When you have not played in awhile, it is necessary to refresh your mind and body by reviewing the basics of the golf swing. In order to be successful at golf, you need to have good fundamentals. These include the grip, posture, stance, ball position, alignment, and pre-shot routine.

Good posture will allow you to swing your arms freely and your ankles to be active and provide good balance. When you have good posture, it will be easier to have a proper swing plane.

BASIC FUNDAMENTALS

• Review your basic mechanics and reacquaint your golf muscles before going to the range to hit full shots. Jack Nicklaus said, “Each year I start the season pretending I’ve never played before.”
• Stand in front of a full length mirror and check the basics of your set-up; grip, posture, stance, ball position and alignment. If you have to think about any of these parts of your set-up, practice them until you are confident that they are done automatically without thought.
• Be aware of any tension in your hands and arms.
• Review your swing plane by taking half swings with your back against a wall, making sure that the toe of the club head is pointing up on the backswing and up on the follow through.
• Practice your swing tempo by swinging a club with your feet together. If your tempo is erratic, you will lose your balance.
• Practice putting paying attention to balance, and soft hands and arms. Be aware of accelerating through the ball with a consistent tempo. Practice until you don’t have to think about your stroke and can concentrate on the line and speed.

“Take it easily and lazily because the golf ball isn’t going to run away while you’re swinging.”   ~ Sam Snead, How to Play Golf (1946)

MENTAL FUNDAMENTALS

• Write down your long term, intermediate and short term goals for the golf season. Make your blueprint for your future game NOW.  “Those who fail to plan…. plan to fail…….”
• The most important part of your mental game is how you prepare your mind. Write down your pre-shot routine and practice it over and over in your mind the same way every time until you can execute it without thinking.
• The second most important part of your mental game is relaxing your conscious mind so you can focus in the moment. Practice deep breathing through your diaphragm until you can focus easily in the present moment.
• Practice changing your perception of negative situations in your life into positive thoughts. See the good in every situation that you encounter.
• Practice seeing and feeling your swing in your mind’s eye as you lie in bed and are drifting off to sleep… or at anytime you are relaxed and day dreaming.
• When you close your eyes at night in bed, see yourself stroking perfect putts. Feel the perfect tempo and hear the ball drop into the cup from four feet over and over.
• Reinforce your belief in yourself and your game with daily affirmations. (PMI newsletter August 2002)
• Practice being patient and know that you can trust your abilities no matter what situation you find yourself in.
• Practice letting go of things you can’t control and focus on what you want to create.
• Let go of judgment of yourself or others. Do the best you know how in each situation and praise yourself for your efforts.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Develop a strong mental golf game by listening to PMI self-hypnosis golf CDs in the privacy of your own home. Available now at www.pmi4.com/cart

Whether you are a new golfer or have been playing for a long time, a good mental golf game requires letting go of expectations. The quickest way to ruin a round of golf is by trying to match or improve a low front 9 score on the back 9. Performing well at any task requires total concentration on what you are doing and to not let your mind wander into future thoughts.

Having expectations is different from setting goals. It is necessary to set positive long term, intermediate and short term goals so you have a strategy for improvement. Having expectations on the other hand is actively anticipating a desired outcome. In “expecting” a certain outcome in golf, you have put your attention and energy on the end result instead of in the moment when you are focused on creating the shot/putt.

Managing expectations means managing your internal thoughts and emotions to keep them in balance with your abilities. You can expect too much from yourself or even too little from yourself depending on your level of self-esteem. If you expect to play well on the opening holes and don’t score well, you will probably feel like a failure. Having an expectation of hitting “perfect” shots always leads to disappointment. Hitting a “perfect” shot is an almost insurmountable task for Tour golf pros let alone amateurs. Successful world-class golfers do not criticize themselves based on their results or expectations. They are concerned more with staying with the process of creating the next shot.

How good you are at golf is determined by how you react to the ever changing situations during the round, not about what you expect will happen. The more flexible you are, the more control you have.

