SimpleGolfogy » Mental Side Of Golf

Man, Is Lee Westwood Ever Gonna Quit Choking?

SimpleGolfigist — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:52:35 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I really like Lee Westwood’s golf game. Was it the heat of the day or the competition? I’m not a Brit or anything, but I would really like to see Westwood win a golf tournament once in a while. What is it?

First, he led the Masters forever it seemed. Then, not his fault, Phil Mickelson beat him. He deserves to win. Everybody wants him to win. He has made a major comeback in his game. He’s a gentleman on and off of the golf course. He has the game to win and he keeps putting himself in that position. It may be that his head is getting in the way of him finally putting a trophy next to his lips.

Everybody that plays golf for fun or in competition has been in the position to really choke it up. Standing in front of a group of guys waiting to tee off behind you doesn’t help the nerves any. Can’t imagine having thousands of people staring at you. And you know some of them are waiting to see you dribble one 50 yards down the fairway. What are you to do? How can Lee’s predicament help you overcome your fears and anxieties?

First, stick to your preshot routine. It is the one thing that you can really count on when the nerves are kicking in. Make sure that you keep the pace of your routine constant. Work on it at the driving range. Work on it when you are playing comfortably with your friends or yourself. Always, always do the same things at the same speed and tempo. I noticed today that Lee Westwood was getting a little out of sync with his normal routine.

Second, be yourself. Don’t let the pace of play, your playing partners or any outside influence regulate your play. Only you should control you. It is well known that Westwood hasn’t won in the states. Lee also hasn’t won any tournament of major consequence. Believe me, The Player’s Championship is a major deal. All of the best players are there to win. Instead of putting too much pressure on yourself, just remember that you have to play the course. I know it’s clique but you have to play it one shot at a time. Maybe Lee Westwood is getting ahead of himself a little. Be yourself. You will play your best when you let the outside distractions fall away.

Finally, remember that it’s only a game. Have fun! Lee Westwood is having fun for three days, but then he gets really serious, and you can tell that he wasn’t having any fun today. Play little games with yourself. Don’t let your golf game distract you from the real reason that you are out there. You are there for the companionship. You are there to get the hell away from work for a while. You are there to improve. Take some time between shots to appreciate your life, your loves, your passions, yourself. You are there to HAVE FUN.

Related Blogs

The Top 5 Mental Swing Tips

SimpleGolfigist — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:14:20 +0000

Have you ever stood over the golf ball to hit a shot and hear a thousand thougths running through your head? “Keep your eye on the ball,” “remember to keep your left arm straight,” “have a smooth takeaway,” “don’t slice it,” “follow through,” “swing easy.” Does this type of golf anxiety sound familiar?
Everyone gets these thoughts sometimes, but if you want to play better golf and make the game fun instead of stressful, you need to have only a couple solid swing tips to think about.
Remember this mental tip at all times – golf is a very difficult game, probably one of the most, if not the most, difficult game on earth. You are going to hit good shots, bad shots, and even shanks sometime.
It is okay and a part of the game. Much of the obsessive thinking on the golf course comes from expecting too much from yourself. Just try to stay positive, have fun and only think about the following five swing tips when you are on the course. Your anxiety and shaking knees will probably decrease, resulting in you swinging better.
Golf Swing Tip #1
Keep your head still. I can’t emphasize this swing tip enough. Nobody can keep their head absolutely still, but if you watch the pros their heads move very little. When you move your head your body moves with it, pulling your swing off line.
Golf Swing Tip #2
Have a pre-shot routine, and stick to it on every shot. Whether you take your stance and just hit the ball or if you take twenty waggles like Sergio used to do, do whatever is comfortable for you and be consistent with it, especially in tournament play. A proper routine also includes checking your alignment to make sure you are aimed where you want the ball to go.
Golf Swing Tip #3
Visualize the shot you are going to hit. Think about a very specific target, and only focus on that spot. Block out any negative thoughts, picture, and feel in your mind a good rhythmic swing.
Golf Swing Tip # 4
Take your time. Many people are in a rush when it is there turn to hit. This results in swings and strokes that are off tempo. Take your time and relax yourself. I am not asking you to slow down your foursome, but you need to be calm on the golf course in order to play well consistently.
Golf Swing Tip #5
Forget about the last shot. Play every shot like it is the first of the day. I can’t stress enough how important this swing tip is. Most of the mental mishaps on the golf course happen because you are emotionally charged about the last shot or the triple bogey you made four holes ago. Once a shot is done it is over with and you can’t change it, so “hit it and forget about it.”
When you are playing a round of golf you just can’t afford to obsess over various swing thoughts. Most people have a million things running through their head as they stand over the ball, which causes most of the bad shots they stress over.
Most of golf is mental confidence, which is instilled by using consistent and simple swing tips to remember out on the course, no matter how well you are or aren’t playing that day. If you follow the above swing tips, I bet you will shoot better scores.

