My intention for the past 25 years as a mental golf coach is to show golfers how to construct a solid mental golf game by combining their assets in their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. All of these components are necessary to move your thinking into your subconscious mind where you play with complete trust at your highest level of accomplishment.

What is this magical “zone state?”

Being in the zone state is where you attain your peak performance. It can happen to 40 handicappers as well as scratch golfers. When a golfer is in the zone state, s/he has let go of all of the restrictions imposed by conscious irrelevant thoughts. The golfer has created the reality that s/he wants to happen. The mind and body are harmonized before the swing so it happens without any thought or effort.

Golf is different from other sports. In many other sports, there is no time to think and the body reacts to the situation. It has been proven that professional basketball players make more shots around the basket when the opposing player has a hand in their face and they have to shoot quickly, than when they take the time to bounce the ball and shoot… and think (about missing). In golf, the ball waits for us and we spend too much time in extraneous confusing thoughts.

What does being in the “zone state” feel like?

When a golfer is in the right state of mind s/he can access peak performance throughout the round. In this zone state, golfers feel as if they are in a trance, in a heightened sense of awareness where they have total control of all aspects of their game. Some golfers say they experience a sense of euphoria which includes total calm, ease and effortlessness in swinging and an enhanced sense of intuition. This is when golf becomes a spiritual experience.

There is also an increase in power. Crisper, longer and more accurate shots result from the magnified sense of feel and awareness. Golfers have intensified concentration and mental clarity such as seeing a line on the green. In this altered state of awareness, a golfer sometimes has the experience that someone else is swinging the golf club.

Arnold Palmer said that when he was playing in the zone, he felt as if he was above himself, watching himself play.

Ted Williams commented that when he was in the zone, he felt as if the baseball stopped at the plate, waiting for him to swing at it.

When Michael Jordan was in the zone making one of his spectacularly high leaps in the air, he felt as if he would never come back down.

John Brody, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback perceived the opposing line stopped when he was in the zone. He felt as if he had all day to throw the football downfield.

Andre Agassi said when he was in the zone playing in a tennis match, he saw everything around as blue; the court, the net, the stands, his opponent… everything except for the yellow tennis ball.

What do all these experiences have in common?

Time appears to stand still for athletes when they are totally focused on being in the process of performing. When golfers are playing in the zone state, they also have a distortion of time and are lost in the enjoyment of the game.

When we aren’t playing well we are focusing on the things that make up the process. We bombard our mind with distractions and instructions on how to swing the golf club. If you are thinking about parts of your swing while you are swinging, you are controlling or steering the club with your conscious mind. This kind of thinking results in jerky, inconsistent, off-balance, out-of-tempo, and offline shots.

We judge our golf shots unmercifully. We get wrapped up in negative feelings of incompetence, failure, doubt, and embarrassment.

Let go of trying and trust your training

In our society, we have been educated to “try harder”. We are taught that the more physical effort we put into something, the more likely we are to succeed. This is very evident in the statement we have been hypnotized to believe, “No pain, no gain”.

For golfers, a more appropriate truism is, “To gain control, you have to let go of control”. Once you have learned how to swing the golf club, you must LET GO and TRUST that the proper learnings will be sent from your unconscious mind to your physical body when you are playing on the golf course. You have then bypassed your conscious analyzing, thinking, controlling mind, and just react to all the learning and habits which are stored in your unconscious mind.

Let go of trying and trust your mechanics

To enter into the zone state a golfer must trust his swing and be prepared to allow it to happen. A rhythmic movement such as walking, deep breathing, humming or whistling your favorite tune can move you into a relaxed and alert state on the golf course.

To get relaxed and focused, prepare yourself in the way you are most comfortable with your personality. If you are a sociable person, converse with your fellow golfers. If you like to prepare alone, go to a place at the end of the range or green where you have quiet and solitude.

When you are aware that you are in the zone during your round, don’t think about what you are experiencing because that will bring you out of this altered state. Know that you are experiencing your peak potential performance and enjoy every minute of it!