Here are five suggestions for managing your expectations on the golf course:

1. Have realistic expectations. The USGA handicap system is a mathematical system that attempts to have an equitable way for golfers of varying abilities to play games with each other. Your handicap is based on your last lowest ten scores. In other words, it is your personal best, not necessarily your day-to day average scores. Expecting to shoot your best every time you play is unrealistic.
2. Let go of impossible expectations that create pressure. If your expectations are too high you will be constantly disappointed. Unreachable expectations will cause tension in your mind and body.
3. Concentrate on the process at all times. When you are playing well be aware of your thoughts moving you away from the process of preparing for the shot. Focus on relaxation and your pre-shot routine to stay in the present.
4. Keep your emotions and expectations in check. The more expectations you have, the more emotion you put into the result of your shots. When your mind wanders to thinking about your expectations, bring it back to the present time by taking several deep breaths.
5. Let go of any thoughts of what you “should” score. Not making the “should” score leaves you with negative emotions such as guilt and frustration. This leads you to stop trusting your swing and a belief that you have a mechanical problem when it is your expectations that limit your progress.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Improve your golf game NOW by listening to PMI self-hypnosis CDs in the privacy of your home. Available at www.pmi4.com/cart

If this weekly blog has been helpful to you, please forward it to your friends so they can have more fun playing the game of golf while lowering their scores. Download previous monthly PMI newsletters by logging on at http://www.pmi4.com Archived Newsletters.

The spring equinox this Saturday, March 20th signals it is time for rebirth of all life on our planet. It is a time for celebration. The equinox is when the daylight and nighttime hours are approximately of equal duration all over our planet.

With this balance of hours and new resurgence of energy we can follow its lead and balance our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual selves as nature does naturally.

Golf is a game we play for our own enjoyment. If we aren’t having fun spending a good amount of time outdoors playing a game, then we need to look inside ourselves to determine what the interference is.

What are the fears in your golf game?

When was the joy of learning the game replaced by being afraid?

If you don’t love the experience of playing golf, you are probably experiencing the opposite emotion which is fear. It is important to remember that the ego creates fear, and fear is one of our greatest illusions. Action based on fear is always going to lead you astray. Fear only has power as you give it power and think that it might be true. When you think of something fearful your physiology changes as your body produces a rush of adrenalin which is counterproductive to maintaining your arousal level.

Fear has to do with an inner state of your mind. A fear reflects how you view yourself and your ability to handle a situation on the golf course. When you are afraid you move away from what you want to create in your golf game. Generalized fears such as embarrassment, failure, success, inadequacy, making mistakes, rejection, or losing your self-esteem will pop up on the golf course if you have them in other areas of your life.

To release the fear of hitting a certain club, hitting over a water hole, or of missing a shot, develop the TRUST in yourself to handle any situation. And then accept the results to learn from if it wasn’t your best. If you love to play the game and enjoy every shot as an opportunity to create a good inner feeling, you will have discovered trust in yourself.

Develop TRUST by taking action to change your thoughts and beliefs.

• Believe in every club. Practice trusting your least favorite club by imagining it is your favorite club until you believe in it.
• Feel the fear and do it anyway. Develop confidence by hitting a bag of balls over the water hazard until you no longer fear it.
• Practice for confidence. Practice the sand shot you keep sculling over the green until you can access the timing and feel of the swing.
• Mentally rehearse what you want. Your unconscious brain does not know the difference between what is true and what is fantasy. Imagine yourself in the scenario you wish to create or the fear you choose to face and overcome. Use your senses of sight, hearing, and touch to make the images of your success more powerful.

We trust what is comfortable for us. Most people aren’t willing to move more than 10% outside of their comfort levels, and thus repeat the same behavior over and over.

Fear is at the root of most golfer perceived threats that trigger a mind- body defense mechanism. Fear defense systems vary individually. Some people are naturally more calm and relaxed under pressure and don’t let problems or frustration get to them.             Others are more sensitive to stress and may become upset much more easily. Fear can come from anxiety about losing self-esteem by what others might think about you. Fear may also be imbedded after topping the ball. Fear of fear itself is natural, too.

Let go of all fear thoughts as they are just figments of your imagination. Choose instead to believe in the opposite. Know that you are the Master of your thoughts and experiences. You can choose whatever you wish; you have the power within your Being. The only things limiting you are your beliefs, judgments and fears.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

Available to help you overcome the internal voices of fear and self-doubt that keep you from the success you desire is the Positive Mental Imagery CD “Fearless Golf” available on the website at www.pmi4.com/cart

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins this Sunday, March 13th at 2:00am signaling the beginning of longer daylight hours and more time to play golf. DST is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months, and back again in the fall. Germany became the first country to introduce DST in 1916. In the United Kingdom, British Summer Time (BST) is the period when the clocks are moved forward to make better use of the natural daylight. In Ireland, the DST time zone is called the Irish Standard Time (IST) or “Irish Summer Time.”

The idea of Daylight Savings Time (DST) was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin while he was living in Paris in 1784, but DST was actually first seriously advocated by London builder William Willett. During one of his pre-breakfast horseback rides, he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through the best part of a summer day. And as an avid golfer, he also disliked having to cut short his round of golf at dusk.

