Competitions in the 2018 Winter Olympics have started in PyeongChang, South Korea, with the official opening ceremonies tomorrow night. This is a good time to learn from these world-class athletes about how they developed their self-confidence and body confidence to perform in front of millions of viewers.

“Develop Self-Confidence 

What exactly is self-confidence? It is an inner feeling of certainty about who you are and what you can do.

Developing self-confidence begins off the golf course. You must believe before you can achieve. As your confidence builds, you move from ‘I’ll try it’ to ‘I think I can do this’ to ‘I know I can’ hit the shot, or break or 90, or whatever you desire. As you focus your attention on believing in your ability, you move forward toward your goal and become more confident as your skills improve.

Self-confidence is a product of the way you view yourself. Discover the power of trusting yourself.  If your view of yourself is positive, you feel good about yourself whether you had a good or bad round.  Make a point to notice the way you talk to yourself on and off the course.  Replace negative thoughts with thoughts that can boost your self-confidence.  For example, say to yourself, ‘I have hit this shot dozens of times before and I can do it again now’, rather than, ‘I need to hit this shot close for a birdie to make up for the double on the last hole.’

This state of knowing is accomplished by constantly reminding yourself of what you do well. Think about it often. The more you think about creating what you want, the easier it becomes. Use imagery that depicts yourself as being prepared, in control, confident, having fun, and swinging easily and effortlessly. When you focus on your swing fault or game weaknesses or why you can’t hit a shot it becomes difficult. Focus instead on your strengths.

The verbal, visual, and feeling images in your mind form your self-image and self-confidence. World-class golfers constantly repeat their affirming, positive self-talk. They practice these images over and over again in their minds until the image is automatically accepted. Caddies for pro tour golfers also remind their players of what they can do, and have done successfully.

How can you trust if you keep reinforcing the worst? If you are playing well, it is easy to feel confident. However, on-going confidence comes from within. It is a product of believing in yourself and believing that you can improve. With constant reinforcement of this belief in yourself and your abilities, you will develop a state of confidence. If you constantly look at what went wrong, or didn’t happen, or could have happened, there will be no confidence. It is important to always look at what you did well, and the accomplishments you did make.”

*Excerpts are from Chapter 16, Confidence; “THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances.”

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.

This transformational golf book is available now on

 www.AmazonKDP and http://amzn.to/2znB4tN

 All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

In most areas of the U.S. we are in the middle of winter and golf games are intermittent due to weather conditions. Days where your golf game is sidelined would be a good time to review basics for consistent mental golf programming.  My Positive Mental Imagery 4 Cs program addresses the four main areas in which golfers would like to improve; concentration, confidence, consistency and control. We will start with concentration.

Concentration

Focusing or concentrating in the moment is a skill that you can develop as well as any professional golfer. It is a mental skill in which you can excel no matter what your handicap is. Being completely engrossed in the process of performing a shot is known as being in the “flow” or “in the zone” where peak performances occur.

Concentration is not thinking. It is not an analytical process where you think about what is going on, what has happened in the past, or what will happen in the future. When you are totally engrossed in what you are doing (focusing), the past and future thoughts disappear and you are experiencing the process in the moment. Concentration is focusing your attention on the process of creating the present golf shot as it is taking place.

The ability to focus your mind is all-important in achieving a successful performance.  For most people, concentration constantly shifts from outside attention between shots to inside sensual attention of yourself for the actual shots.  

Lack of Concentration

Golf is called a mental game because of the necessary management of thoughts and emotions to play well. Internal or external distractions keep golfers from playing at their peak performance levels.

The human mind processes hundreds of bits of sensory information every second, so it is no wonder that we have trouble focusing on one shot at a time. This is obvious when we blame our wandering thoughts on distractions, Alzheimer’s or senior moments.

Lack of concentration is due to many factors; including tension, being too involved with correcting, finding or improving your swing, fear of missing a shot, emotional fears, fear of keeping a good round going, etc. The list is endless. This is where change needs to happen.

Many golfers believe they have to concentrate on the game for four hours when in fact it is a good thing to relax and joke with your partners between shots and concentrate only when it is your turn to hit. It is important to spend the time between shots in a manner that is most comfortable for you.

Some of the distractions that could pull your attention away and break your concentration are:

• Focusing on technique when under pressure.
• Indecision about club selection.
• Over-thinking a safe vs. risk strategy.
• Worry about results; the what-ifs.
• The downward spiral of thinking negative thoughts.

