Golf Mind Play

Butch Harmon on 7 Things Great Golfers Do

Butch Harmon on 7 Things Great Golfers Do

Butch Harmon is known as one of the world’s greatest golf coaches. He coached Tiger Woods between 1993 and 2004. He was ranked the top golf teacher in the US by Golf Digest in a poll by his peers and in 2007 he became Phil Mickelson’s coach. He has also  worked with other major champions such as Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard, and with younger stars such as Nick Watney, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson,Natalie Gulbis, and most recently Gary Woodland . In the May 2012  edition of Golf Digest Butch Harmon writes about 7 things that great golfers do and we could all learn from the 7 tips but I think it is important to focus on just one of them. His tip No; 5 is on focus and comes from Jose Maria Olazabal.  To read the full article on the golf digest website then click here.

Jose Maria Olazabal: Get connected to the target

Jose Maria chips and pitches the ball as well as any player I’ve ever worked with. A big reason for this is how he locks onto the target during his pre-shot routine. He stares at the hole, glancing at his ball just before he hits. Amateurs do the opposite: They stare down at the ball, then hit the shot and say, “Damn, I’m going the wrong way.”Another thing I love about Jose Maria is his practice swing on greenside shots; it always has a purpose. He’s trying to feel out the shot he wants to hit. The length of the swing, the pace, and always looking down his line. Then come the waggles to keep his hands and arms loose and to help him picture how he wants the ball to fly, bounce and roll out.

It’s a good idea on any shot to get set, then forget about the ball. Nobody’s going to steal it. Use your pre-shot time to connect to the target and commit to the shot.

Here is an except from Golf Mind Play: Outsmarting your brain to play your best golf .

The mind is in constant flux, processing on average 60,000 thoughts each day.  It goes without saying that shutting out the random messages that interfere with your ability to concentrate takes some practice. An easy way to do this is to create a simple pre-shot routine that includes some mental imagery. Before you address the ball, take a moment to visualise how you will execute your swing and where you want your ball to land. Again, you really want to narrow your target down, close your mind in on what you are doing at that very moment and aim for that one spot. Eliminate all thoughts of your score, your previous shot, and who is watching you while standing over the ball. Free your mind of all complexities and make your thinking simple, linear and clear. If you can feed your mind one solid piece of information rather than a network of instruction, you will be consistently shooting lower scores and will become more relaxed while playing the game.

Have you established a regular pre shot routine that you can repeat over and over without any thought? Make sure you include visualising the target as the last part of the routine. THen when you start your backswing you have a clear image in your mind where you want the ball to land and you can relax and be confident that is where it will go.

Match Play Requires Gladiator Mentality

Match play is “Gladiator” on a golf course. It is head to head combat. The drama is much more intense that in regular stroke play. If it’s your club championship or just your regular Saturday match against your nemesis, match play comes with its own battle tactics. Match play requires gladiator mentality.  As Robert Allenby said “……match play is a fiddly game. You can play well and lose and you can play badly and win.” Match play requires a different mental game and a different strategy than stroke play. My recently published book, Mind Play for Match Play: Outsmarting your brain and your opponent in head to head golf provides you with all the mental tips and strategies to win your match. Chip Sullivan PGA who writes for PGA Home also writes about the mental stratgey of match play. You can read more here….

Match Play requires gladiator mental strategy

The Mental Strategy is based on confidence. Let your confidence radiate out of you from the first shot on driving range to the end of the match. If you’re not confident, fake it. Find a “Poker Face “- Match Play style. A healthy level of intimidation never hurt anyone except the opponent. Carry out your confidence and intimidation factor through your respectful “walk”, and not “trash talk”.

That being said, you can then divide the Mental Strategy into two segments. You can either opt to focus mentally on your opponent or on the golf course.

Which one you decide is based on your personal comfort level. If your average round of golf is a Saturday Nassau with your golfing cronies, then you are probably more at ease eyeing down your opponent and figuring out your game plan based on his or her “tells”. If you choose to battle the opponent, keep an eye on their situation. React with confidence in your own shot making choices. You should play smart, and play shot versus shot. Whereas you might go for a par 5 in two on your regular round, if your opponent is plugged in the fairway bunker, you might opt to lay up. As I mentioned earlier, this strategy would be best for the “Weekend Golfer”, with the losing opponent buying drinks in the clubhouse.

Competing against the golf course is the right mental strategy for golfers who regularly participate in amateur or professional stroke play events. I approach match play in just this manner. Strategizing for and preparing to compete against the course is my “norm”. Changing the way I prepare to play my best golf -for any format- would seem reckless and out of my element. I don’t allow my opponents’ shots effect how I play. If the same is true for you as a golfer, ask yourself: why would I mentally approach match play any differently?