While the Pro Golf Tours have been playing in warm climes since the first of the year, here in Western North Carolina the daffodils are just now in bloom and the days are warming up after a cold and snowy winter. The Spring Equinox which signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins on Sunday, March 20th. On an equinox, day and night are of approximately equal duration all over the planet.

As the heaviness of winter fades, it is time to lighten up your diet by reducing sugar and fats and eating simple, light foods. It is also time to make sure your body is well hydrated by drinking more pure water. As you “spring forward” it is also time to prepare your body for the flexibility it needs to swing your golf club easily for maximum power. Pilates is a good way to develop your core strength and maximum flexibility.

If you live further north and the golf courses aren’t operational yet, you can prepare by practicing your mental and physical skills indoors. Begin to practice your mental skills now so you will be ready to play in the scoring realm of your choosing.

The easiest and most effective way to practice is inside your mind by imagining, visualizing or “day dreaming” like you did as a child. As you visualize or imagine your swing, you are sending messages to your body and programming your muscles.

Begin with your putting stroke. Performance anxiety comes from your belief about yourself and the way you view your putting ability. When you have a good attitude, good feel, and image in your mind, you can then trust your putting stroke. Remember that great putters are great because they have fun putting!

First, change your thinking to believe that you can roll the ball well enough to give it a chance to hold the line and go in. This means you must accelerate the putter through the ball on every size putt.

Second, Focus your eyes on a mark on your ball, and don’t move your eyes until after you have hit the ball.

Third, believe that you are a great putter by doing written affirmations.

Fourth, practice giving every putt the same importance instead of putting pressure on yourself to “have to” make the putt. Don’t label putts as “makeable” or “miss-able.”

To help you imagine or visualize the peak performances that you are capable of, I have created eight self-hypnotic golf CDs full of imagery and positive affirming thoughts. Improve your golf game by simply listening repeatedly at your convenience. On the PMI shopping cart (www.pmi4.com/cart) find the CDs that will help you change what is missing in your mental golf game.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

What do the pros do when they shoot a round in the 80’s in a tournament? This means of course, that they have “shot themselves in the foot” and are out of the tournament.

Embrace a positive attitude

Pros understand what an unpredictable game golf is. The attitude for dealing with this kind of failure is different for each player. Here are some of the ways pros think about mentally recovering from uncharacteristically high rounds.

• “It happens. I laugh at myself.”
• “I just forget about it and go out and play the next round.”
• “If it happens on Friday and I miss the cut, I can get away from the golf course.”
• “I remember the good holes that kept the score from being even higher.”

The mental game of golf is about developing your positive mindset before you get to the golf course. If you don’t have a positive attitude, your emotions will take over and you will press to make up for your mistakes. It will then be harder to become mentally and physically balanced.

Visualize your game for success

What did Phil Mickelson do when he couldn’t find his swing prior to the Masters?

Phil Mickelson loves to play in the Masters Tournament. “I feel like Augusta National and the Masters gives every kid who dreams of playing, who dreams of playing professionally, who dreams of winning major championships, something to strive for,” Phil said. “And when we arrive at Augusta, it exceeds our dreams, which is hard to do. I love this place,” he said. “I love coming here.”

In April 2003 he was upset with the way he was hitting the ball, “He stood on the range and just couldn’t stop overhooking a 4-iron,” Mackay his caddie said, “He had no command at all.”

Michelson left the practice range and went back to his rental home. There he sat down, closed his eyes and visualized the shots he wanted to make in his upcoming rounds at August National. He shot 73-70-72-68, just two strokes out of the playoff.

Assume an attitude of acceptance

• Decide that you don’t have to hit every shot perfectly to score low.
• Accept that you will make mistakes and forgive yourself.
• Stay in the present to “let go” of missed hits.
• Focus only on the positive thoughts and images of what you want.
• Stay patient until things turn around.
• Know you can persevere by using your best mental tools.
• Know that failure is life’s greatest teacher.

Play “In the Zone” With Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Brain for Peak Performances

To help you visualize the game that you desire, eight self-hypnosis mental golf CDs are available at www.pmi4.com/cart   Listening to the CDs in the privacy of your own home you will be guided into a state of relaxation and imagery to program a positive mental game into your subconscious mind.

Here in western North Carolina the weather has not been conducive for playing golf. We experienced a blizzard that dropped over a foot of snow and then a week later we had an ice storm that kept us indoors for several days.