Your pre-shot routine is the key for concentration

Concentration is the art of allowing yourself to become interested. Allow yourself to become enraptured with what you are doing. Focus your full attention, along with your full intention on what you want to create. Stay committed to your mental and physical routines. This will keep you calm, in control, and focused on hitting one shot at a time.

Your pre-shot routine is the map that gives direction to your brain about the shot you are going to hit. For your results to be consistent, your routine prior to swinging must be the same every time. Successful golfers train their minds to do the same routine in sequence over and over until it becomes a habit. This would be the time to write down your routine and practice it indoors until it becomes habitual. On the golf course you can then activate the sequence by a trigger or swing key to start the process.

A mind that is busy, restless or indecisive will find it difficult to concentrate on one activity. The first step toward improved concentration would be to quiet your mind.  When it is your turn to hit, “turn on” your focus by going into your established pre-shot routine to keep your mind from wandering. As you approach your ball, begin to change your outer focus of attention to the creation of the shot you are about to hit. Imagine that you are wearing blinders and can only see the execution of the upcoming shot.

• Begin by taking deep abdominal breaths to relax and slow down your mind.
• Be totally committed to the club and shot you have selected.
• Narrow your focus by looking down the fairway connecting clearly with your target.
• Visualize the flight of the ball to the target.
• Finish narrowing your focus by taking practice swings to feel your tempo.
• Mentally rehearse the shot using positive images of past successful shots.
• Trust you will hit the shot that you have imagined in your mind.

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.

This transformational golf book is available now on

www.AmazonKDP and http://amzn.to/2znB4tN 

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

I have been waiting patiently for the past three weeks to have my computer restored after it shut down while I was in Florida for the holidays so I could send out this blog. The new hard drive was ordered from Jacksonville, Florida, traveled to Greensboro, NC, then to Raleigh, NC and back to Jacksonville ostensibly because of the inclement winter weather conditions. This process reminded me of a round of golf where we have good intentions and put a plan into action. Despite our desire for a certain outcome, the plan reverses itself and our game goes in the opposite direction.

Over the years of playing competitive golf, I have developed a mindset of letting go any attachments for a certain outcome. Golf, like life, is an inner journey of believing in yourself no matter what the outer results show.  The outer journey is simply a reflection of what is going on inside of us. For the transformation of your outside reflection to be the same as your inside beliefs, you must make more room in your heart to receive self-love, confidence, success and abundance.

To thrive in your life and golf game, allow yourself to let go of everything that distracts you, creates fear or disempowers you. To access your true self, be aware of the patterns of negative thinking and behavior that keep you from manifesting your inner power.

You can grow in self-awareness by using your creative abilities to learn from your experiences so you won’t repeat the same patterns. To play golf at your personal best requires that you have a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strategy in place.

Consider the following as signposts to lead you in the right direction of self-awareness.

• Allow yourself to envision your fondest dreams.
• Acknowledge the perfection of each moment of your golf dream.
• Practice the art of intention by writing down your daily, monthly and year-end golf goals.
• Manifest your intentions by taking disciplined action on these goals.
• Staying with your intentions opens the gateway to endless possibilities.
• Don’t give up on your dreams when you don’t accomplish your goals.
• Experience is your best teacher.
• Learn from the outcomes of your choices.
• Refuse to beat yourself up when things don’t go your way right now.
• Be kind and gentle with yourself and honor your abilities.
• Move past any anxiety and fear that keeps you from trusting yourself.
• Worrying doesn’t take away the perceived trouble; it takes away your intention.
• Worry is the interest you pay on inadequate skills. Practice.
• Change your state of consciousness by believing in infinite possibilities.
• Above all, have fun on your journey to accomplish miracles.
• Listen to others’ advice but know that you are the only expert of your own life
• Build up your golf bank account with past memories of greatness stored in the vault.
• Practice quieting your mind to focus on the wisdom that comes through your heart.
• The true nature of the heart is to create what one loves and love what one creates, without condition.
• Listen to your heart. Love is the most powerful energy in the universe that doesn’t have to understand mentally.
• Love yourself and your golf game unconditionally!

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.

