Archive for the ‘Golf Psychology’ Category

How Navy Seals Mental Psychology can be Applied to Golf!

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Here’s a rather interesting story about how Navy Seals increased their passing rates with some psychology:

With mental rehearsal they were taught to visualize themselves succeeding in their activities and going through the motions. As far as self talk is concerned, the experts in The Brain documentary made the claim that we say 300 to 1000 words to ourselves a minute. By instructing the recruits to speak positively to themselves they could learn how to “override fears” resulting from the amygdala, a primal part of the brain that helps us deal with anxiety. And finally, with arousal control the recruits were taught how to breathe to help mitigate the crippling emotions and fears that some of their tasks encouraged.

Upon reading this paragraph, I immediately thought whether the navy seals were playing golf (or should be playing golf).

Likewise, in golf, you would want to always think positively in your mind and visualize yourself successfully hitting the golf shot.

In other words, you want to see the path of your ball to the green, then the ball dropping in the cup. Then you would want to visualize how you would have to hit the shot with your golf swing. (or putt)

This simple act of visualization is probably like 99% of golf game itself. If you haven’t visualized much, I suggest you start doing so!

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How to Break Bad Spells(Holes) During a Round!

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

You probably can remember at least a dozen times when you or a pro golfer on TV is playing incredibly well until one hole, he/she starts melting down, making bogeys, doubles, and worse.

This bogey-train is a bad spell put on you by exception of no one except yourself.  What I mean is that this “bad” break, is really all in your head when you start messing up one hole,  then following with another and another and so on.

These bad spells are probably one of the leading causes of high golf scores including the pros.

For one, you need to be able to control your emotions, not just physically but inward, within yourself.  In other words, you need to learn how to not beat yourself on the golf course as the only thing standing between great golf and bad golf isn’t your nearest competitor but just your tiny, weeny brain.

Okay, j/k, perhaps your brain is big but that doesn’t mean you have learned how to control your emotions.

The emotional control I am talking about is the one that is near “normal” state, not too happy and not too sad (or angry).

These demons in your brain are the ones you will need to beat if you have a bad hole.

A simple way Jack Nicklaus used to do (as said in one of his books) is to focus sharply on the next shot after hitting a bad shot instead of dwelling on it.  This works pretty well and I have additional tips for breaking your bad spells.  That is to really be nonchalant or “don’t care” whether you hit it great of bad on all your shots.   Freddy Couples does this well, you should watch him play golf next time on the golf course.  I don’t think Tiger does as well on this andi think he could actually play even better if he could control his emotions better.

Whateever you do, if you get a bogey or worse on a hole, make sure you make par or better on the next hole.  It’s about breaking your bad patterns in golf.  You will always have some bad holes in golf, even if you shoot 66, but you will have to learn to spring back from those on the hole right after to maximize your scoring abilities and limit the effects of psychological negativity.

Another tip is to take a deep breath after a bad hole, then really “visualize” what you need to do to create a miracle comeback hole.  A lot of times, these simple visualizations will do more than expected.  I have done things like triple-bogeying the 15th hole then I imagined myself birding out 16, 17, and the 18th hole which I promptly did and ended up 2nd for a tournament I’ve played in.

You see, your mind is everything in golf and lots of other sports.  You will see that when you can control your mind and emtions better, you will play better golf.

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A Good(Perfect) Swing is only a small fraction of the Real Game!

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

I  might emphasize a lot of swing mechanics on this blog as of lately but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that just because your swing is perfect, you should expect/think you will score better on the course.

Golf is really mostly a mental game, just like  driving a race car is.  The moment you lose focus for 1 to 2 seconds might cost you a tournament or even a skins game.

For example, if you played video game golf, you would  have absolutely no reason to complain that your swing is bad other than your hand-eye coordication with the game controller is bad.

Trust me, video game golf, such as Wii Sports that comes with a golf game, can be helpful in learning the mental game of golf, where you must score more with your brain than your swing.