Considering these things, in match play I stand assertively in my perspective. Any change to this would jeopardize my rationality over the game. In the book Mental Toughness – Training for Golf by Dr. Rob Bell, I am mentioned as a positive example for this philosophy. By remaining mentally tough and finding strength in competing against only the golf course, I gain control. This control encompasses my attitude, pre-shot routine, swing mechanics and course management. Whereas I cannot control my opponent’s choices, I most certainly can control my own. Control breeds strength and confidence, thus embodying the Mental Strategy’s main creed.

No matter your choice in adversary -opponent or golf course- approach them with confidence. Be aware of your strengths. Believe in them, and don’t change who you are as a golfer simply because the format of the game has changed. Sharpen your mind, go into battle, use “The Gladiator” mentality…and emerge a champion

Match play is golf’s ultimate mind game. It pits golfer agains golfer in a format where raw scores are irrelevant, match play is inherently different from stroke play, so it calls for a different mentality. Match Play requires gladiator mentality.

Are you nervous when you are about to play your match? Do you get overly confident if you are ‘up’ a few holes and then suddenly come crashing down when your opponent pulls out a couple of real ‘hero’ shots? How do you maintain your composure when your  3 down with 4 to go?  Well if you go to the products page you will be able to get an immediate download of Mind Play for Match Play: Outsmarting your brain and your opponent in head to head golf  and discover the mental strategy to win your next match.

Jason Day hires a sports psychologist to get his mind game under control

Jason Day hires a sports psychologist to get his mind game under control

Jason Day has decided to take on Dr.Fran Pirozollo as his new mind game coach. He is wanting to learn how to control the regular roller coaster of positive and negative thoughts combined with the anxiety and excitement of high level competitive golf. It is well know that working on your mind game is as important as working on the technical side of your game, its just that not many really like to work on the mental side. Jason Day has hired a sports psychologist to get his mind game under control as he knows this is a key piece to his overall performance so that he can play his best golf.

Jason Day enlists a mind coach to work on his mental game

Jim Tucker from the Daily Telegraph describes how Jason Day will be learning how to calm the aggression so he can land some great shots.

JASON Day has enlisted a new sports psychologist who worked with former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, to help create the calm aggression to land some telling shots of his own on Augusta’s fabled par fives.

The ambitious Queenslander may have finished in a striking tie for second at his debut US Masters a year ago but he is not standing still in his pursuit of a more refined game plan for his return to the tournament’s unique and pressured demands from Thursday.

“Augusta is an amazing place and I’ve pretty much just got to calm myself down,” said Day, who opened with an even-par 72 last year before producing a wonderful 64, the best round by a Masters rookie.

Despite a successful 2011 with Australian mental coach Neale Smith, Day has elected to switch to Dr Fran Pirozzolo, a Texan who had a long involvement with Holyfield in the ’90s as well as the World Series-winning New York Yankees (1996-2002) with legends like pitcher Roger Clemens.

“I may not look like I’m up and down from the outside but those inside things I’m working hard on controlling … the negative thoughts, the positive ones, the anxiety and the excitement,” Day revealed. “Getting that mental prep right is a big thing.”

Day identified playing the par fives better than last year as key to getting his 2012 challenge humming.

The big, drawing drives that excite the galleries left him with only five irons into the 13th and 15th at Augusta at times last year.

He was eight-under for the par fives over the week but he would feel capable of the 13-under pillaging of the par fives that countryman Adam Scott produced.

Scott stroked in two eagle putts last year and all but matched the 15-under assault on the “fives” that Greg Norman produced in 1995 when he was contending for the green jacket that he was, ultimately, never fitted for.”Playing the par fives well is going to be big for me,” Day said.

“I felt I hit some really decent shots into the greens last year and I hope I get as many chances as possible so I can contend again.”

Day has a natural adventure to his game. When he was watching the Masters on TV as a kid, you can bet he never visualised hitting puny lay-ups in front of the water on the 13th and 15th where the risk-reward is huge.

“I watched Nick Faldo hitting 2-iron off the side of the hill and going for it. I loved watching the old-school guys hitting it over the water,” he enthused.It’s at those moments that Day will enact the pre-shot routine refined with Pirozzolo, that moment of quietness before he pulls the trigger – just like before Clemens once threw the heat from the mound for the Yankees.

Day flew to the South Carolina base of coach-caddie Col Swatton last week before their short drive to Augusta last Sunday to tune-up in earnest.

“I played really, really solid last year so there are good memories,” Day said.

One of the strengths of a golfer who has an excellent mind strategy is: “have a long term memory for the good shots and a short term memory for the bad shots”. What is your mental strategy when things aren’t going great in your game? Do you  lose your temper, get uptight and let your emotions get the better of you? Are you a club slammer or a yeller?  Would you like to learn how to outsmart your game to play your best golf?  Just drop in to the products page and download the ‘how to’ so you can start playing your best golf!