David Nevogt needs no introduction. His distinguished ability to help golfers of all abilities and ages to play great golf and get more fun out of the game is legendary all over the world. Rather than hit your head against a wall after each round, let David take you by the hand and introduce you to a simple golf swing that is guaranteed to work. Visit: www.DropYourHandicap.com

Related Blogs

Tiger Woods’ Booty Call Sign At Masters

SimpleGolfigist — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:34:47 +0000

Tiger Woods didn’t dare look at what was above when a small plane flew over carrying a sign making fun of the number 1 golfer in the world. And yes, no matter the numbers, he’s still the best golfer in the game.

It seems that Tiger paid no attention to the the humorous banner that flew overhead saying “Did you mean Bootyism”. This was a practical joke about Tiger’s Buddhist comments of late. Do you think it will bother him? Probably not. Here’s a snapshot taken of the banner:

Related Blogs

Improve Your Golf Swing Mindset & Motion

SimpleGolfigist — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:13:06 +0000

This is a wonderful video for any golfer to learn from. Swinging easy will always help improve your ball striking.

Think of the times when you’ve tried to lay up to avoid trouble or on a par 5. You usually hit the best shots. Pure contact and good balance are what you should be looking for when you swing the golf club. And you can get that by swinging easy. Stay in control out there. Take a little more club and enjoy hitting better shots.

Learn how to improve your golf swing and get more distance by combining new effortless swing mental golf ideas and physical techniques.

Related Blogs

Medicus Subconscious Golf Audio CD

SimpleGolfigist — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:39:09 +0000

3 Full Length Audio CDs, Instruction Book and Exercise Workout

Product Description
Understanding and Controlling Your Mental Game is one of the hardest things in golf. Finally¿a training program for golf that deals with the most powerful opponent of all- the mind. Ed Grant Teaches you how to control the conscious mind and subconscious mind, how they work and how they can and should be applied to your game of golf. Examine the game as it is played in the mind of the golfer against such opponents as lapses in concentration, nervousness, anger, e… More >>

Medicus Subconscious Golf Audio CD

Related Blogs

How To Make Golf An Easy Game

SimpleGolfigist — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:34:03 +0000

Golf is an easy game: Everyone should and can learn to play. If you can stay away from the technical aspects of the game, and learn to trust yourself and your ability, golf is somewhat simplified.

Trying to think of keeping your left elbow in, right elbow tucked, take the clubhead past the right knee. . . right knee flexed, wrist cocks when the shaft is parallel, keep turning till your chin is under your left shoulder. . . shaft pointing at target, start down slow, shift weight to your left foot, tuck right elbow into hip. . . delay the uncocking of your wrists, keep your head down, release the club, flat left wrist. . . etc., are all thoughts that should not be part of the golf swing. Can you perform the simple act of walking while thinking of firing each individual muscle or each process that it takes to raise and lower your foot to the ground? This is absurd. Your conscious mind is not capable of performing these complex actions. Your subconscious mind is the motivator for your responsive body movements. Overload the conscious, and you induce doubt! And doubt, my friends, is the enemy of your golf game.

Sometimes, when all our doubts, fears and insecurities wrap ourselves up, we always come up with the idea of “I wish I was somebody else.” More often than not, we think and believe that someone or rather, most people are better than us.- when in reality, the fact is, most people are more scared than us.

You spot a totally eye-catching girl sitting by herself at a party, casually sipping on a glass of Asti Spumanti. You think to yourself, “she looks so perfectly calm and confident.” But if you could read thru her transparent mind, you would see a bunch of clouds of thoughts and you might just be amazed that she’s thinking “are people talking about why I am seated here alone?… Why don’t guys find me attractive? …I don’t like my ankles, they look too skinny… I wish I was as intelligent as my best friend.” We look at a young business entrepreneur and say “Wooh… what else could he ask for?” He stares at himself at the mirror and murmurs to himself, “I hate my big eyes… I wonder why my friends won’t talk to me… I hope mom and dad would still work things out.”