When the weather keeps you indoors it is a good time to wake up your winter golf muscles by practicing your golf swing without any care for the results. This is a good time to practice swinging at 85% for control and tempo. When you go to the practice range it is too tempting to swing hard for extra distance.

Train your brain and muscles every day during your “off golf season” so you won’t have to think and try to remember what you learned when you were playing. Swing a preferably weighted club indoors every day for five minutes and putt on the carpet for ten minutes to instill confidence in your feel.

Use your home for feedback

When Tiger was five years old he practiced his swing while looking in the mirror in his bedroom. Many golf courses use a large mirror on the practice range for feedback. There are times when we “think” we are doing one thing and are actually doing another. If you don’t have a large enough mirror, you can use your reflection in a glass door.

Mentally practice your swing in your imagination. Visualize an image like Ben Hogan’s“pane of glass.” I once went to a clinic with Gary Wiren at PGA National where he was talking the group of golfers through this image of taking the club “on plane.”  I was surprised how easy it was to swing “on plane” even though I was hitting with someone else’s clubs that were extra stiff and extra long. Send the right image to your brain and it will send it to your muscles without you having to think about how to swing.

Another exercise to “feel” the backswing was very useful for me. When I had the “shanks” I wasn’t aware that I was taking the club inside on my backswing and then over the top on the way down. Visualizing taking the club back more upright as I would for a sand shot kept me from taking it too far inside. To reinforce this feel, I stood with my back against a wall. If I took the club too far inside, it would hit the wall. I started with a half swing to program a good takeaway.

Jack Nicklaus’ coach Jack Grout used to hold his head while he swung so he wouldn’t sway on his backswing. If you tend to do this, you can put a pillow against a wall and rest your forehead against it. Swing without moving your head and be aware of the “feel” of your swing and body motions.

Listening to self-hypnosis golf CDs in the privacy of your home will improve your visual images and all parts of your mental golf game. Available now at www.pmi4.com/cart

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

The key to success in all athletics is to practice, practice, practice! You have heard the statement many times that “practice makes perfect.” What is missing in that statement is that only PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect.

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

Mental imagery is a mental technique where descriptive language appealing to the senses is used to benefit the listener. The imagination of the listener is used through suggestions for developing confidence in certain areas of their lives. Athletes as well as golfers use positive mental imagery in hypnosis to help them achieve their goals. Through the use of hypnotic suggestion you can communicate with your subconscious mind and program new ideas for success in your golf game. These new ideas must include positive self-talk, belief in your potential and goal, and imagery of a superior performance in accomplishing your goal.

The best time to do your mental rehearsal is at night just before you are drifting off to sleep, or in the morning when you are just coming out of the sleep state. Your conscious mind is relaxed and allows your unconscious to create what you want using your imagination. Or during the day, find a place where you can be alone and quiet. Spend 10-15 minutes a few times a week, sitting undistracted, relaxing by breathing deeply. Repetition is the key to becoming consistent. Mentally rehearse your swing and what you want to happen during your upcoming round. Scientists have found that visualizing while in this Alpha State can improve your swing because your mind is actually programming your muscles.

Step 1.  Close your eyes and relax. On the movie screen in your mind, be an observer. Watch yourself as you play each shot, noticing the easy fluid swing, smooth tempo, confident manner, consistent routine, pinpoint accuracy, and improved scores on the first nine holes.

Step 2.  For the second nine holes, become the player. Associate within yourself and feel your power, your confidence, your effortless swing, your consistent tempo and results, your connection with the target, and low score on each hole.

Step 3. Repeat the above sequence every night or morning, seeing and feeling    yourself play every hole on your golf course. Program the scores that you want.         Be ready to accept the low scores on the real golf course. Use your senses of         feeling, seeing and hearing to observe the action. Play the round over and over and over again, each time making the images sharper, the sounds clearer and the good feelings stronger. See and hear voices congratulating and cheering you on.

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

Available at www.pmi4.com/cart are self-hypnosis CDs created with powerful mental imagery suggestions to improve your confidence, concentration, control and consistency for a successful golf game.

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

February is the month when we turn our attention to the feeling of love in our hearts. Universally, Valentine’s Day on the 14^th of February is designated as a day to show our love to others through gift giving. Valentine hearts remind us that love is the greatest emotion that brings us joy.

As humans we block out the awareness of the feeling of love by allowing negative thought patterns and fear-based actions to interfere with enjoying our lives and our golf games. Play from your heart instead of your brain as your heart has 5-6,000 times more energy than the brain.

