ease of movement; total enjoyment; weightlessness; a sense of euphoria; increased power; intensified concentration (no indecision or distractions); mental clarity (seeing a line on the green or a line to the target); and being in complete control.  Golfers “in the zone” state typically play with more accuracy due to an increased sense of feel and awareness, hit the ball longer, and shoot lower scores indicative of their peak potential.

When you are “in the zone” you are in an altered state where time appears to stand still. What happens is that you have slowed down your conscious problem-solving mind. At the same time, your intuitive subconscious mind has speeded up so that you intuitively know what to do without any interference from doubt, anxiety, or fear. You are in the flow where you are fully involved in the process of creating the shot, enjoying the feeling. You have let go of the problem and allowed your higher consciousness to create what you desire. Clean out the clutter. It may not be yours.

Breathing is your portal into the zone

Breathing is what you do every day without thinking about it. Have you noticed that the rhythm of breathing is like the rhythm of your golf swing? When you inhale, there is a brief second pause before you begin your exhalation. When you swing a golf club, there is a momentary pause at the top of the backswing before it changes direction for the downswing.

When you are in an emotional state such as worry, anger, or fear. your breathing will be quick and erratic. The rhythm of your breath is affected by any state of mind. Your breathing is in sync with your thoughts. You can modify the state of your mind by changing your breathing pattern.

The Pre-shot Routine

The key to accessing this awesome superconscious state of being is your pre-shot routine. It is a technique to take you out of your conscious mind, letting go of planning, and into your subconscious mind of just allowing. Focusing on slow, deep breaths serves as a key to unlocking the door to this extraordinary realm. Taking deep breaths allows you to transcend the limitations of the physical world and experience the expansive nature of your true self.

As you practice the technique of deep breathing, use your sense of visualization or imagination to watch your exhaled breath move away from you, stopping, and returning in a slow, methodical rhythm. When you visualize your breath in this way, your mind stops. Feel the quiet, calm, relaxation move into your mind and body. Install 2-3 deep breaths into your pre-shot routine and practice this routine on the range with every shot until you feel comfortable with the extraordinary freedom feelings of being “in the zone.”

Enjoyment

When I started my workshops, I wanted to show golfers how to have fun playing golf instead of complaining about what wasn’t working. The way to have fun is to love playing golf for the challenge and experience instead of the results. Feel and use your senses. Play with the feelings of a child who plays for the sheer enjoyment of what he/she is experiencing in the moment.

Take care of the seeds (thoughts) that you plant. You are the gardener; knowledge is the seed. For maintenance, use your mental weed whacker and remove all the weeds (mental debris) that interfere with your serenity.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

            Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

Additional information on all aspects of the mental golf game is available on the Positive Mental Imagery website at www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

To train your brain for improving and trusting your short game, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are also available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828-707-5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN AT GOLF?

As you know, winning is not under your control.

What are the skills you can develop that are under your control?

  1. There are the technical/physical skills where golfers practice in hopes of perfecting their golf swings.
  2. There are also the non-technical/mental skills of self-empowerment.
  3. An important skill to develop is a strategy for management of your game on the golf course.

Victor Hovland, the 25-year-old Norwegian who just won the last two PGA Tour Championships has been very vocal and honest about his journey to winning. Last season he was ranked 191st in Strokes Gained. He learned through analysis of his stats that when aggressively hitting greens with pitching wedge through 8-iron, he was short-siding himself 30 percent of the time. The Tour average is 20 percent. His coach says he is now 55th in Strokes Gained.

We can all relate and learn from his experiences.

  1. Physical skills: It is important to practice until you can trust your swing or putt to not think about the mechanics. Have one basic golf swing for all shots.

Hovland voiced his lack of trust; “Before, when I was standing over every shot, I was like, ‘Don’t duff it, skull it, don’t leave it in the bunker.” Me and a buddy of mine, we made up this saying: Just land it on and keep it on. We set the bar pretty low when we had a chip. Now it’s a lot of fun to be able to open up that face and just slap the ground and put some friction on the ball.”