Once you reach scratch golfer status, more and more of the golf game will become a mental game for you, where you must beat yourself to keep making great scores one after another.  But this certainly doesn’t involve just a perfect swing.  A perfect swing can really only get you from point A to B when there’s no variation in elevation and wind but in reality, you will have to use your brains more to adjust your swing according to the environment.

That’s why I don’t want you to just work on your swing to hit the ball straight.   Instead, when working at the range, try to hit different shots, just like on the real course.  If the wind blows from right to left on that certain you are practicing, practice aiming 10-20 yards right of the target and working with the wind to land near your target.  These simple practices will pay off big when you actually have to deal with it on the real golf course, just don’t wait though as practice makes perfect.

Also, practice your putting often and your short game.  No major championship winner won without an amazing putting and shortgame.  Even Tiger, never hits that many greens in regulations, it’s usually his amazingly out-of-reality short game shots that win him tournaments.

You can score 66 with a bad swing and a good short game but you cannot with a good swing and a bad short game.  150 yard 8-iron full shot counts as much as your 30-yard chip shot.  Remember these tips the next time you practice and divide up your time among practicing various different shots, putting, short game, and of course, Wii Golf always helps to sharpen your mental game without hitting the real golf course.  I have actually been messing with Wii Tiger Woods 2010, let me tell you some results of what I think.

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How to Change Your Golf Swing On the Golf Course!

Monday, October 26th, 2009

One of the most tragedies you will face in golf is when you try to “change” your golf swing on the golf course because you are mishitting shots left and right.

I know this blog post is labeled, “How to change your golf swing on the golf course”, but that is actually the LAST thing you will ever want to do.

The best way to actually change your golf swing without changing it (really) is to SLOW DOWN your backswing.

That’s right, 99% of amateurs swing too fast when playing on the real golf course because it’s human nature.

The next time you hook or slice your drive OB, I want you to take a deep breath.  Then, without changing your swing, simply slow down your backswing about one pace.

When you slow down your backswing, you essentially swing down your whole swing.

Part of mysteries in golf is that your heart beat simply beats faster when playing real golf.  Hence, without you knowing, you subconsciously swing a tad faster than you did at the driving range. (when you hit those perfect shots)

If you hit 3 shots in a row really bad even after slowing down your swing, I would say even then do not try to change your swing on the golf course.  Instead, play that error whether it’s a 50 yard slice or hook.  (As I did outline in my free E-book by the way, highly recommended for those of you who haven’t.)

Remember, when you slow down your body, your heart beat slows down too.  Other than that, try to slow down everything else you do including walking.

Breathing deep 4 counts in and 4 counts out also helps, something a lot of the tour guys actually do including Paul Azinger. (who mentioned this was one of his most breaking techniques to make it to the PGA Tour in his book Zinger.  By the way, Paul Azinger is one of my all-time golfing heroes, he’s also probably the Tour’s only golfer with super-closed clubface at the top, everyone said that wouldn’t stand under pressure.  Paul Azinger won enough PGA Tour events to prove otherwise.)

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How to Develop a Pre-Shot Routine!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

One of the single most important aspects of being able to play good golf is that you have a developed pre-shot routine that’s consistent.  Whether you are hitting a driver, iron, or even putting, you need to develop a consistent pre-shot routine so you can put your swing/putts on automatic pilot.

Why?

Golf is a game where your ultimate enemy is distraction or “bad” thoughts while making a stroke, by having a solid pre-shot routine, you will eliminate most of those distractions while making each shot almost second-nature or automatic.

If you look at the top golfers in this world, virtually every one of them have developed a pre-shot routine that’s consistent down to the amount of time.  For example, you might notice that Tiger Woods takes 40 seconds to hit a golf tee shot from teeing up the ball to actually hitting the shot, it will never vary by more than couple seconds in the same round.

I’ve seen great players over in Asia while I played there for couple months long time ago, they didn’t have any pre-shot routine.  When I showed them, they thought I had a “personality” like all the American players.  LMAO, I think they were focusing too much on golf technique, not on the mental side of it.

Anyways, those players I met probably will never reach their full potential because they have never developed a “sound” pre-shot routine.