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, and would like to learn more about accessing the zone state, 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.

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

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 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.

There are many mental factors that make up a consistent round of golf, such as desire, realistic expectations, and confidence in your ability to perform. Consistency comes from practicing your skills until you are confident that you can execute the shot or putt. But physical practice is not enough. You must believe that you can do it time after time under all kinds of conditions. Mental conditioning is what separates the great players from the field.

Here are seven ways to improve your mental game for consistent scoring:

1. The short game.  To win you need to score lower than anyone else. It is necessary to practice the parts of your game that will lead to lower scores. Most golfers think that long drives will bring low scores by giving them birdie and eagle opportunities. This kind of thinking does not produce steadiness. In fact, most of the shots you hit are the ones that require less than a full swing. To score consistently, spend your practice time in this ratio: 63% short game: (chipping, pitching, sand shots, putting) 37% full swings from the driver through the wedge.
2. Putting.  Putting is a game within a game and can be up to 40% of your score. Develop a feel on the greens for consistency. Give every size putt the same amount of time and attention. Use the same pre-putt routine every time. Use the same tempo on every size putt. Believe in your ability to relax, roll the ball well, and feel the distance.
3. Eliminate three-putts. One of the differences between amateurs and pros is the number of three-putts in a round. Pros focus more on distance than line on their long putts so the next putt will be within three feet for an easy two-putt. Their success rate in doing this is 90% of the time. Practice putting 30 to 60-foot putts to determine your length stroke for each distance. By getting a better feel for these distances you will have more confidence to roll the putt within three feet.
4. The pre-shot routine. To be consistent you need to have a consistent pre-shot routine. Having the same routine on every shot enables you to play automatically letting your learned skills take over. The routine keeps your mind focused on the present moment. If you vary your routine from shot to shot you can expect inconsistent results. Program your mind so it is conditioned to do the same routine on every shot and putt.
5. Your Personality.  Players who are consistent in the way they live their lives off the golf course will usually hit more fairways and greens than players who like to “grip it and rip it.” If you are a person who likes action rather than routine, you need to change your thoughts, attitudes, and actions to program consistency rather than excitement. Instead of trying to hit the longest drive of your life on each hole, set a goal for yourself such as hitting 8 or 10 fairways. Instead of trying to get the most out of the club each time, take more club and swing smoothly to ensure hitting the greens.
6. Percentage Golf. Do not try to hit shots that you are indecisive about. For example, if you are having trouble hitting your driver in the fairway, drive with your 3-metal. Hit your 9-wood instead of a long iron if you have more confidence in it. If you aren’t hitting your irons well, take one more club hitting into the greens to avoid the bunkers in front of the green. If you aren’t confident about your bunker play, focus on relaxing to get the ball on the green instead of trying to get it close. Don’t hit any shots that you don’t own. Plan each shot carefully so you don’t turn one mistake into two.
7. Remain Positive.  Change any limiting beliefs you have about yourself and your game. Enhance your self-image by seeing yourself as the player you know you can be even though you miss a shot. Talk to yourself on the golf course positively seeing only the solution to each situation instead of thinking negatively about the “what ifs” that could 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 score consistently and believe 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.

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

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 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 golf media is always promoting the newest best golfer who hasn’t won a major. This keeps changing as the last four major championships have been won by players who had previously never won a major championship. The latest was 24-year-old Justin Thomas who won the PGA Championship and the coveted Wanamaker Trophy at Quail Hollow last Sunday.

Not usually mentioned on that list is Christopher James Stroud who turned pro in 2004 and played on mini-tours until he earned his PGA Tour card in 2006 in a qualifying school. Since 2007 he has played in at least 24 PGA Tour events every season. In his 290 starts, he made the cut 115 times and earned over $10 million in on-course winnings.

Stroud, 35, won his first tour victory August 6^th at the Barracuda Championship, earning $594,000, the last spot in the PGA Championship, and a full PGA Tour 2-year exemption.

