How many times have you chosen a certain golf club and the ball falls short into the greenside bunker even though you felt you had hit a perfect shot? Did you then say to yourself; “I knew that I needed to take one more club.” This was when you heard the quiet little voice inside telling you to take more club, but your logic and reasoning somehow overrode it. The quiet voice was the voice of your intuition.

Intuition is a feeling that comes from your heart when “you know” the answer without conscious reasoning. It’s the sudden alignment of neuronal pathways. And don’t discount what you feel or sense in your gut. Intuition is when you are guided by a “feeling” instead of “facts.” Our intuition works closely with the (feeling) right hemisphere of the brain. You are gifted with an ability to sense/feel what comes before the conscious mind.

You were born with intuition. You don’t have to think about how you know, you just know. It is estimated that 90 percent of people over think their decisions. Think of what that means for all the decisions you make during a round of golf. Using your intuition can keep you from making all kinds of mental errors.

Trusting your intuition is one of the most important things you can do while playing the game of golf.

Now that most of us are playing golf in our “off season,” this is a good time to practice using your intuition when it doesn’t matter as much. The easiest time to practice would be when you are playing on your own in a non-competitive situation.

When your logical mind figures the distance, target, wind conditions, etc. and decides which club is the correct one, and your little voice (subconscious) is saying to take a different one, trust your intuition. It is imperative that you believe and trust your intuition, or you will sabotage the shot.

Steps to acknowledging intuition 

1. Be open to believe and receive in the first free sense/feeling.
2. Trust your feeling/sensing of knowing as it is your wisdom and truth.
3. Believe that your intuition is your highest intelligence.
4. Let go of reason, judgment and logic – just trust the feeling.
5. Breathe to become relaxed and less stressed.
6. Learn the difference between self-talk thoughts and intuition.
7. Practice the skill of listening to your intuition.

Something isn’t right 

In your preshot routine if you sense that the little voice in your head, or your gut, is telling you that something isn’t right, it is important that you listen to it, stop your routine, and begin again. Trust that your intuition has sensed that something isn’t right and is sending you a message.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

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

If you aren’t able to maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire. 

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle at https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

Visualization or mental rehearsal is the easiest way to increase your physical golf abilities. Your unconscious mind does not differentiate real from unreal. As you imagine your golf swing, your neurons fire in exactly the same patterns they would follow if you were actually swinging the golf club.  As you see the pictures in your mind, your subconscious is convinced that the desired feat is possible. When you experience the complete success of your movement, you also feel the accompanying pleasure, which is then your cue for retrieving this information from your unconscious mind.

The only place you can practice perfectly is in your mind. When you see yourself swinging the club smoothly, easily and effortlessly (in your unconscious mind), there is no need for the inner critic (your conscious mind) that judges your actions, your reactions, and you. Mentally rehearsing at an inner mind-level gives you that added edge; the winning edge. As you center your thoughts on what you want, you automatically center your actions.

Your subconscious mind is like a computer. A computer can only operate with the programming that is put into it.  It has no choice. It has to operate on that programming.  If you tell yourself “You are so stupid!” when you miss a two-foot putt, your conscious mind is criticizing your performance and sending a powerful message of programming to be recorded into your subconscious mind. In the future, when you have a two-footer, your subconscious will bring up that program to feel the emotion of being stupid, and missing the putt.

We do not directly react to the world around us. We first create a map, which is our perception of our world. Change your “map” (your perception), and you change your reaction. The map in your mind is composed of pictures, sounds and feelings. Every human being uses one or more of these modes of sensing to create his world. You can make your golf game and your world anything you want it to be, easily and quickly.

All thought originates in the mind. Whatever you do, keep your mind focused on the positive. Hold positive thoughts and images, and believe them. Do not focus on getting rid of a problem, but on creating the positive elements that will give you the results you want. Forget the negative. Don’t even acknowledge its existence. It doesn’t exist in the present. Only give your attention to what you want in your golf game. And that of course, is only the positive.