  1. Mental Skills: The mental state you are in on the golf course determines how you will play.

Maintaining a positive attitude about your abilities on the golf course is important because it directly impacts your performance. When your negative attitude is stronger than your conscious effort, you will not be able to manifest what you want.

“I’m very hard on myself and I felt like even though I had the game to compete, I never truly believed it,” Hovland said. “I’ve just gotten better and better every single year, and with that comes the belief and I feel like the belief was the last missing piece.”

Do you think you are a positive person? According to the National Science Foundation, the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts every day.

Of those thoughts, 80% are negative and 95% are the same thoughts you thought before. Are you aware of the repetitive and/or negative thoughts you have on the golf course that are detrimental for your golf game?

  1. Course management: Save strokes and lower your scores with a good short game; putting chipping, pitching.

After his 7th place finish in the Masters, Hovland hired Eduardo Molinari, Tour player and part-time data analyst to analyze his stats. The conclusion was that Hovland was being too aggressive with his approach shots and short siding himself too often. For approach shots, the center of the green is always the best target. The best players in the world say that their target is always the center of the green for every club longer than a 9-iron.

“If you want to get to the next level, you have to look introspectively,” Victor said. “I think when you try to be honest with yourself and ask yourself, OK, how can I get better, I just basically have to force myself to change a couple of these mindset things.”

On the hot, humid Sunday final round with an almost two-hour weather delay, Victor Hovland put all his skills together and shot 63 at East Lake Golf Club for a five-stroke victory in the 30-man FedEx Cup Playoff.

Develop a personal golf game strategy

  • Early on in my golf career I watched as shorter hitters outscored the big hitters with their great short games. This is a wonderful skill to have as the distance of shots diminishes with age.
  • Your swing tempo is the most important ingredient for making good contact. Deep breathing before each shot relaxes the body to easily engage your swing tempo.
  • Use a pre-shot routine before every putt and shot for preparation, alignment, visualization, trust, and complete focus.
  • Invest in playing lessons on the golf course to show you how to execute new shots and strategy.
  • Hit for the center of the green. Tiger won with this strategy of hitting safely to 20 feet, shooting 70 and winning a bundle of majors.

The 2022-23 PGA season is officially in the record books. It begins all over again next week with the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa, California from Sept. 14-17.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

          Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

 To train your brain for improving and trusting your short game, listen to the Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3 “Master Your Short Game for Low Scores” in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are also available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828-707-5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

P.S. Feel free to pass this monthly PMI blog of mental golf keys to any friends you may have. They may wish to know about it, and to subscribe at www.pmi4.com/blog — which, as you know, costs nothing. Send it on to a friend!

 

 

 

MODEL YOUR GOLF GAME ON SUCCESS!

Modeling is the basis of Neuro Linguistic Programming. NLP is the study of the internal maps in successful people’s brains. Then their patterns of successful behaviors can be learned and modeled.

Children are the most accelerated learners. For children everything is new. They don’t have to compare their new learning experiences with old experiences (maps). Children learn unconsciously by trial and error without judgment. This is evident in the way they learn to operate cell phones, computers, and video games.

What is your knowledge base that keeps you from playing successfully?

Golf like everything else responds to your attitudes, beliefs, words, and your energy. Old, outdated beliefs create conflict and indecision. When you shift your limiting beliefs to positive empowering ones, it will be reflected in your physical game.

Energy follows thoughts

In its most successful realm, golf is a mystical experience. When you are playing “in the zone” you are experiencing a profound state of one-pointed focus of concentration, fearlessness, creativity, euphoria, and peacefulness. There is no need to think and analyze.

Model your behavior on success. Entrain your mind and body. Entrainment in golf means having your brainwaves and heart waves operating at the same frequency. This is known as being “in the zone” state where you play at your peak performance level.