This transformational golf book is available now on

www.AmazonKDP and http://amzn.to/2znB4tN 

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

The month of December signals the end of the year and forecasts the beginning of a new year. As this year draws to a close, now is the time to reflect about what you learned and what you did or did not accomplish in your golf games. Golf is an inner game. Get to know yourself better to improve your performances.

Here are 12 mental, emotional and spiritual attributes to bring you into balance for a more rewarding life and golf game:

1. Be aware. Thoughts, words and deeds are the tools of creation. Every act you perform is an act of self-definition. It is important that you use your full awareness to speak and act consciously instead of just repeating what you have heard from others.
2. Focus on what you desire, and not on what you don’t want. Choose the results you want. Have complete trust that it will happen. The degree of your trust will be the degree that the results will happen.
3.  Put yourself at the head of your gift list. Be kind to yourself. Think, talk, play golf, and live your life the way you would like it to be. Play for your own enjoyment, not to please others.
4.  Turn frustration into a smile. Smile through adversity. When you are frustrated in traffic, at the shopping mall, or on the golf course, acknowledge the emotion as an opportunity to change. Smile inwardly to change your physiology and send lightness into your heart and the world instead of darkness.
5. Turn worry into action. No one has ever accomplished anything by worrying about it. When you begin to fret about something in your life, let go of your attachment to the outcome. Formulate a plan and execute it. Affirm what it is you want to manifest NOW. For example, instead of worrying about how to hit the ball on the first tee, formulate a plan to relax, and then focus on your tempo and target.
6.  Be grateful. By being grateful for the things you do have in your life, you create a positive attitude and send positive energy into your mind and body, and also out into the world.
7. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Understand that making mistakes is the best and fastest way to learn and grow. Forgive (give for) yourself for being human and give yourself the gift of letting go of blame and guilt. Return to a peaceful and harmonious state of mind.
8. Make your self-talk positive. Monitor your thoughts. Change the words “if only” to “next time.” Stay in the present by changing fear thoughts from the past, and anxious thoughts of the future to thoughts of what you want to happen in your life right now.
9. Make happiness a habit. Look for the “good” in all situations. Have faith in the perfection of your life experience. Know that you do not always know what is best for you. Acknowledge that on another level you are creating every situation for your learning experience.
10. Use your sense of humor. Children laugh 500 times a day and adults only around 50 times. When you laugh your body produces endorphins to make you feel good. Humor can take the tenseness out of a situation. Humor builds self-esteem if you can laugh at your humanness.
11. Accept your circumstances. Acceptance is surrendering to what is; your feelings, your problems, your relationships, your golf game. Before you can change what is, recognize that this is the way it is right now. Resist the struggle. Accepting the situation brings a peace to your soul. It releases the pressure and brings relief. When you relax, you change your heartbeat, physiology and energy pattern. Then you are better able to see what to do next.
12. Do random acts of kindness. Fill in a divot, fix a ball mark, return a shopping cart, or pick up trash. You will not only feel better, you will be helping the environment and creating good will.

Let the brightness of the holiday season shine in your life

bringing you peace, harmony and love for yourself and all that you do.

Improve your golf game over the winter by listening to PMI self-hypnosis CDs in the privacy of your own home. Order today at www.pmi4.com/cart

“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.

This mental golf book for transforming your golf game is available now:

www.AmazonKDP and http://amzn.to/2znB4tN 

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

Anyone who has ever played the game of golf knows that it is different from all other sports and games. Besides the intricacy of combining one’s body parts to be in sync to hit/stroke the sitting ball squarely, golf is mostly not a reaction sport. Instead of reacting to a moving ball, the golf ball sits waiting for the club to hit it. The golfer also waits for his/her turn. In this waiting period, the mind of a golfer conjures up many negative scenarios unless the brain has been trained to focus in the moment on the predetermined strategy.

The Spirit of the Game 

The Spirit of the Game is different because golf is played for the most part without a referee or a rules official. The Rules of Golf were written to rely on the sportsmanship, integrity, and honesty of golfers to abide by the rules and etiquette for play.  It is a courteous game. Golf etiquette is an essential part of the game. Golf etiquette includes respect for other golfers, the safety of golfers, the pace of play, and maintaining the quality of the golf course.

The Human Spirit of the Golfer

Golf is a reflection of the journey into your inner self through exploring the mysteries of this royal and ancient game. At its highest levels of hitting perfect shots, and achieving your fullest potential, your spirit quietly soars “into the zone” where you are in a state of euphoria and trust. No longer is your spirit dampened by past experiences of fear, anxiety, indecision, distractions, and self-limitations. The joy you experience is in the moment, and not in the score outcomes.