Harvard Women’s Golf Team use their mind to win their tournament

Staying focused on what you can control and not adding a value to the next shot are two of the best ways to get present so you can play your best golf and win your match. Many golfers become irritated or upset by things on the golf course that are out of their control, such as: the speed of the greens, the weather, the pace of play, the idiosyncrasies of their playing partner to name a few.  The girls on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team used their mind to win their tournament.  Dennis Zehng from the Harvard Crimson reports on how the Harvard women’s golf team returned to its winning ways over the past weekend with some help from an unlikely source.

Harvard Women's Golf

“Everyone worked really hard to keep their focus on the things they could control…and stayed committed to the shot instead of the score,” Lee said. “I think it was a good indication of where we’re headed as a team.”

The Lions were led by overall first-place finisher sophomore Michelle Piyapattra—the reigning league individual champion—who dominated the par-72, 6008-yard course on Saturday with a 69.

Lee’s standout performance, which placed her just one stroke behind Piyapattra, was more surprising. The veteran had not finished first on the team in competition all year and came into the tournament averaging a score of 80 per round.

But after turning in a 75 Friday, Lee came back with a 70 the next day to take home the silver medal.

“It was all my mental game—I think I managed the pressure better, because usually toward the end [of a tournament], I get nervous, and I stop committing to shots or start thinking about score, which is always what our coach is telling us to avoid,” Lee said. “This was the one time I felt my mind was in the right place for all 36 holes…. I thought that this was a near-perfect round, a near-perfect tournament for me.”

Each of Harvard’s representatives finished no worse than a tie for 16th place.

In the best performance of her collegiate career, freshman Brenna Nelsen tied for sixth with a 151 (+7), while her classmate Lim shot 155 (+11) to finish in 14th place overall.

“Brenna’s a consistent player, and she produces a lot of solid scores in the 70s,” said captain Christine Cho of the California native, who went 77-74 over the weekend.

The highly touted rookie Lim, who had led the Crimson in scoring in all but one of its tournaments prior to this weekend, pointed to her mental game for her own below-average showing.

“I didn’t really trust myself when I was out on the course,” Lim said. “After the first day, I shot 80 and I was frustrated…. When I forgot about score and forgot about my techniques and just hit the ball, everything just came together.”

On the second day, Lim shot a 75.

Do you find yourself getting frustrated, angry or upset by those little things that you cannot control?  Would you like to learn how to outsmart your brain to play your best golf? You too can be like the girls on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team who learnt how to use their mind to win their tournament.  Let me know the things that bother you most on the golf course.

Bob Rotella on having a clear, committed mind

Sports psychologist Bob Rotella was recently discussing the keys to golfing success during a visit to the Country Club of Naples. His message was pretty simple you have to have belief and a clear, committed mind. Rotella says one of the most important things to remember ‘golf is a game’, to be played for fun and enjoyment. Jake Nordbye from the Naples News identifies many of the keys to success during Rotella’s recent visit.

Bob Rotella on having a clear and committed mind

“Belief is a tough thing for a lot of people to unlock,” Rotella said. “It’s amazing how many people see other’s strengths and their own flaws. When you don’t believe, you see the world differently, and you react differently. But you can either choose to be in a good state of mind, or choose to be in a lousy state of mind. Free will is our greatest gift.”

On Sunday, a few local golfers were given the gift of playing nine holes of golf with the world-renowned sports psychologist at the Country Club of Naples. Rotella, who usually charges thousands of dollars per session, was in town for the “Let’s Cure Cancer” fundraiser. A raffle was held as part of the event and the winners had the opportunity to get some free advice from Rotella.

“One thing I said was that any golfer can learn to think like a pro,” Rotella said. “Everyone likes to say how much they enjoy the game, and a lot of people will say to me ‘You know, I love golf — except when I’m actually doing it.’ It’s important to have a clear, committed mind, and remember it’s a game.”

Rotella has worked with a long list of PGA golfers including Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. His clients on the PGA Tour have won 25 major championships, and much of his message centers on replacing self-critical conscious thoughts with more intuitive thinking.

“It’s a challenge sometimes to be comfortable in that unconscious state,” Rotella said. “It doesn’t make sense to people to be oblivious to the outcome, or feel like you don’t care. It confuses people because they feel like they’re not trying. And yet, when athletes are playing at their best, it is very intuitive or instinctive.”

Golf is all about being open to making mistakes and not being attached to unrealistic expectations. Bob Rotella says it is about have a clear and committed mind. Do you feel that you are not achieving the scores you are capable of? Do you often have unrealistic expectations on the course, e.g. you are an 18 handicapper and believe that you should make every green in regulation, that is if it is a par 4 you should be on for 2, if it is a par 5 you should be on for 3? Well if you do you are setting your self up for failure!  Let me know if this is you and what goes on in your head. I may just have some  golf tips for you that will help you have that clear and committed mind so you can play your best golf