Frustration on the golf course could be the result of unrealistic expectations of your game. When you set high standards that aren’t readily attainable, you will constantly experience failure and frustration. It is important to acknowledge that you will mishit shots. Blaming yourself and feeling angry only increases the chances that you will make even more mistakes.

You will experience less frustration and be more relaxed if you do not demand perfection from yourself. Don’t make your missed golf shots the central theme of your thoughts. The more you replay the missed shots in your mind, the more you deplete your mental and physical energies to play good shots.

Most golfers are disappointed unless they hit a perfect shot.  They will voice their analysis of why the shot wasn’t perfect.  “I lifted my head,” “I hit it on the toe,” “I swung too fast,” etc. To maintain an even temperament, acknowledge the praise of your good (not perfect) shots with a sincere thank you. Smile within to anchor your success. This will keep you in a positive frame of mind with a sense of accomplishment.

Golfers see bunkers, rough, uneven lies and trees as problems. Change your fear thoughts to thinking that these are just different shots and an opportunity to be creative. Focus on the solution, not on the problem.

Options for lowering your frustration level:

• Choose to hit shots that you know you can pull off successfully. Failing to pull off the “miracle shot” can result in frustration.
• Be realistic about the distance you can hit your clubs and don’t expect to hit the maximum distance every time.
• Use your missed shots as an opportunity to focus on recovering well.
• Realize that you cannot change your missed shots, but you can change the thoughts that upset you.
• A round of golf is very seldom all good or all bad. Focus on the good shots that you have hit.
• Have the feeling that golf with all its ups and downs is a fun game to play!

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

If you would like to improve your mental golf game, call Joan for a complimentary 15-minute consultation. She can be reached by phone at 828.696.2547, or by email at pmi4@bellsouth.net. Strategies to improve your mental golf game are available on the PMI website, where you can  purchase self-hypnosis golf CDs at www.pmi4.com/cart

Playing at your peak performance levels means managing your thoughts and emotions to your best advantage. While most people think these are two separate entities, they are entwined. In order to have control over your swing and your game you need to have control of your thoughts and feelings.

It’s not your feelings that cause you problems. It’s the undisciplined decisions that you make as a result of focusing on the feelings.

How do you control your thoughts? You are the only thinker in your mind. It is up to you to choose what you want to think.

The only thing you can control is yourself. Do not give any mental or emotional energy to what you cannot control. This includes the condition of the golf course, the weather conditions, your playing partners’ behaviors or their scores. Spend your energy on preparing for your shot, sticking to your game plan, using your own awareness, and changing negative perceptions to positive thoughts.

  Tips for having control of your game 

1. Never give up.
2. Make a plan and stick to it.
3. Let go of expectations.
4. Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
5. After a mistake, slow down and breathe deeply.
6. Let go of old habits of being concerned with score.
7. Know your skill level and play percentage shots.
8. Be flexible. Golf is full of surprises.
9. Use positive self-talk throughout the round.
10. Use the same preshot routine on every shot.
11. Give every shot and putt 100% of your effort and focus.
12. Be patient and maintain your arousal level.
13. Play by “feel” instead of mechanics.
14. Give up judgment and analysis on the course.
15. Play from your heart.
16. Play for your own enjoyment.

One of the mental keys to playing in the zone is having control of your thoughts and emotions. To play well in a tournament or in a match where you are competing against your friends, you need to have control of your emotions.

The pressure of a situation has to do with your perception. You can decide to thrive on the pressure (being in the hunt) or become nervous and anxious (fearful of the results). It all depends on your internal dialogue. Choose to shift your thoughts into the present by focusing on creating a good shot or putt. Concentrate your attention on your pre-shot routine to move you into the flow, and Just Do It.

Play “in the zone” With Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Improve your golf game by listening to eight different self-empowering hypnosis mental golf CDs in the privacy of your own home. Now available at www.pmi4.com/cart

Yesterday was my regular day to play competitive golf. On the sixth hole, a 109-yard par three hole, I shanked my iron shot into the creek paralleling the fairway to the right. This shot has popped up at unexpected times in my golf game for years. I thought I had learned how to correct this faulty swing. When I teed up my second ball, I again shanked it into the water, proving me wrong.