  1. Manage your emotions. Release a missed shot or putt by taking a deep breath and smiling. This will release endorphins to calm your mind so you can refocus for the next shot.
  2. Manage your physical body. Stand tall, shoulders back, eyes straight ahead focusing on your target, moving at an unhurried pace.

Train your swing tempo

Imagine how you can access the perfect rhythm of your swing. For most golfers their swings tend to get faster during a round. This happens through increased confidence, or the opposite, forcing due to a lack of confidence.

Model the preparation routine of Tour players. Breathe deeply to relax your body and mind so you can focus on the shot you are about to create. Take a couple of swings before each shot, not to think about how to swing, but rather to access your natural swing tempo so your mental, physical and emotional selves feel comfortable and in sync.

Mentally practice taking the club back slowly and smoothly, making sure you finish the backswing before starting back down. There is a momentary pause at the top to accommodate the change of direction. Let the speed build gradually. If you finish out of balance, your swing tempo is out of balance.

When you stop thinking about how to swing the club, and instead feel the swing, you will access and trust your own perfect swing tempo.

Play “in the Zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

To train your mind-body connection to play your best golf, listen to Positive Mental Imagery guided imagery CDs,/MP3s available at www.pmi4.com/cart

 

 

Golf’s Slow Play Problem is Personal

The number one problem on golf courses today is slow play!

Golfers get annoyed with players who delay the game. An average 18-hole round of golf takes four hours and twenty minutes. Golfers say their rhythm is impeded when they must stand and wait for their turn. 

Slow play is due to many factors

  • Looking for lost balls.
  • Players take too many strokes on a hole.
  • Players take too much time to plan their shot.
  • Players who are not ready when it is their turn.
  • Poor management of the order of play.
  • Too much talking between shots.

What is your attitude about slow play?

Are you ready for a slowdown on the course? Or, do you become annoyed when it isn’t moving at the pace you like?

Playing “start and stop” golf becomes a mental problem when it affects your attitude. Your attitude about the situation will affect your emotions. Your attitude belief can cause annoyance in the same way as waiting in a slow-moving grocery line, or in stop-and-go traffic. 

What are the thoughts that are revolving inside your head when you have to stand and wait? In the grocery line are you judging the people in front of you who are taking up too much of “your time?” Do you tell yourself you lose your rhythm when you ust wait? Do you feel guilty that you are holding up the players in the group behind you?

If you think this way, you will become frustrated and try to make up for the slow play by playing faster. This will surely sabotage your personal rhythm and performance.

Americans are doers. 75% of our large urban population is made up of Type-A people. About half of the general population is Type-A.

Type A people exhibit the following characteristics on the golf course:

  • They are easily irritated by delays.
  • They have a high degree of competitiveness.
  • They have a low tolerance for frustration.
  • They are in a hurry to finish the round.
  • They get really annoyed at themselves when they mishit shots.
  • They cannot relax without feeling guilty.

Golf requires that you change your impatient, intolerant, always-in-a-hurry behavior. While you can’t change your personality, you can learn to behave in a patient, tolerant and more easygoing manner as required by the USGA Etiquette and Rules of Golf.

Fast Players

Under pressure such as slow play, fast players will speed up to make up for the delay. Their swings become fast and erratic causing mishits.

If you are a golfer who likes fast action, use the slow pace of play as a red flag signal to change your hurried pace. Practice slowing down by breathing deeply to relax, moving slower, and using the extra time to plan your shots more carefully. Decide that you will give every shot the same amount of time and attention. Use the extra time to consider all your options when you have a problem.

Slow Players

If you live your life in a relaxed manner, take your time, are deliberate and check thoroughly before you make a decision, you are behaving more like Jack Nicklaus or Annika Sorenstam. You are probably the “slow player” that the Type-A players are complaining about. As a slower player your personality requires being cautious and analytical. Under pressure slow players will slow down and become even more deliberate.

