Traditionally in the United States, summer ends on Labor Day weekend. Autumn begins the day after that and continues until Thanksgiving thus signaling the transition from warm to cold weather. Here in western North Carolina the fall weather has brought sub-freezing temperatures at night causing morning fog and frost on the greens to delay morning tee times until the sun and temperatures rise. The deciduous trees have displayed leaves in spectacular colors which are now falling off with the rain and wind. With greens keepers busy using leaf blowers, golfers no longer have to hunt for their golf balls in the piles of leaves.
As the golf season wanes it is a good time to reflect on all that summer held for you. It is a perfect time to reflect back on how you played and to reframe all the disappointing times into learning experiences for what you want to accomplish in the future. If your scores didn’t go down, or you didn’t play as well as you desired most of the time, the first place to look is how you manage yourself on the golf course.
Have an Attitude of Gratitude
Thanksgiving in the US and Canada is the day to give thanks for a good harvest and to celebrate the hard work done to produce it. In the same way, now is the time for golfers to have an attitude of gratitude for all the wonderful occurrences on the golf course this past summer. Remember all the delicious fruits of your efforts and put them into a cornucopia overflowing with your memories of fun and happiness. Smile often as you remember your successes and the people you played with that enjoyed it with you.
As we venture into the uplifting holiday season, it is time to be introspective and change any lingering negative beliefs and emotions that could be carried over to the golf course next spring. Emotions are the most important mental ingredient in your golf game. Learning how to change your limiting beliefs and expectations that cause upsetting emotions is an important part of establishing your strong mental game. (July 2011 newsletter www.pmi4.com)
Use Self-Management for a Strong Mental Game
1. Mistakes are for learning. When you make a choice that does not produce the result you want, making an excuse will distract you from the lesson. When you mishit a shot, take the time to swing your club until you find the exact timing and tempo you desired. Learn from the mistake by repeating the correct swing until your subconscious mind has recorded it.
2. Replace fear thoughts before swinging. Change your fears to positive thoughts by visualizing the best that can happen, not the worst. What your thoughts are constantly focused upon will be attracted to you. Build a new belief system of success. If it doesn’t work, discard it. If it works, keep it.
3. Use your inner awareness. When a golfer misses a shot his/her first reaction is that there is something wrong with their technique. This is the time to take a deep breath and ask yourself what was missing in your mental preparation. Was the swing too fast? Was there interference from thinking about the score? Was there indecision or other thoughts that would cause the bad swing or bad putting stroke?
4. Play within your ability. A common mistake made by golfers is that they make shot selections based on their best shots rather than on their usual shots. By playing within your ability to hit a shot 50% or more of the time, you can exceed your expectations. As the weather gets colder and windy, this is the time of year to swing at 80% for control.
5. Make a decision to feel good. Create a good state of being on the golf course to have good results. Good results come from good decisions. Good decisions come from when you are in a good state. Bad results come from bad decisions. Bad results come from when you are in a bad state. If you are feeling good you will attract what you want. Know that you deserve it.
Log on to the PMI website and Blog for additional mental tips.
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