Perhaps this year you can gift yourself by remembering through all the adversities how much you love to play golf. When you are in love with playing golf, you have lost yourself in the euphoric feeling, forgotten your ego and personality, and are one with that feeling of being in love.

A change of heart changes everything.

Love the game for what it is; a compelling game full of ups and downs, twists and turns, ecstasy and frustration. Love is a unique life force energy that motivates us. Without the passion, it is just dedication. Without the love, it can feel like an all consuming work effort.

Love is what holds our attention in the present.

Here are some reasons to love the game of golf:

• Golf is a fun game to play.
• Golf is a game played alone or with others.
• Golf is a common social bond among all who play the game.
• Golf is a game played outdoors in the beauty of nature.
• Golf is a game that challenges you against the golf course and others.
• Golf is a game that moves you into an inner state of focus.
• Golf is played in a peaceful setting that can relax you.
• Golf reinforces confidence in you and in your abilities.
• Golf teaches you about yourself.
• Golf is a game that pushes you mentally.
• Golf is a game of honor.
• Golf is a sport that can be played for life.
• Golf is the ultimate challenge for perfection.
• Playing golf “in the zone” is the same feeling as when a person is “in love.”

What can you add to this list? What do you love about playing golf?

Play “in the zone” with Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

I once asked Barbara Romack, LPGA what she thought about on the first tee of a tournament. She had a one word answer; TEMPO. Having good tempo in your golf swing is mental as well as physical. Along with having good tempo, YOU also need to have good timing and rhythm to produce consistent shots. It is certainly true that in life and golf, timing is everything.

To maximize your club head speed your timing and tempo should match your personality. Swing to your own internal clock. If you walk and talk fast, your swing tempo should be fast like Tom Watson or Rickie Fowler. If you move slower, your swing should match someone like Freddy Couples or Ernie Els. It is important to maintain your own personal speed and rhythm throughout your round for consistent hits.

Tempo

Tempo is the pace or speed of your golf swing. Tempo is defined as the elapsed time of your golf swing from the moment you begin your takeaway to the completion of your follow-through.

Golfers tend to swing faster as the round progresses either because they are over-confident or fearful of making a mistake. Having a balanced follow-through is an indication of a swing with the proper tempo.

Golfers think they need to swing faster to generate power and distance. Every club has a distance limit. If you need more distance, take one more club. When you lose your tempo on course, step off to the side and swing with the club only in your right hand to get the feel because then you won’t be able to accelerate too quickly.

Timing

            Timing is the most difficult part of the golf swing to learn and execute. The timing of the moving parts of your body and club has to be in the correct sequence. When the timing is in synchronization of your body and club, the result is the perfect impact position for consistent shots.

It is important to overcome feelings of rushing through the swing. For the transition at the top of the swing, be patient before starting back down. Most tour players start their downswing with their feet and then the knees, hips, followed by the hands and arms falling into the proper sequence. To do this you have to be relaxed. 

Rhythm

            Good rhythm is accomplished by having the same tempo on the backswing and the downswing. Golfers tend to swing with uneven rhythm on the longer clubs as there is a longer path to travel. Or taking the club back slowly the golfer tends to rush on the downswing. Good rhythm is the same for every club and every swing. Because the driver is longer than the pitching wedge, the club head is moving faster throughout the swing, but the rhythm is the same.

Practice feeling your swing

            I played with a 17-year-old who had a 2 handicap. I asked her mother how she had gotten to be so good at such a young age. Her mother told me that every day after school she swung a club in her backyard for two hours without hitting any balls. When you stop thinking about how to swing the club and feel the swing, you also will feel and trust your own perfect tempo.

1. Feel the pressure of your grip. If your grip is too light or too firm, it will change the synchronization of your body and club and make a smooth swing impossible. Have a grip that allows your wrists to hinge freely so you can feel the club head.
2. Practice your timing, tempo and rhythm off course by swinging a club with your eyes closed to access your feel. Pay attention to the pressure of your grip.
3. Tape your favorite song that is in sync with your personal tempo. Listen to it on the range  so you can make rhythmic swings in time with the music.
4. Control your emotions. The range of emotions in a round of golf can cause you to get out of your natural rhythm. Maintain your “game face” and Arousal Level to manage pressure.
5. Send affirming messages to your self about how you would like your swing to feel.

• I swing with easy, effortless power.
• I have a smooth, flowing swing.
• I swing to my own internal rhythm.
• I am in tune with my own swing tempo and rhythm.

Play “in the zone” with Joan 

Entrain Your Heart &Mind for Peak Performances

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