To be ready to hit when it is your turn, you need to develop a consistent pre-shot routine that you can count on. This will consistently program your mind and eliminate the need to overthink by checking and double-checking your strategy. Learn to enjoy your good shots, and not to internalize and dwell on missed shots.

Summary

Your golf game doesn’t reflect upon you as a person, but your attitude and behavior toward your golf game does! No human quality is good or bad except as it is used. Used properly it indicates a strength of character; improperly used it causes problems.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

            Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828-707-5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

P.S. Feel free to pass this monthly PMI blog of mental golf keys to any friends you may have. They may wish to know about it, and to subscribe at www.pmi4.com/blog — which, as you know, costs nothing. Send it on to a friend!

To train your brain to play focused golf for accessing your peak performances, listen to Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are available at www.pmi4.com/cart

 

 

STRENGTHEN YOUR MINDSET TO WIN GOLF TOURNAMENTS

Now that we are well into playing summer golf tournaments, how are you doing? In golf, every golfer can compete on his/her own level/flight which makes the competition fairer than having to compete only against the best golfers. That being said, there is still opportunity for your emotions, beliefs, and thoughts to take over and cause mismanagement of your on-course game, especially in tournaments. Your mindset/beliefs influence how you think, feel and perform in a given situation. It is what you believe about yourself that impacts your success or failure.

Golf is a game that tests all your beliefs, attitudes, personality traits, thoughts, and emotions, as well as your physical skills. It brings out the best and the worst sides of a person’s character. Unlike so many other activities in our daily lives, golf rewards success and penalizes failure immediately. You do not need to wait for a teacher to grade your efforts, or a boss to tell you what kind of a job you are doing. In golf you know as soon as the ball leaves the clubface how well you have performed.

Golf is a funny game where poorly struck shots sometimes will run onto the green and a great shot might end up embedded in a greenside bunker. Luck and a “rub of the green” are part of the game. It is up to you to accept the good breaks and to not let the bad breaks deter you from staying centered in your challenges on the golf course. Golf is not a game of perfection. An error-free round of golf is not possible. You are going to make mistakes and possibly have some bad breaks.

Golf is a game that is never mastered, never perfected. The better you play, the more the game entices you to improve even more to play better.

There are human qualities that enhance your performance. There are also qualities such as fear, anger and anxiety that sabotage your game. It is up to you to develop self-control, confidence, and an honest self-analysis. You can choose at any given moment how you want to react to a situation. Your golf game does not reflect on you as a person. The way you react to your golf shots does reflect on you as a person. “You can’t live and die by the results or try to play perfect golf. Golf is not who I am as person, they are two separate parts of my life”—Rory McElroy.

The golf course is not your opponent — you are your opponent. The golf course just waits quietly for you to challenge yourself on it. This is why it is such an exciting adventure. The golf course challenges you to get to know yourself and to grow from the experience. Remember, golf is what you do, not who you are.

Here are important areas to review for strengthening your mental golf game:

Concentration:

  • Mental concentration is at its peak when your mind is clear of all distractions.
  • “The ability to concentrate is good, but thinking too much about how you are doing what you are doing can be disastrous.” — Harvey Penick
  • Be totally prepared mentally and physically to play before you hit your shot.
  • Before addressing the ball, breathe deeply to slow down your busy mind for easier
  • Concentrate 100% on the present shot. Use your pre-shot routine to calm, center and focus on the shot you wish to create.

Tempo:

  • There is no rush. Swing as if you are working by the hour.
  • Think positively as you approach your next shot. Every shot is a new experience. The next one may be the best shot of your life.
  • Never make a change based on one bad shot or even a few missed shots.
  • Stick to the one thing you can control—your thoughts and emotions. 