“All these years, I kept telling myself, ‘You’re going to win. You’re great,’ being super positive to myself,’’ Stroud said. “Then, I gave up on it. About six months ago, I said, ‘I’ve had 10 years of good run out here. I’ve played well. I don’t care if I win anymore. I’m going to play the best I can and let’s just ride this out. I don’t know if I’m good enough to win or keep my card.’

“Since I surrendered to that it’s like all of a sudden the weight was off my shoulders. All these people told me this for years, but I had to get to the bottom to figure it out. I literally said, ‘I’m done. I’m just going to do the best I can and have as much fun as I can.’ All of a sudden it falls in my lap.”

After his win in Reno, Stroud said, “there are more important things in life than golf.” He changed his attitude of putting 20 years of pressure on himself on Tour by saying he is just going to enjoy playing. He also took an opportunity to invest in a lucrative business, which took the pressure off having to make golf his “financial bread-and-butter”.

The week following his win, Stroud had a chance at winning the PGA Championship. He began his Sunday round tied for second with Matsuyama, one stroke behind the leader Kisner. Stroud shot 76 and finished tied for ninth. The difference between contending for a major title and being consigned to golf’s minor tours, Stroud said, is “one putt a day, basically.”

If you find that you are putting too much pressure on yourself to win, use these tips from the pros who deal with pressure at the highest levels:

1. Remember why you play the game. Golf becomes fun when you let go trying to make things happen.
2. Have another avocation so you aren’t immersed 100% in trying to be perfect. Jack Nicklaus played tennis and went deep sea fishing.
3. Play one shot at a time, giving each shot/putt your full intention and attention.
4. Stay in control of your emotions.
5. Be patient and good things will happen, sometimes when you don’t expect them.
6. There are more important things in life than golf. Be grateful for what you have.

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.

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

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 a 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.

“In a 1929 interview published in The Saturday Evening Post, Albert Einstein said, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Einstein developed his theory of relativity while he was doodling, daydreaming, and letting his imagination roam the universe.

Whatever you can imagine, your subconscious mind will believe as real and translate it into action for you. The more you use your imagination to paint a vivid picture, the stronger the result is.”

Tiger Woods’ father Earl taught him to “putt to the picture” in his mind where he saw the ball rolling into the hole.

Jack Nicklaus talked about seeing every shot beforehand like he is watching a movie in his head.

Are you sending positive or negative pictures to your brain? World class golfers know to achieve the most success they use their imagination to form pictures of the results they desire.

To reinforce confident successful putting, take a video of different length putts rolling into the hole. Watch it over and over until the picture of missed putts in your mind has been replaced.

“Choose What You Desire to Happen

Words create pictures in your mind. The pictures you create with your words, imagination, and visualization are recorded into your memory banks. This is the internal representation of your outside world. You can take control of your life and your golf game by choosing which thoughts you are putting into the data bank of your computer mind.

Using your imagination and ability to daydream, envision what you would like your golf swing to be. Modeling your swing from a golfer you particularly like is a good way to do this. Then project that swing out on to the golf course and see yourself playing the kind of golf you want.

Dreams don’t become reality unless you use your energy to make them come true. The stronger your internal representation is what you want, the easier it will be to produce the golf shots you want.

Remember to let go control of thinking, allow the subconscious mind to perform the dream picture you have installed. The key here is not only relaxing your conscious mind but also your physical body so there is no interference to playing at your peak potential.

How do you perceive your world? Is your cup half empty or half full? What would your world be like if you got up each morning cheerful and joyful and spoke to yourself as a mentally, emotionally, and physically perfect spiritually gifted being?”            

  We perceive the world not as it is, but as we are.

We are each unique and limitless in what we can achieve.

There is no one like each of us on the planet. Because we are unique, we each have our own perceptions of what our world is. Your reality is whatever you decide to make happen in your world. In your golfing world, do you have fun every time you play golf regardless of your score? Or do you spend four or five hours of your valuable time being miserable because you didn’t meet your expectations?”