Before I tell you how to develop a good pre-shot routine, let’s take a quick look at Tiger’s.

For about the last couple years, Tiger’s pre-shot routine hasn’t changed except his number of waggles have been reduced to mostly one.  (But waggles, you can keep doing until you feel comfortable with the shot, the point of waggles.  And yes, Sergio Garcia does way too many.)

preshot-routine-1

(Left: Tiger Woods on Tee at 2007 Masters, Right: Tiger Woods on Tee at 2009 Masters)

1) First, Tiger tees up.

preshot-routine-2

2) Then he backs away about 5 feet behind the ball then does “exactly” TWO practice swings.   This number can vary on the individual but I think 1 to 2 practice swings is the best.  I do just 1 practice swing usually unless it’s a special shot.

preshot-routine-3

3) Then he gets right behind the ball lining himself (his eyes) on the imaginary line created by the target and the ball.  He then picks out a spot about 2-3 feet in front of the ball where he can align his golf club to it.  This is something virtually every pro does, lining up from the behind.  Jack Nicklaus is probably the most famous for starting to do this but this is the best way to align your tee shots and longer shots, your eyes simply work best from behind the ball.

preshot-routine-4

4) Tiger then steps up to the ball, gets comfortable, takes a look at the target, then does 1-3 waggles.  In 2007, he did 3 waggles.  In 2009 now, I believe he’s only doing 1 waggle.  Also don’t forget that when Tiger lines up to the ball, he sets his clubhead first then sets his stance.  This might be hard to notice as he does it very subtle but that’s what he’s doing.

5) After 2 waggles, he turns on the automatic pilot and BAM, on goes his muscle memory executing his swing that he has been practicing for countless hours.

You can also see the video here:

2007:

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2009:

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As you can see in Tiger’s pre-shot routine, it’s very important that you develop on consistent and sound pre-shot routine.

A pre-shot routine doesn’t have to be like Tiger’s at all but you must include couple key points:

  • Have a “key” point that strikes your brain as “starting” your pre-shot routine. This could be as simple as teeing up your ball or even touch your cap slightly.  This mental key will go a long ways to making your pre-shot routine virtually “automatic” every time you do it.
  • Practice swings – It’s a good idea to take 1 or 2 practice swings, they don’t have to be full swings (why waste your energy?) but small miniture swings of the real swing that can make you comfortable and confident.  Of course, some pros don’t even to a single practice swing.  This is fine too if it works for you.
  • Alignment – Aligning your golf ball to the target is very important.  The best way for long shots is to do it from the behind and pick out a spot (such as a leaf) 2-3 feet in front of your ball.  But if you have keen eyes and you can do it while standing next to the ball, by all means go ahead.
  • Setting up to the ball – I usually begin with my feet close together, then align my golf clubhead to my spot, then open my stance parallel to my target line.  Of course, this can vary depending on how you like it but make sure you do the same thing every time.
  • Waggle – The waggle is perhaps another important key aspect of your swing, think of it as your “feel” for the shot.  Of course, you don’t need to waggle if you don’t want to but try to develop something similar to that such as moving your lower body subtly from left to right or anything that can take some tension off your hands and body.  Think of waggle as your last “pre-swing” before the real thing.
  • Hitting to ball – What Jack Nicklaus used to do is actually “hover” his golf clubhead slightly above ground so the weight is never set down fully to the ground. (or take some weight off without the clubhead actually being airborne)  This is actually what a lot of pros do now too.  I think it’s a good idea because you never start from a completely static position.  Jack Nicklaus did this on all his shots including his putts.  I believe Tiger does this too.  By the way, for Drivers and woods, this hovering actually might be airborne right next to the ball.

In all, I am sure you can develop a sound pre-shot routine by following my guidelines stated here.  Try to practice your pre-shot routine on the driving range, not on every ball but mix it up like every 10 balls.  Even better, play an imaginary golf course on the driving range and go through your pre-shot routine on every shot while playing that golf course.