When you take the self-imposed stress out of your golf game and regain confidence in your ability, you will be able to enjoy the game as a means of relaxation and a source of enriching your spirit and soul. To do this is to focus on your potential, not on your limitations.

Balance your Mind-Body-Spirit

1. Use your sense of humor: Think happy thoughts. There is an unlimited number of jokes about the game of golf and its unpredictability. Standing and waiting for your turn to hit has always been a traditional time to tell golf jokes. Perhaps it is a lost art that needs to be reinstated. Laughing is the best medicine for calming the mind and body.
2. Develop a sense of humility: When you let go of the judgments you have about yourself, golf becomes a game to enjoy. On the golf course, you will have opportunities to take a route to anxiousness or a route to happiness. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t take other people too seriously, and don’t take life in general too seriously. Remember that your number one reason to play golf is to have fun.
3. Find the good in every experience. When your nerves take over and you hit your tee ball OB on the first hole, find something good in the experience. Realize that you have seventeen more opportunities to recover from that one mistake. Step away and take a deep breath and swing your club until you feel the rhythm of the swing you intended. Let go of your attachment to the mistake.
4. Develop good habits: We all have good and bad habits that we have developed over our lifetimes. To achieve the ideal balance for health and wellbeing you need to learn good habits. In golf, we consciously develop a pre-shot routine so our results will be consistent. In life, we need to let go of bad habits and replace them with good ones. It takes at least one month of constant repetition to develop a habit. Most people forget their goals during that period and don’t form a permanent habit that requires no thought.
5. Learn from your past. Keep a written record of your achievements in the past year. Appreciate your accomplishments by anchoring the good feeling in your heart. If you are holding on to bad memories, forgive yourself for making mistakes and replace them with your good intention, feeling, and visualization.
6. Start each day with love and intention. Do things that make you happy. Plan your day so you have time to do something to indulge yourself with happiness. This is your life to create. Remind yourself how fortunate you are to be able to play golf, to be alive, what you are grateful for, and how you are going to make the best out of the day.

Being in the zone state on the golf course is the feeling of experiencing love. You have lost your ego self by being in love with the game and have forgotten the worries, judgments, and thoughts you have about how you are playing. Align with your mind-body-spirit by experiencing love for the game rather than fear. It is an individual state of being and mind to make your own happiness happen.

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 mental 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.

This transformational golf book is available now on Amazon.com   and www.AmazonKDP

 All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

As the year of 2017 winds down, it is an opportunity to look back and reflect on the successes you have had, the missed opportunities, and the life-long memories you created. It’s a good time to ask yourself if you have all the mental golf game tools in your toolbox to play at your peak performance level.

December is a month of reflection and preparation. It is the arbitrary end of a cycle we call one year. This natural cycle is one way to measure your progress in your golf game. This is an opportunity to look back and measure the successes, the missed opportunities, and the memorable moments. It is a good time to review and set your intention to make next year even more fun and satisfying than the past year.

Change your thinking and you can change your game 

Science has shown that negative thoughts and emotions create habitual patterns of stress which can reduce your performance abilities and drain your energy.

Be aware of your personal thoughts of lack and limitation. Everything you desire is possible, except when your limited thinking keeps those possibilities from happening.

Perhaps now is the time to think in a different way to change what you are doing. Instead of trying to control your golf swing, change your pattern to just trust and allow it to happen. Allow yourself to receive the success and enjoyment you deserve.

Stay in the present by letting go of how you are scoring. Do not be attached to the pattern of focusing on the outcome. If you spend too much time in the future, the present will slip through your fingers. Life and golf are meant to be enjoyed. Put all of your focus on what you are experiencing in the present moment. It will create a wonderful memory.

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. 

This transformational golf book is available now on www.amazon.com and www.AmazonKDP   http://amzn.to/2znB4tN

All royalties will be donated to Junior 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 to developing your true inner self by returning to the joy and love of self instead of seeking praise and rewards from the outside world.

Tomorrow, November 23, 2017, is Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. It is a time when we give thanks for the abundance in our lives. Thankfulness, gratitude, or appreciation is a positive feeling of the heart that acknowledges what we have received or what we are going to receive.