*Excerpts are from Chapter 2: Understand Your Mind; “THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances”

Now available on www.amazon.com and www.createspace.com/6307102

 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 a 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.

© PositiveMentalImagery 2017 – 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 with mental pictures, 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.

“Manage Your Emotions* 

Emotions show what you are thinking about yourself and your golf game. It is the key to understanding and knowing yourself as an individual. It is your heart speaking through your emotions signaling a call to action to bring your body back into balance and peace. Your negative emotions are like a buzzer going off in your heart and brain announcing the arrival of a thought that needs to be cleared out.

Your emotions can interfere with your arousal level, your breathing, your concentration, the tempo of your swing, your decision-making abilities, your confidence, and most of all, the enjoyment of your game. The most detrimental feeling comes from thinking and worrying about what others may think of you and your game. Self-judgment is the quickest and most powerful way to ruin your golf game.”

My physical trainer is an avid golfer who regularly plays with a friend who is a scratch player. My PT told me about his last round where he was even par when his friend mentioned how well he was playing. His game immediately went south and he didn’t know why. His ego was triggered by what his friend thought of his game and he struggled with the fear of not being able to keep it going.

Control of your emotions is the most important part of your mental game. 

All golfers experience many emotions on the golf course. Emotions come from the thoughts in your head. Every time you experience an unpleasant emotion, it is a signal to change your thinking and enhance your self-worth. Here are some ways you can change the way you think about how you play the game of golf so you won’t develop a mental block.

1. Golf is a game I play for my own enjoyment. I am not concerned with what others might think of my game. Conversely, I am not concerned with how others play their game.
2. My physical game doesn’t reflect upon me as a person, but my reaction to it does reflect on me as a person. I always act like a champion even when my game goes south. I believe in me.
3. I see the good in every shot. Mistakes are to learn from. The shots that don’t come off as I desire are for me to learn from so I won’t make the same mistake again. I believe that golf is a game where I will mishit more shots than I hit perfectly. I accept my misses, learn from them, and let them go.
4. I take enough time to recover well. There are many ways to score well after a mistake.
5. I congratulate myself when I hit good shots. I feel the euphoric feeling deep within my being.
6. I trust my preshot routine and do it consistently on every shot. I am confident in what I decide to do.
7. The only part of my golf game I can control is me. I take the time to prepare my mind for the results I desire.

*Excerpts are from Chapter 7: Emotions; “THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances”

Now available on www.amazon.com and www.createspace.com/6307102

 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 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.

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 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 inner conversation you have with yourself determines whether you will be successful or not.

After winning The British Open at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, Jordan Spieth described his conversation with himself; “Before the round, I thought I have a reputation that I was able to close, but I was hesitant to saying ‘majors’ to myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself unfortunately, and not on purpose, before the round today, just thinking this is the best opportunity I have had since the 2016 Masters.” (He lost a 5-stroke lead with nine holes to play.)

“And if it weren’t going to go my way today, then all I am going to be questioned about and thought about and murmured about is in comparison to that, and that adds a lot of pressure to me,” he said.  In his first four holes on Sunday, Spieth bogeyed three of them. Jordan said that it wasn’t easy because his three-foot putts looked like ten-footers.

Michael, Michael, Michael 

Jordan’s caddy, Michael Greller, took him aside on the 7^th hole and reminded him of his July 4^th Mexico vacation with Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. Greller told Jordan that he belonged in that group. He said, “You’re that caliber athlete but I need you to believe that. This is a new tournament. We’re starting over here.”

At the 13^th hole Jordan fell behind one stroke for the first time in the tournament when he drove his ball 100 yards right of the fairway, on the practice range. With poise and determination he pulled off a miraculous bogey and his belief in himself kicked in. He almost holed out his approach shot on 14, making birdie. He eagled 15 and birdied 16 to win the Claret Jug and The Open crown by three strokes.

Afterward, Spieth said, “Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps are the greatest to ever do what they did, and I’m not.”