Using your creativity through imagination is a holistic way to integrate your mental, physical and spiritual bodies for the creation of peak performances. Through positive suggestions and imagery that focus on the areas that need change or improvement, a golfer can put the competitive spirit into proper perspective and develop a new empowering attitude towards him/herself and the game.

Self-hypnosis or being in “the zone” is a natural state of life.  During a normal waking day we go in and out of a trance-like state many times.  Some of the natural states of trance we encounter are: highway trance, electronic trance (TV, cell phone, computer), movie trance, reading trance, eating trance, doing two things at the same time, watching the sunset or ocean, daydreaming, boredom, or looking at a holographic picture.

The naturalness of being in the “flow state” is apparent in the “runners high” of the marathon runner, the “tiger’s eye” of the boxer, and the “Zone State” of other athletes when they are performing at their optimum performance levels.

Being in the “Zone State” on the golf course is when you have let go of all the restrictions imposed by conscious irrelevant thoughts and you have created the reality that you want to happen.  It is when your brain and body are in such harmony before you swing that they act as one, and the swing occurs without effort or thought.

The best time to practice your golf game perfectly is at night when you are drifting off to sleep, or in the morning when you are just coming out of the sleep state. Your conscious mind is relaxed and allows your unconscious to create what you want using your imagination. Or during the day, find a place where you can be alone and quiet. Spend 10-15 minutes a few times a week where you won’t be distracted, relaxing by breathing deeply. Mentally rehearse your swing and what you want to happen during your upcoming round. Scientists have found that visualizing while in this Alpha State can improve your swing because your mind is actually programming your muscles. When you arrive at the golf course, you will find that your mind is clearer, your visualizations are sharper and your concentration and focus is easier.

You are what you think you are. You become what you see yourself becoming. Imagine that it has already happened.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

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

If you aren’t able to maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire.

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming

your life and your golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

Confidence is your ability to like yourself no mater how well you are playing. Because golf can be a humbling game, you need higher than average self-esteem to survive the ups and downs inherent in the sport. Good self-esteem enables you to retain confidence when there is adversity.

Self-esteem or self-confidence is the relationship you have with yourself; how you see yourself and what you are thinking and saying about yourself and your ability to succeed. Confidence is a state of being certain of one’s own abilities or qualities.

Self-esteem is having full trust and reliance in yourself. When you have a high level of self-esteem you will be confident, motivated, happy and have a positive attitude to succeed. Low self-esteem is reinforced by thinking negatively, criticizing your performance, or by listening to others who criticize you.

Mental Training for Building Confidence 

Most golfers aren’t aware of how much their golf games can improve with mental coaching.

Your golf game 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.

Mental training to build confidence is an ongoing process of learning to understand and control your emotions and your mind’s influence on your performances. When you are in a good state, good happens, when you are in a negative state, mistakes happen.

Master Positive Mental Skills Easily with Self-Hypnosis CDs

Hypnosis is used by Pro Tour golfers and other world class athletes to enhance their athletic performances. It is the easiest, quickest and most proven way to great mental golf.

About 90 percent of the thoughts we think about today are the same ones we had yesterday. Our poor golf games are still dominated by negative thoughts and feelings learned in our past and enhanced by our golfing environment. Hypnotic suggestion can help you program new ideas for success in your golf game.

Following are Positive Mental Imagery self-hypnosis CDs available at www.pmi4.com/cart  that will help you with positive suggestions and guided imagery to develop confidence in yourself and your abilities to access your peak golf performances under pressure.