Emotions:

  • Don’t get mad at your club; it’s the same one you used to hit that great shot yesterday.
  • Choose to let go of negative thoughts and feelings. Fully experience the good feelings from hitting a good shot.
  • You cannot be relaxed and tense at the same time. The easiest path to a relaxed body is through a relaxed state of mind.
  • Know the difference between being self-centered and centered in self.
  • Release fears and judgments that keep you bound in faulty thinking.
  • Let go of the attachment to worry. You created your fearful thoughts — so you can let them go.
  • Remember the confident feelings of playing “in the zone.”
  • “It’s tough to play bad when you’re happy on the inside.” – Jessica Korda, LPGA 

Positive Mental Thoughts:

  • It is more important to learn to score than it is to learn to swing.
  • A miss-hit is a golden opportunity to learn what not to do.
  • Experience is your best teacher.
  • Always picture in your mind where you want the ball to land safely.
  • Change “it’s impossible” to “anything is possible” – Just Do It!
  • A consistent pre-shot routine produces consistent shots.
  • Expecting to play a round of golf without error is unrealistic.
  • The game of golf is “mind over muscle.”
  • Golf is a waiting game. Wait for the opportunities to appear.
  • Prepare for each shot with a good attitude. Act as if it is the best feeling and the most fun filled shot you will hit today.
  • The mental game of golf is not so much what you know, as how you use that knowledge at the right times.
  • “You just have to take the attitude that you’ve done all the training that is required, and what is the point of that training if you’re not going to trust it?”Bob Rotella

To summarize mental on-course tips for winning your big tournament: 

  • Use a positive pre-shot and post-shot routine. Consistent mental routines will produce consistent shots.
  • Trust your swing. Let go of mechanical thoughts. Believe in your ability. It is impossible to “fix” your swing after missing a shot. Instead, find your rhythm and tempo.
  • Remember your good shots, not the mistakes. Don’t keep track of your missed shots by continually talking about them. Congratulate yourself for your good shots.
  • Take DEAD AIM at your target. Have a clear picture of your target in your mind and swing to it without thinking.
  • Relax your mind and body. You can’t be relaxed and anxious at the same time. Take deep breaths to relax your body and slow down your thinking mind for sharper focus.
  • Take the time to manage your game. When you miss a shot, make sure you can recover. Think the shot through. Play only percentage shots that you know you can hit.
  • Be patient. Golf is a waiting game. Wait for the opportunities to happen. The more you rush, the less clearly you are able to think. The more you rush, the quicker your swing becomes and the more mistakes you make.
  • Concentrate only on your game. Being concerned with your competitor’s game will distract you from being in control of your own game.
  • Play one shot at a time. Play each shot as if it is the most important shot you will ever hit by giving it your full intention and attention.
  • Use good body language to feel confident. Walk with your head high and look straight ahead. Looking down at the ground will access negative self-talk.
  • Use affirming self-talk. Make sure the things you say to yourself during your round are helpful and not harmful.
  • Change all fear shots into positive images. Give your full attention to what you want to happen, not what you are afraid will happen.
  • Act like a champion. Act as if it is impossible to fail.

Match play tournaments have a completely different strategy and mindset. This information is available on the website, Archived Newsletters, Match Play Golf Tournaments, September 2010.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

If these golf tips are of value to you and you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828-707-5478, by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog.

P.S. Feel free to pass this monthly PMI blog of mental golf keys to any friends you may have. They may wish to know about it, and to subscribe at www.pmi4.com/blog — which, as you know, costs nothing. Send it on to a friend!

To train your brain to play focused golf for accessing your peak performances, listen to Positive Mental Imagery self-empowering guided imagery self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s in the privacy of your own home. Eight different empowerment audios are available at www.pmi4.com/cart

THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances explores and explains negative emotions such as fear and performance anxiety, the four Cs of mind blockage, the four progressive stages of learning the supreme intelligence of the heart, and the way to access the zone in competition. It is a player’s guide for developing your true inner self by returning to joy and love of self instead of seeking praise and rewards from the outside world.

THE HEART OF GOLF guidebook for transforming your life and your golf game is available on Amazon and Kindle https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq  

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!