Well, gotta go now, I need to get some practice myself.  :)

Remember, a sound and consistent pre-shot routine is essential winning a skins game or even the U.S. Open.

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Golf Course Strategy – How to Determine Which Side of the Fairway!

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

You can easily improve your golf scores simply by thinking better.  In this session, I will show you how to determine which side of the fairway to “target” from the tee.

It’s a pretty simple and common sense fact but perhaps you don’t know.  And if you don’t know, this will definitely cut some strokes off your next round.

Also, this golf strategy tip can work on golf video games.  (Yes, you can practice this golf strategy without even being on a real golf course!)

golf-strategy

As you can see in the above diagram (sorry, I made it real quick with Photoshop), there’s two red circles.  Each of them represent a “side” of the fairway.

Depending on where the pin is on the green, you can increase your chances of getting the ball nearer the pin by hitting the ball at the “right side” of the fairway.

For the example above, you will want to hit your tee shot to the left side of the fairway more room to “roll” your ball on the green.

As you can see, B angle has clearly more room for you to land the ball whereas A angle will not be as big.  (Now, mind my diagram, in real life situations on the golf course, these distances can become drastically bigger/shorter.  But you get the idea.)

When I used to play tournament golf, I do this on every hole, determining which side of the fairway I should land my tee shot on.  Especially on dog-leg lefts and rights, this simple golf strategy could determine whether you get to the green on your second shot or not.

Of course, there’s many other factors to consider when determining which side of the fairway you should aim for but one thing is for sure, you will “always” have to choose a side.

Don’t just try to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway.

Usually, you will find more trouble on one side than other such as OB stakes, water hazards, and even trees.   Also, always setup your tee shot near the side of the trouble.  For example, if there’s OB on the right side, setup your tee ball on the right side of the tee so you have more room for error (better angle).   I see a lot of hackers and amateurs who do the opposite and ultimately end up in trouble. (then they cuss at themselves for that when in fact they didn’t give themselves the best chance)

Do factor all that and try to find the best spot to land your tee shot for your 2nd shot.

Golf is really about setting up yourself right for your approach shot, whether that’s from 250 yards or 100 yards.

Sometimes, on some courses, you will find a better angle and approach if you hit your tee shot onto another fairway.  (And yes, please do that, it’s not illegal.)

Well, this is just my 2 cents and I hope it cuts some strokes off your golf game by thinking about “course strategy” the next time you play.

Remember, as a rule of thumb, if the pin is on the right side of the green, setup your approach shot to the left side of the fairway.  If the pin is on the left side of the green, setup your approach shot to the right side of the fairway.  If there’s water hazard in front of the green, this tip will help greatly in increasing your chances of landing your ball on the green or avoiding water at the worst.

P.S. Golf is about playing smart, not just hitting the ball.  The better you get at golf, the more these tips will make sense to you.

Here’s a video re-cap of today’s course strategy tips:

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Golf DIY – How To Mentally Play Well and Score Well by Practicing Mentally!

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Anyone who has played golf for at least a year would realize that golf is 90% mental and 10% skill.

This is so more true as you get to a higher level such as scratch golf or pro golf.

The truth is, most PGA Tour players today can hit the ball as good as the guy next to him.

The real difference between top players who win tournaments and the guy who finishes last in a PGA Tour tournament may be blamed purely on mental state of the player.

I have mentioned in many of my previous tournament analysis that the player who is tougher nearing down the last 3 holes of the tournament usually wins the golf tournament.

That is completely true, most golf tournaments are decided on the last 3 holes.

For example, even the 2009 U.S. Open came down to the last 3 holes where Lucas Glover made a birdie on the 16th hole and parred out the rest while everyone else had at least 1 bogey. I am sure it could have been different if Ricky Barnes, Phil Mickelson, or David Duval birdied couple of those last holes.

Or even take a look at the miraculous win by Tiger Woods at 2008 U.S. Open, where Tiger had to birdie the last hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. Tiger dumps his drive in the rough, then procceeds to hit his 2nd shot to the rough, and barely makes it to the green. But Tiger’s mental toughness has helped him make that 10 footer downhiller under intense moments of pressure, not just his skill or luck.