• Replace all negative thinking with positive thoughts & images
  

“Self Hypnosis for Playing “In the Zone”  CD

• Slow Down Your Breathing to relax and focus
  

       “Progressive Relaxation of the Mind & Body” CD

• Change your focus from conditions outside you to inside
  

      “Concentration for Consistent Golf” CD

• Trust in your ability to make a smooth swing/putt
  

       “Confident Putting for Lower Scores” CD

• Replace your fears with empowering self-talk
  

       “Fearless Golf” CD

• Release all thoughts about the outcome of the game
  

     “Release from Performance Anxiety” CD

Believe in your ability and your potential

    “Confidence to Win Golf Tournaments” CD

• Access your own internal rhythm for success under pressure  

“Master Your Short Game for Low Scores” CD

Repetition is the key to mastering mental and physical skills. By listening to a CD repeatedly, the positive suggestions and imagery will be anchored into your subconscious memory bank for easy access on the golf course.

© PositiveMentalImagery 2019 – All Rights Reserved

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

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

If you aren’t able to maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire.

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

The 2019 golf tournament season is winding down now with winners being decided in league and club championships all the way up to the PGA Tour Fed Ex Cup playoffs August 8-25 for the $15 million bonus prize. Whether you are playing in an individual competition or a team event, here are some areas to review for competing successfully in your championship tournament.

Golf is a game that tests all of 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 club face 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 challenge of the 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 and to play better.

There are human qualities that enhance your performance.  There are also qualities such as 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.

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.

Here are some 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 focus.
• Decide to play in the now. Concentrate on the present shot. Use your preshot routine to 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—you. 

Emotions:

• Don’t get mad at the club; it’s the same one you used to hit that great shot yesterday.
• Change negative self-talk to positive self-talk.  Choose to let go of negative thoughts and feelings and to 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 the fear thoughts, so you can let them go. This attachment is keeping you from playing up to your potential.
• 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 preshot 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.
• Practice the way you want to play.
• 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 to 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: 

1. Use a positive pre-shot and post-shot routine. Consistent mental routines will produce consistent shots.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Play target golf. Take DEAD AIM. Have a clear picture of your target in your mind and swing to it without thinking.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Concentrate only on your game. Being concerned with your competitor’s game will distract you from being in control of your own game.
9. 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.
10. Use good body language to feel confident. Walk with your head high and looking straight ahead. Looking down at the ground will access negative self talk..
11. Change all fear shots into positive images. Stay focused in the present, giving your full attention to what you want to happen, not what you are afraid will happen.
12. Act like a champion. Act as if it is impossible to fail.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

To train your brain to play your best golf, listen to Positive Mental Imagery self-hypnosis guided imagery CD’s in the privacy of your own home, available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If you aren’t able to control your emotions and maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire.

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

This May 2019 article was published in WomensGolf.com online magazine:

When you play well, golf is fun. Golf is a game, and as such should be rewarding by itself, just for the experience. Golf can be made more enjoyable when all your expectations aren’t centered on rewards like praise or prizes. Learn to have fun on the golf course whether you are playing well or poorly. Every golf shot and every golf course has its own unique beauty and challenges. Learn from the challenges and enjoy the beauty.

To play better, set some goals for yourself so you will be able to measure your success. An important aspect to your mental golf game is good goal setting. It is necessary to have a plan to improve. Organizing your plan with specific progressive steps will keep your motivation high. Analyze your game to determine where you lose the most strokes. More than likely it is in your short game, since it comprises 65% of all shots.

To lower your score, learn to love your scoring clubs. Begin by putting for 5-10 minutes every day, either on your carpet or putting green, enjoying the movement of the putter, while holding your eyes transfixed on a spot on the golf ball. See your short game as an art form instead of shots that you “have to make” for a certain score. Enjoy the rhythm, tempo (speed), the sound, and the feel of the putter.

Here are 9 mental tips to lower your score and enjoy your golf more:

1 Whatever you are trying to do, don’t. Trying means steering. Make up your mind to hit

to your target and Just Do It!

2 Don’t give yourself instruction. Become aware of your body and swing. Imagine

feeling your body swinging the golf club easily and effortlessly.

3 Be decisive about what you are going to do. Indecision is the enemy of golfers. Don’t

hit a shot until you have absolutely made up your mind about what you want to do with

the shot.

4 Believe in yourself no matter what the results are. Believe in your ability to play well.

Trust that you can improve.