I have been told many times that a shank is very close to a perfect shot since it is hit less than an inch from the sweet spot. The feeling of shock that surged through my body denied that truth. Hitting a pure shot is a much, much different awesome feeling. Shanking is a very emotional experience that destroys confidence to hit another ball. The players in my foursome also felt the distress as their silence was deafening.

A shank is a ball that is hit on the hosel or neck of the club instead of the clubface. The hosel is the part of the club where the shaft connects to the clubhead. When the ball is struck on the hosel, your hands get further away than they did at address, and the ball takes off at a distinct right angle.

There are as many physical remedies to the shank as there are to the yips. But there is no denying the feeling of lost confidence that occurs for everyone. To correct the faulty swing, it is necessary to regain confidence by restoring rhythm and visualizing hitting on the toe of the club.

What I have learned about recovering from a shank includes:

• Do not rush into hitting another shot. Without relaxing the mind and body, the shank shot will be repeated.
• Check body alignment and posture. A shank can be caused by standing too close to the ball causing the hosel to move right into the ball.
• Release tension in hands and arms. Holding on to the club tightly will move the hands too far forward in the downswing, making the clubhead slide into the ball instead of allowing it to square up.
• Practice the feel. To regain confidence I practice hitting iron shots with the proper alignment until I can feel my hips moving through, hands releasing, and the clubface squaring up at impact.
• Correct the swing. Using slow motion video will show whether you have an extreme inside-out or over-the top swing path causing the shank. For me the shank is caused by taking an inside-out swing at the ball. I retrained my mind and muscles by standing against a wall and swinging a club. If the club hit the wall, I was taking the club too far inside making it impossible to square up the clubface.

Even some of the best tour professionals have shanked a shot in competition. They don’t let it cause a nervous reaction or loss of confidence and concentration. While it is embarrassing, they forget the shank and focus their attention on putting their best swing on the next shot.

Play “in the zone” With Joan 

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances 

Improve your golf game by listening to eight different self-empowering hypnosis mental golf CDs in the privacy of your own home. Now available at http://www.pmi4.com/cart

How do you deal with obstacles on the golf course?

Does your strategy include a plan to avoid them? Do you succumb to a fear of them? Do you get uptight worrying about hitting into a water hazard, the trees,  into a bunker, into high rough or over a forced carry?

A hazard on the golf course is any bunker or water hazard. Natural obstacles such as water hazards, deep rough, bunkers and rocks are an integral part of every golf course. They are added to a golf course for beauty and difficulty. Hazards are a key factor in determining the numerical USGA Course Rating and Slope which indicates the severity of the obstacles on the golf course as well as their psychological effect.

For a quick fix on the golf course; don’t worry, be happy 

If you are a person who is a worrier, golf course hazards will cause you great concern. Worry is likened to a snow ball with a handle on it. The handle is soooo unnecessary. Worry is a form of wasted energy. It is a negative side of using your imagination. When you worry about hitting into a hazard, and succumb to that imagined fear, you will create the stress that produces that outcome.

It is impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time. You cannot worry and believe in yourself at the same time. To play well you need to balance what you think and feel with what you do. To believe in yourself 100% you need to let go of worrying.

 “In every life we have some trouble

When you worry you make it double

Don’t worry, be happy…….”

This is an excerpt from the 1988 popular song by Bobby McFerrin, Jr. The sentiment goes double for the golf course. You have a choice to be happy and have fun, OR to worry about your shots, your score, your embarrassment, or your fears.

Although there are many different kinds of obstacles on the golf course, golfers seem to have the most difficulty overcoming hazards with water in them. If you repeatedly sing this phrase to yourself, “Don’t worry, be happy” before you encounter a water hazard, you will lift your spirit. This changes your physiology and helps you to swing with ease to create the shot you want.

If you are not happy playing golf, you are making the game more difficult than it needs to be.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Improve your golf game by listening to 8 different self-empowering hypnosis mental golf CDs in the privacy of your own home. Now available at www.pmi4.com/cart