From my 30 years of research and my own personal golf experiences in the past 57 years, I am grateful for this opportunity to help you achieve the success that you desire for your golf game.

Gratitude is a state of being. It is a feeling in your heart that can transform your thinking and your body. This state of gratitude is where you can balance the chaos that seems to be in the world around you. Take the time to find the balance between your heart and your will to make things happen. Remember why you love to play golf.

If you have a tendency to look at your golf game with a critical eye and only notice what didn’t happen as you wished, it is time to look at the successes that you had. No golfer’s game is all good or all bad. Writing down what you enjoyed will bring back memories of the good times you had on the golf course in the past year. Be aware of how this makes you feel different.

Happiness is an attitude you can make in every moment. A key to feeling happy is gratitude. When you are thankful for whatever experience you are having, your whole being energetically opens to the possibility of feeling happiness.

Like every aspect of your golf game, repetition is necessary for success. Decide to spend time being grateful in every moment. The more you practice being grateful, you will develop an awareness of appreciating small everyday experiences.Practicing being grateful can lead to increased happiness and a feeling of well-being. Having an “attitude of gratitude” on the golf course is a positive feeling that attracts more of the best in your golf game.

It is not happy people who are thankful,

It is thankful people who are happy.

Here is a poem about gratitude that can apply to your golf game as well as to your everyday life.

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

during those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary

Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are

also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles

and they can become your blessings.

—Author Unknown

Play “In the Zone” With Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Brain for Peak Performances

Be sure to check the PMI website for previous mental golf tips. For more in-depth information about how to play “in the zone,” call Joan at 828-696-2547 for a complimentary 15-minute personal consultation.

To train your brain to play your best golf, listen to Positive Mental Imagery guided imagery CDs, available at www.pmi4.com/cart

A mental golf book for transforming yourself and your golf game is available now on www.amazon.com and www.AmazonKDP   http://amzn.to/2znB4tN

All royalties will be donated to Junior 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 to developing your true inner self by returning to the joy and love of self instead of seeking praise and rewards from the outside world.

Playing golf at your personal best requires maintaining a healthy balance between your mind, body, emotions and soul. Your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can negatively or positively affect your golf game.

Your golf swing is a good indicator of your physical balance. With good physical balance you can hit the ball with power and accuracy. When you lose your balance your tempo and timing are off and consistency is lost.

In the same way, if your emotions aren’t balanced, things like distractions and expectations on the golf course can lead to strong feelings of fear or anxiety or stress. Your thoughts that cause these emotions directly affect your biological functioning of the mind-body connection.

Golf is a game where there are ongoing problems to be solved. Golfers who have good emotional balance use healthy ways to cope with the perceived stress. They feel good about themselves and look forward to solving the problematical situations. They are aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and have learned how to keep them in balance.

The antidote to dealing with stress is relaxation. Scientific research supports that mind-body techniques for relaxation are successful in physiological changes of lowering the heart rate, lowering the breathing rate, reducing muscle tension and reducing brain wave activity.

For golfers, the main technique on the golf course for mind-body relaxation is deep breathing. Also valuable is guided imagery. By using the power of imagination, emotional anxieties can be transformed and brought into balance.

Golfers who swing with good balance and tempo can accelerate with maximum club head speed and hit the ball solidly. Here are some suggestions for maintaining balance of your mind-body-spirit connection.

1. Is your grip relaxed enough to allow the club to make the necessary motions? The shorter the club, the more relaxed your grip needs to be.
2. Have someone use your cell phone to video your practice swing. Then video your actual swing hitting the ball. Are the two swings different?
3. Notice the difference between the follow-through on your practice swing and the follow-through after hitting a ball. Were you in balance on the follow-through, or did you fall forward or backward?
4. Take a practice swing with your eyes closed to imagine and feel your swing. With your eyes closed, hit a teed up ball with a 7-iron. Did you allow your subconscious mind to hit the ball, or did you tense up and try not to miss it?
5. Put your feet together and hit a ball with your normal swing. Were you able to maintain balance?
6. Take a deep relaxing breath just before you swing. Were you more relaxed? Was the tempo and timing of your swing smoother?

 Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

To train your mind-body 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.

Transform yourself and your golf game with

“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.

Available now on www.amazon.com and www.AmazonKDP 

http://amzn.to/2znB4tN 

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!