5 Emotionalize only good shots. Emotions of fear, doubt, anger, and anxiety will

sabotage your game. Be positive in talking to yourself and others.

6 Feel your balance, rhythm, and tempo. Instead of focusing your attention on a specific

part of the body or part of the golf swing, go beyond the mechanics and find your own

rhythm and tempo.

7 Leave all problems at home. Golf requires a balanced emotional level. Relax your mind

and body with deep breathing.

8 Stay in the NOW. Give each shot your full attention as if it is the only shot you will hit

today. Be fully present. Play one shot at a time.

9 Let go of all expectations. Don’t add up your score until you are finished. Enjoy each

shot as its own reward.

To recapture your joy on the course try out some of these tips and remember to have fun playing the game. Enjoy all aspects of being on the golf course, not just the score.

 Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

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

If you aren’t able to maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire.

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guidebook for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

The first part of learning the game of golf is how to strike the ball and then how to hit shots with different clubs.

The second part is how to manage yourself and how to make the most of your ability to bring in the lowest possible scores every time you play.  To achieve your potential, managing yourself is the most important part of the game.

If you strike the ball well, but manage your game poorly you will rarely win.

If you manage yourself well and hit the ball poorly you can win many times.

— Jack Nicklaus 

Self management 

When playing golf at your peak performance levels you are in a state where your mind is quiet and focused, and your body is relaxed. When you are over the ball you are focused on the process of hitting the ball. You put yourself into this mindful state of consciousness with your preshot routine so you have stopped thinking of what to do and can trust your setup.

When you are mindful, you are fully invested in the present moment; not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. You are experiencing being in the now with all of your senses. It is imperative that your body is relaxed in order to accomplish this process. 

There is a natural rhythm when you go within. Being in the zone state is like being in the flow of a river. When you go against the river, it is challenging. When you are in your own natural flow of rhythm, life and your golf game proceed easily. This is how you shift and transform into your true self. You become more aware of your senses, which give you the guidance you need to execute your golf shot.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing. While mindfulness is a natural state of being, it can be accessed with the practice of relaxing your mind and body. We already have the capacity to be present so it doesn’t require us to change who we are. Mindfulness is being completely awake to the present moment and being aware of what you are doing while you are doing it.

Golfers have a tendency to project the present into the future by thinking about upcoming holes and what they need to score in order to achieve a desired outcome. This is a perfect example of creating stress within your mind and body. With this awareness of judgment of how you are doing, mindfulness is the solution to reduce the stress and bring your mind back to the present. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

Effective Deep Breathing 

“Breathing is the most important physiological function of your body. You can live forty days without food, ten days without water, but only four minutes without oxygen.

Breathing is one of the few bodily functions that, within limits, can be controlled both consciously and unconsciously. Conscious breathing is used in yoga to calm the mind and release toxins. It is taught in Lamaze classes to reduce the heart rate, anxiety levels, and pain perception. It works in part because when breathing becomes a focus, other sensations move to the outside of your awareness.

If you watch a baby breathe, or watch someone who is sleeping, you will see this relaxed, natural breathing as the stomach protrudes on the inhale and falls on the exhale. We have been taught to relieve tension by sucking in our stomachs, taking in a big breath and letting our chest and shoulders rise. This actually creates tension and tightness in your chest and shoulder muscles. In golf we need to have these muscles relaxed so we can make a full shoulder turn to set up the torque for maximum golf club acceleration.

Deep breathing is the key to relaxation. The more you relax, the better your feel. The more you relax, the better you play. The more you relax, the easier it is to focus and be mindful. And the more you relax, the more powerful your mind is.

My personal preference to relax before hitting any shot on the golf course is to take in three deep breaths during my preshot routine. I take in one deep conscious breath each to calm and focus my mind, my body, and my spirit.”*

In my experience of playing competitive amateur golf at the highest levels, I believe that the most important ingredient in your mental golf game is efficient deep breathing to obtain the state which relaxes your muscles, clears and focuses your mind, and keeps your arousal level constant. When you inhale this breath of life correctly, know that you are breathing in your own empowerment.