And then Jordan described his self-transformation as, “But if you believe that you are, then you are almost as good as being that. And it is so hard in that situation to believe that, but just having the slightest bit of belief in it makes you so confident.”

Question Your Beliefs 

What you believe is what you will produce in your life.

Our thoughts create our beliefs, our beliefs create our habits, and our habits create our lives.  Unfortunately, many of these thoughts and beliefs do not align with our purpose for experiencing ourselves or our path to success.  Change your beliefs to accept what it is you truly desire even though you haven’t had certain proof.

The Swedish Golf Federation formed their highly successful mental golf program around the belief that it is possible to shoot a perfect score of 54.  While it hasn’t been done yet, the Swedes (and others) are known for believing that it can be done.

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. 

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

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 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.

Golfers at all levels have pressure at some time on the golf course. Stressful situations can either work for you or against you. If you try too hard it will interfere with your rhythm and coordination and you will lose your motivation. Only hit shots that you know you can pull off. Let go of trying to hit perfect shots.  When you are feeling uncomfortable in a pressure situation, know that you can calm yourself by changing your thoughts. Deep breathing will calm your body and slow down your mind. Know that you are in control of your mind and your emotions and how you interpret the situation.

Here are five mental golf tips to practice for staying calm in a pressure situation.

1. Think flexibility. The more flexible you are in your thinking, the more control you will have. If you are rigid in your thinking you have limited options. Be ready for anything unexpected that might happen. It is said that golf is a game of recovery. Mistakes happen. Large numbers happen. Three putts happen. Accept what has happened and move on.
2. Believe in your ability. If you don’t believe that you deserve to play well, you won’t. Belief in yourself and in your ability is what separates the winners from the losers. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking there is something wrong with your golf swing. Thinking will make it so! Believe in your ability no matter what the results are. Trust that you can pull off the shot.
3. Focus on the task at hand. You have a very active mind. Be decisive! Once you make up your mind don’t change it. Stay in the moment by using a consistent pre-shot routine. Visualize the positive result you want. Thinking negatively leads to a forced, steered swing. See the shot you want, feel the swing, trust it, hit it and enjoy it. Align your focus with the solution and not the problem.
4. Talk to yourself positively. We all have negative thoughts that we replay in our heads. These are the voices of fear of poor shots we hit in the past, or anxious “what if” thoughts of what we think might happen. To keep your mind in the moment, put all self-talk in positive, present tense, active verbs. Instead of saying “I can make this putt,” tell yourself, “I am making this putt.” To reinforce the affirmation, visualize the putt rolling along the line and dropping in the cup.
5. Accept your own personality. Most people like to think of themselves as who they would like to be, not whom they really are. You will play your best if you honor your own unique style. Ben Hogan felt most comfortable keeping to himself. Fuzzy Zoeller and Chi Chi Rodriquez felt most comfortable joking and talking to the gallery. Keep your focus on how you are most comfortable. Decide to be yourself. http://bit.ly/Aus4z8

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

If this information was helpful to you, and you want to learn more about how to improve your mental game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828.696.2547, or through the Positive Mental Imagery website or blog. Other tips to improve your mental golf game are available on the website, where you can purchase empowering self-hypnosis mental golf CDs. 

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com 

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 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.

Alexander Victor Schauffele, the rookie PGA Tour player known as Xander Schauffele carded a three-under 67 Sunday, finishing at 14-under par to win the 2017 Greenbrier Classic by one stroke ahead of Robert Streb. The 23-year-old started the final round three shots behind the leader Sebastian Munoz who had led since the first round. On the par-three 18^th hole Xander finished strong by hitting his tee shot within three feet of the cup.  He closed strong and got his first career win by sinking the winning birdie putt.

Xander had looked at the leaderboard in front of the 17^th green and knew where he stood. He said he was “very nervous” when asked how he had felt just before sinking his final putt. Perhaps his nervousness was caused by thinking he had to sink the putt to win the tournament, or thinking about the $1.28M winner’s prize money, or moving up in the FedExCup standings, or the spots that would be earned in upcoming championships.

