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Clear For Take-Off – Pre-Shot Routine
By Randy Beckett

I’m sure you have seen a pilot go through his preflight checklist. You know, he checks all of his gauges to make sure they are working properly, checks the flaps, etc. After the checklist is complete the pilot will taxi to the end of the runway and then go through a final shorter version of his preflight checklist. Then and only then, will the pilot be given final clearance. Pushing the throttle forward the plane takes off.

Have you noticed a tour player doing the same thing? Their preflight starts with their caddie checking yardage, conditions, lie, etc. Stepping in behind the ball they begin the final preflight checklist. Moving into their stance and now just a few more checks; hand position, ball position, alignment, and their swing key. NOW they have final clearance, they push the throttle forward and take off.

Many junior golfers do not have a well-defined routine that prepares them to be in a position for success. Here are a few things to consider in developing your checklist:

Do all of your thinking behind the ball! The Thinking Zone should be about 3 feet behind the ball. You can check yardage, conditions, etc. and then choose the club and shot you want to play. Once you step across that imaginary line you are placing yourself into the Hitting Zone.

Once in the Hitting Zone get into your stance quickly. Go through a few simple checks; hand position, ball position, and alignment. These are simple glances and not a time to dwell on each one. This checklist should not take more than a second or two.

Once you get into the Hitting Zone don’t take more than 5 or 6 seconds. If you do, then you are still thinking. STOP! Start over again in the Thinking Zone.

At first you will feel rushed in the Hitting Zone. Why? Because you have conditioned yourself to think there. Take as much time as you need in the Thinking Zone, then step in and hit the shot.

Now go make some birdies!

Tags: GOLFING TIPS, Mentally Speaking by donwedderspoon
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TOTALGOLF: Developing a Mental Game for Teenagers
by Dr. Dustin T. Shannon-Brady

Relaxed concentration is the key to excellence in all things… Timothy Gallwey.

Recently I had the opportunity to do a presentation on Developing a Mental Game for Teenagers. About 16 boys from the age of eleven to fourteen participated. They burst into the room with youthful exuberance and a playful attitude. The immediate challenge was to get a vigorous, and somewhat rowdy group of boys, settled down so they could focus enough to learn something of value about their mental game. For the most part I was impressed by their willingness to listen, share and learn more about their golf game. A format of interactive sharing was utilized to keep their interest and engage them in learning from one another.

I asked them some questions about what a mental game entailed. I was bombarded with phrases like; focusing, visualization, practicing, and a wide range of other comments that belied their lack of understanding about the mental aspect of the game. This was to expected because even adults with considerable playing experience have a paucity of language about the skills of a mental game. The standard understanding of a mental game often consists of such ideas as visualization, focusing and staying positive. These are popular ideas in sporting circles, but often are unsupported with any real depth of knowledge of how to develop or use these skills to play better golf. As well, although they are important mental skills they are just the “tip of the iceberg” and a well developed mental game is much more detailed and extensive than just these popular skills. Therefore, it was to be expected that teenagers would not have a clear understanding of the mental aspect of their game.

Unfortunately, this lack of understanding of the mental game is all too common and accounts for the erratic play of skilled teenage golfers. This results in a considerable waste of talent, time and money for the players and their families. I believe it is important to help youngsters develop skills to strengthen all aspects of their golfing ability, especially their mental game. The skill sets outlined in TOTALGOLF* are applicable to motivated youngster wanting to improve their golfing performance.

To improve, a player must practice n the right way, working on both his swing and his mind….Bob Rotella.

Through the use of experiential activities I was able to access an understanding of the perceived strengths and weakness of the teenager’s mental game. Although this was a small group I do believe the ideas they shared are applicable to many players, especially other teenagers.

The mental strengths identified were the capacity to;

a. stay focused, which slightly less than half the group identified,
b. hold on to positive thoughts, which was shared by a number of the youth.
c. visualize making shots, which was mentioned as a skill by a few of the youth.

In contrast, the weaknesses of their mental game was identified as;

a. losing focus and being distracted by others and (this a was the dominant problem)
b. exploding and getting too frustrated and mad-another prevalent issue.
c. having too high of expectations and getting discouraged.

When they were asked to identify the mental strengths and weaknesses of a professional golfer they admired they said the strengths were; being focused, using visualization, and being confident. The weaknesses they identified were; loss of control, showing too much frustration, and being too pressured.