So, how to get this mental toughness?

Well, first you need to be in that state of pressure, if you have nothing to go for, there’s no pressure.

You can easily practice this type of pressure while you practice on the driving range or play a round at your favorite golf course.

What me and my pro golfer friends like to do is actually bet money and play a skins game during the course of the round. This “pressure”, even if it’s a dollar a hole, will make you focus more on “playing” the game and also let you “practice” pressure golf.

When I am at the driving range, I like to play games with myself. I will challenge myself to hit 10 of 10 shots to within 100 yards. (You can also read about developing your bread-and-butter shot by signing up for my newsletter in the free E-book I provide.)

Another way to engage yourself in pressure golf at the driving range is to actually play a round of golf in your mind.

That’s right, I will imagine my favorite golf course and actually hit my drives, approach shots, and pitch shots. I make it so real that I actually go through my whole pre-shot routine, which is a must if you want to play great golf. (I will also do a blog post soon on how to develop and maintain a pre-shot routinne later this week.)

A lot of people don’t like to gamble on the golf course but gambling with your friends is actually one of the best ways to improve your game and practice “pressure” golf.

You don’t have to bet a lot of money, even pennies will do, just so long as there’s something on the line, mainly which boils down to your confidence, not really money itself.

So again, make sure you play for some money (or even house duties) the next time you play golf with your friends and family.

One of my favorite things to do was play skins game with all the seniors at my local club and take all their money, even with handicaps given for them. Now, that was a lot of fun because the seniors enjoyed playing with good young golfers like me, even if that was losing couple bucks every time.

Next time you go out on the range, don’t just mindlessly bang golf balls after another, practice “playing” on the practice range.

I hope these golf tips help you play better the next time you try to let your friends pay for your dinner and I will have to get back to getting my golf game up to par so I can try out for the PGA Tour next year.

Happy golfin’~

P.S. One of the keys to playing well under pressure is to simply enjoy golf and have fun. Can you remember how many times you played good and had fun?

Oops, another golfing secret spilled…

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Golf Tips – Play Better Golf by Playing Different Courses!

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

Here’s the most simplest yet great tip for any aspiring pro golfer:

Play several different courses with different features on a daily basis.

What do I mean?

You want to go out there and play many different courses in order to learn to score.

I know, you belong to a country club and you get to play the same course over and over for free but if you play there all the time, your golf game will never improve.

Why?

It’s simple.  You get used to the surrounding, you know every yardage from every tree, you get too comfortable.  When you get too comfortable, you will score good but as soon as you walk onto an unfamiliar golf course, this might shoot right back at you attacking your psychological and physical states.

To become really good “scratch” golfer, not just a scratch golfer, you need to rotate 3-5 different courses every time you head out to create the “randomness”.  Once you get in the mindset that you can play good regardless of the course, you will play much better under pressure.

Anaylsis

Face it, golf IS like playing different race tracks on your Playstation.  You need to learn to cope with new and random tracks so you learn the ability to adjust and play any course you encounter, not just your home course.

Besides that, you will also benefit from playing different courses and never get bored.

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Golf Prank Video – Fill your opponent’s car with golf balls!

Monday, October 8th, 2007

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Watch as hundreds of golf balls pour out of the driver side door…hilarious.

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Golf Book Review – Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Dr. Bob Rotella

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

I bought this book when it came out at the bookstores long times ago. (I think about 10 years ago or so…)

Anyways, this is one of the best books on golf psychology that I’ve seen in my lifetime. Although Dr. Bob Rotella isn’t a pro-golfer, he does case a lot of scenarios with other pro-golfers such as Tom Kite among many other pro-golfers to show you the mental side of playing golf.

You can get it at our new ProGolfDigest Book Store, where I’ve been adding all the great golf books I recommend for reading.

Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year’s Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or “Doc,” as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer’s game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. And, as some of the world’s greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular.

Buy the book here:

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect
by Dr. Bob Rotella
$15.61

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