A three-foot putt is probably the easiest stroke in golf. It may be the simplest task in all sports. Golfers make it the most difficult by indecision and by thinking fearful thoughts. There is very little movement of the putter back and forth to go wrong in a 3-foot putt. When a golfer’s mind chatter takes over, that is where golf becomes a “mental game.” Because a short putt is such an easy stroke, you think you are supposed to make it. The fear thought of missing and the resultant public embarrassment is what makes it so difficult.

It was interesting to listen to the sports announcers in the booth at the Greenbrier describing the action. Because they were detached from the action, they were able to verbalize what Zander needed to be thinking. They said he should be congratulating himself and feeling good about the great shot he had hit close and for the opportunity to make birdie instead of thinking about what the result might mean.

In a tournament situation you have to train your mind not to think in the future. You have to relax, trust your training and allow your body to Just Do It like you have done hundreds of times before. Xander was aware of his anxiety and said, “I felt very nervous late in the round. I just tried to go back to the basics; close my eyes and take some deep breaths.” It worked.

Keys to overcome nervousness and stay focused on making short putts:

• Practice 2-3 foot putts until you know you can make them every time.
• Let go thinking about what missing/making means to you.
• Change your emotions from nervous and anxious to calm, relaxed, fearless by taking deep breaths.
• Rehearse the putt in your mind until it is very clear.
• Focus on the line that maximizes your chances of making the putt.
• Trust your stroke to roll the ball on the line.
• Use the same preshot routine every time.
• Remember that you really love to putt more than the result.

Good putters don’t spend time thinking about missing. They only remember the good putts they made that build their confidence.

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.

A new mental golf book is available now on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

 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 a 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.

Amateur and professional golfers alike are frustrated when they hit balls well on the practice range and then play poorly on the golf course. What is different on the golf course? The nice and smooth, compact, rhythmic swing on the range is replaced with a more forceful, longer swing with more body movement as the round progresses.

Most golfers want to be more consistent with their swings in the belief that it will produce lower scores. To do this demands mental and physical practice. This requires mental knowledge and discipline to not speed up during the round. The faster swing might be the result of overconfidence, impatience, or fear. A longer swing might be the result of pressing and wanting to hit the ball further. It is important to maintain a constant tempo and stick with a consistent preshot routine to put you into a confident state to maintain the swing that you spent so much time practicing.

Differences between warming up and playing include:
Ø  On the range there is no penalty for a mishit. When a golfer mishits a shot on the range, s/he just tees up another ball and tries to figure out what went wrong. There is no “second serve” on the golf course. There isn’t a coach to tell you what went wrong.
Ø  Having to count every stroke is stressful. On the range there is nothing to worry about. There are consequences on the course. The consequences on the golf course put pressure on you and cause tension and tightness in your swing. Trying to avoid mistakes causes tension. Trying to make something happen causes stress.
Ø  Golfers worry about the results. A golfer’s emotional state can be ruined by a belief that one bad hole will determine the outcome. On the course, golfers think about results instead of staying in the process of how to achieve what they desire.
Ø  Golfers don’t play the way they practice. On the golf course golfers go through a preshot routine to prepare their minds and bodies for each shot. They rarely get behind the ball and execute a preshot routine on the range. It is important to practice the preshot routine until it becomes a habit. A consistent routine will produce consistent results.
Ø  Golfers forget to have fun on the golf course. Fun and great results happen when a golfer relaxes and trusts that s/he can reproduce what they have practiced and learned. The enjoyment happens when you are totally engrossed in the process of creating the desired shot or putt.

Use your mind to send correct messages to your body

The majority of golfers are deficient in their preshot preparation. Most golfers consider the preshot routine boring, unnecessary, and too much work to develop. Using the same routine every time requires discipline until it becomes a habit. Without a good routine, your results are going to be inconsistent and erratic. It can wreck your score.