So we can see that there are a number of important mental skills that youth are aware of. Now, to help them improve, they need to address both their strengths and weakness as it pertains to their practice and playing of golf. And they will need someone who can help them develop these skills. They need to strengthen their strengths and transform their weaknesses to develop a better game. As well, there are other important skills of a mental game that need to be learned and integrated with the technical aspects of the game.

The challenge in bringing our golfing dreams to reality is to realize that we must make a commitment to develop all aspects of our game -there are no short cuts. In the final tally our outcomes will be as complete as our development-DR T.
From a Totalgolf* point of view, some obvious factors are missing. Namely, the skills of planning, preparation and discipline. These are fundamental skills for enhancing performance in any sport, especially golf. In order for youthful players to develop they will need coaching and mentorship that help them address these aspects of their game. As well, they will need to learn how to develop and use the skills of focusing, visualization, thought and feeling management. In an elementary way these skills have already identified by these youth as important but, perhaps they still lack an understanding of how to use these skills in their own game.

As well, the skill of being disciplined needs to be addressed. Discipline is essential in the development of a budding golfer and must be fostered by the help of an experienced teacher. Without a comprehensive approach to player development we can expect the loss of enjoyment and talent due to lack of attention to the role of the mental game and its integration with the technical aspects of golfing.

Hopefully, these ideas will help youthful players, their parents and coaches see and develop the mental skills that have the potential to help the aspiring teenage golfer to develop fully as a player. Of course, we believe these mental skills must compliment and support the learning of the technical game and the development of a strong, flexible and physically fit young player. Armed with the “skills of excellence” the youthful player will better prepared to find greater enjoyment and satisfaction of playing his/her best game. Now he/she can thrill in the excitement of excelling in a sport that has the promise to transform him/her into confident and competent player and person.

Tags: GENERAL GOLF TOPICS, Mentally Speaking by donwedderspoon
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Cure your slices and hooks with the #1 tool for straighter shots.

Golf Confidence Solution – Golf is a Journey, Not a Destination
By Troy Vayanos

There are many different answers to the question of what is the most important aspect of becoming a better golfer as well having more fun while out on the golf course. What is the real key to getting the most out of golf while at the same time improving your skill level?

Most often the first answer is patience plus practice and repetition of the fundamentals to be really successful at golf. Some golfers are even convinced that the right golf clubs will magically turn them into a professional golfer overnight thus bringing instant enjoyment to the game.

Some Good Points But Not What We’re Looking For …

These are all great points and are definitely very important in improving your golf game. But to really take your game to the next level of both skill and enjoyment you need to have … Confidence.

As is the case with many things in life having confidence in yourself is number one to gaining the most pleasure and success out of anything you do. When you have confidence your performance increases and you feel happier about yourself. If you feel good about yourself this will flow over into your golf game and your scores will improve. Many golfers have experienced amazing improvement with their golf game by developing a better attitude off the golf course and then carrying it over onto the golf course.

How About Golf Performance

For the individual your increased confidence does not stop with the golf game. You need to develop a performance orientated confidence. The truth is you can be as confident as you like off the golf course but if you have no faith in your golf swing then you’re still going to struggle with your golf game.

It just makes sense that without confidence in your skills and ability to perform certain golf shots you won’t play very well, it’s as simple as that. What happens if you don’t play well, you will leave the golf course feeling annoyed, cranky and very down on yourself.

How To Create All Around Confidence

Anyone’s confidence can be altered and improved one step at a time. With some large and personal problems and how you feel about yourself as a human being can take as little as a week or sometimes months or even years.

People with low self-esteem levels can often have many deep layers that require some major uncovering which by far exceeds anything that can be covered in this short article. However, for the average golfer looking to improve their golf confidence, there are some proven steps which we can all benefit from.

Without question the most important element of golf that we all need to understand is this: Golf does not define our life! Whether you play good or bad golf has no merit on your value as a person. It takes many years to develop the right mindset and skills to become proficient at playing the game of golf. If you have the attitude you will only be happy when you become a better golfer than you will forever be chasing happiness and enjoyment from this great game.

The real joy when playing golf comes from having fun and accepting the fact that golf is a lifelong journey, never a destination. This will build your golf confidence to levels you never thought were possible. If you follow this simple yet powerful affirmation then you are a good chance are achieving all of your golf goals and having a lot of fun along the way.

Tags: Mentally Speaking by donwedderspoon
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