*Excerpts are from Chapter 10: Deep Breathing; “THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances”

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Improve your breathing technique and mindfulness skill by listening to the PMI self-hypnosis CD “Progressive Relaxation of the Mind & Body” in the privacy of your own home. All eight PMI self-hypnosis CDs begin with guided breathing techniques for focus and relaxation. Available now at http://www.pmi4.com/cart

Visit the www.PositiveMentalImagery.com Archived Newsletters page for comprehensive information about the mental game of golf. 

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

Unlike other sports, the game of golf can be played in multiple different game formats. In Stroke Play, the lowest number of strokes taken determines the winner. In Match Play one golfer plays against another and each hole is a separate competition. The golfer who wins the most holes wins the match.

Match Play can also be played by a two-person team against another two-person team. In a Fourball Match all four players play their own ball. The low score (best ball) of the partners on each team is used for the match. A Foursomes Match is a competition where a team of two players alternate hitting the same ball. This is also known as an alternate shot or Scotch Ball competition.

Since Match Play is a player vs. player competition, the strategy is more complex than that for stroke play. In Stroke Play, the golfer plays against the golf course and a large field of other golfers. In Match Play, the golfer plays directly against one opponent who is watching and plotting against you. In addition to managing your own game, you need to know what is going on in the match so you can plan your shots accordingly.

In a stroke play competition, all putts are holed out and counted for score. In match play, conceded putts are part of the strategy of the game, and can also be a gracious thing to do, entirely at the choice of the giver.

The Sergio Mistake

Last Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Dell Technologies 2019 Match Play World Golf Championships, Sergio Garcia had a 7-foot putt for par to win the par 3, 7^th hole and square his match against Matt Kuchar who was in the hole with a bogey. Garcia missed the putt and in haste, and overcome with frustration swiped at the 4-inch putt which lipped out for a double bogey. Kuchar took a 2-up lead in the match.

This scenario of missing a “gimme” putt has probably happened to most golfers with the result that they carry the shame and anger with them for the next few holes. Sergio was no different as he missed another par putt at the 8^th hole and then took a full angry swing at the ball with his putter. At the 9^th hole he drove his tee ball way right and lost the hole. Walking up the 10^th fairway Garcia released his anger by telling Kuchar exactly what he thought about not having the 4-inch putt conceded. Garcia calmed down enough to win the 10^th hole, birdied 15 and 16 but lost the match 2-down.

Emotions in Match Play

Match play can easily play with your emotions. Golf demands emotional control for consistency. Control of your emotions is the most important part of your mental game. Your emotions can move you closer to, or further away from your goals.

Anger is a natural expression indicating we are experiencing internal conflict. Usually we get angry because things don’t go our way. When the putt that we know we can make doesn’t come off as planned, the frustration and anger surface. We feel afraid that we have lost control of the situation and feel unworthy. To release the emotion of frustration, exhale forcibly the vibration of that anger you are holding within.

Anger is an example of an unconscious behavior habit. In golf it is important to experience the feeling and then release the thought that connects with it as soon as possible so you don’t carry it over to the following holes. Criticizing and judging yourself causes a mental or emotional down-slide as your reactions can easily become magnified and erode your self-confidence.

When your emotions are out of control on the golf course, it is a perfect time to analyze and change your beliefs that are causing the distress so it won’t happen again. The same negative beliefs will probably cause you problems in your off-course life also.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

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

If you aren’t able to control your emotions and maintain trust and belief in yourself on the golf course, email Joan at pmi4@bellsouth.net or call 828.696.2547 for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation about developing a new strategy. Learn what is missing in your golf game so you can achieve the success you desire.

“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.

“THE HEART OF GOLF” guide book for transforming your life and golf game

is available now on Amazon and Kindle

https://amzn.to/2MQzjfq

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!