Using the same pre-shot routine every time will help you stay focused. Preparing for a shot is like creating a map or a blueprint for what you desire to create. The preshot routine is composed of a series of movements and sensory feelings that give you a way to automatically execute your shots. These routines are the maps that give direction to your brain and body about what you want to do.

When you lose your swing on the golf course, you need to go back to the routine because you have deviated from your map and are going in a different direction and getting a different result. Some of these deviations are fear thoughts of avoiding hazards, fear of embarrassment, fear of failure, frustration at slow play, annoyances from other players, weather conditions and anxiety feelings about your performance or score. Your focus is then on the distractions and not on preparing your mind and body for the shot.

I like to think of the pre-shot routine as a series of actions that move you from behind the ball to the place over the ball where you are eager to swing. When you are concentrating well, you are not thinking. You are totally absorbed in the routine process of getting the ball to the target. When you use the same routine each time, you then have control of your thinking and send correct messages to your body.

A mind that is busy, restless or indecisive will find it difficult to concentrate on an 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.

Keys for playing consistently:
Ø  On the range, simulate playing the first three holes. Hit the clubs you will need as you simulate playing the first three holes on the course. This will make you more familiar with playing the course and get you off to a good start.
Ø  Use your preshot routine. Pick your target carefully for each club and go through your preshot routine before every shot. Imagining the golf holes, use the club to play each subsequent shot depending on where the initial one landed.
Ø  Decide to play the game of golf. On the golf course, play golf, not golf swing. Release all tendencies to think about how to create the smooth swing you had on the range. Leave all thoughts of mechanics on the range and if necessary, only think one swing thought during your swing. Concentrate on making solid contact.
Ø  Access your relaxed Arousal Level. Breathe deeply to slow down your busy thinking mind and focus on accessing your tempo. Take your practice swing with your feet together to feel the correct balance and tempo.
Ø  Trust that this process will work for you. Feel it! Believe it! Enjoy it!

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 believe 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.

A new golf book for improving your mental game, “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. It shows how to trust and use abilities that you know you have, and to have fun doing it.

Available now on http://www.createspace.com/6307102and http://www.amazon.com

All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

“Outcome vs. Process Thinking*

Focusing on the process means staying in the moment, concentrating on one shot at a time, and thinking only about the things you can control. Process-oriented golfers know they cannot control anything outside of themselves. Process-oriented golf means thinking about what you want to do (the process of doing it) versus worrying about where your shot will go or what will happen (the outcome of your score).

Focusing on results means that golfers think about the trouble on the golf course and the consequences of mishits. Their concentration then wanders to “what-if” thinking, which causes tension and anxiety and creates the mishit the golfer is trying to avoid.

Examples of outcome thinking are; trying to shoot a certain score, trying to better your lowest score, trying to hit a certain number of fairways or greens, trying to have a certain number of putts, or trying to avoid penalty strokes. The ability of the golfer to stay in the moment on every shot and putt allows that player to perform at peak performance level.

Mental tips for focusing on the process are the following:

• Be aware when you are feeling anxious. It is a sign that your mind is wandering into outcomes.
• relax your mind between shots.
• Engage with your preshot routine.
• Believe in your club selection and target.
• Visualize and feel the shot.
• Maintain your arousal level.
• Take a deep breath to relax before and after each shot.

Golf is a game that is played for the unlimited challenges that it provides. To play at your personal best means to play for the fun and love of the game. Choose to play for the challenge of each shot (process oriented), and do not let the pressure to perform for the score (results oriented) determine your round.

You can enjoy your results afterward at the 19th hole.”

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

*Excerpts are from Chapter 15: Concentration; “THE HEART OF GOLF, Access Your Supreme Intelligence for Peak Performances”

Now available on www.createspace.com/6307102 and www.amazon.com

 All royalties will be donated to Junior Golf!

© PositiveMentalImagery 2017– All Rights Reserved

To build your confidence and 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 present focus 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.