Isn’t it funny? We look at other people, envy them for looking so outrageously perfect and wish we could trade places with them, while they look at us and think the same thing. We are insecure of other people who themselves are insecure of us. We suffer from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and lose hope in self improvement because we are enveloped in quiet desperation. Sometimes, you notice that you have an irritating habit like biting off your finger nails, having a foul mouth, and you – of all people, are the last to know.

I have a friend who never gets tired of talking. And in most conversations, she is the only one who seems to be interested in the things she has to say. So all of our other friends tend to avoid the circles whenever she’s around, and she doesn’t noticed how badly she has became socially handicapped – gradually affecting the people in her environment.

One key to self improvement is to LISTEN and TALK to a trusted friend. A golfing buddy who you find comfort in opening up with even the most gentle topics you want to discuss. Ask questions like “do you think I am ill-mannered?”, “Do I always sound so argumentative?”, “Do I talk too loud?”, “Does my breath smell?”, “Do I ever bore you when were together?”. In this way, the other person will obviously know that you are interested in the process of self improvement. Lend her your ears for comments and criticisms and don’t give her answers like “Don’t exaggerate! That’s just the way I am!” Open up your mind and heart as well. And in return, you may want to help your friend with constructive criticism that will also help him or her improve themselves.

One of Whitney Houston’s songs says “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” True enough. In order to love others, you must love yourself too. Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.

Before telling other people some ways on how to improve themselves, let them see that you yourself are a representation and a product of self improvement. Self improvement makes us better people, we then inspire other people, and then the rest of the world will follow.

Stop thinking of yourselves as second-rate beings. Forget the repetitive thought of “If only I was richer… if only I was thinner” and so on. Accepting your true self is the first step to self improvement. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others only to find out at the end that we’ve got 10 more reasons to envy them.

We all have our insecurities. Nobody is perfect. We always wish we had better things, better features, better body parts, etc. But life need not to be perfect for people to be happy about themselves. Self improvement and loving yourself is not a matter of shouting to the whole world that you are perfect and you are the best. It’s the virtue of acceptance and contentment. When we begin to improve ourselves, we then begin to feel contented and happy.

Setting Goals For Your Golf Game

SimpleGolfigist — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:11:49 +0000

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by many top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivations and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisistion of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your golf game or your life, for that matter.

Setting clearly defined goals for your golf game will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals.

The basics of goal setting will involve deciding what you really want out of your golf game or your personal life, and what short-term and long-term goals you need to achieve it. Do you want to putt better? How about breaking a scoring barrier that you have been striving for. Did you know, without a solid plan for your goal setting, that more than likely you will fail? You have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete on your way to achieving your lifetime targets.

Set yourself a daily and weekly goal on how you want to improve in your quest to become a better golfer. Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind is holding you back towards completing the simplest of goals. Address the problem by educating yourself on how to accomplish your goals, setting a plan of action, and then be determined to fulfill your need to become a better person. Golf is a lot like any other endeavor in life. If you require education, set plans to acquire that education

Control Your Thoughts For Better Golf

SimpleGolfigist — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:46:15 +0000

Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.

Golf is a game of precision and so should our mental approach be precise. Doubt, fear, lack of concentration, or being angry over your last missed putt are all factors that affect your scores. You must deal with cause and effect. Is it your putting stance that causes you to miss a two foot putt? Doubtful! Is it the fact you fear missing it, or doubt yourself in front of your peers? Of course it is. Most six or seven year olds can make a two foot putt. Understanding the fact that mental lapses exist and that they are the cause of errors in our games is a great step in creating a foundation for improvement. With improvement comes more satisfaction, with more satisfaction comes more fun.

Doubting yourself, huh? Well, unless you have played golf every day for a living and hit three hundred balls a day, of course you are going to doubt yourself. Let’s talk about it for a minute. There are numerous reasons why doubt creeps into one’s mind, affecting your golf game. One of them is not trusting our ability to carry out a certain action. We’re not talking about hitting our drives as far as Tiger here. Not making a four foot putt is more like it. Doubt can be caused by past experiences. Our competence is questioned, therefore our ability to carry out simple actions is hindered. When faced with a tap in, there is no doubt. A four footer, on the other hand, increases our anxiety level. When you get anxious, the result is a tightening of not only the body,
but also our minds. You can’t feel the clubhead, so your awareness of what it is doing decreases dramatically.

Anxiousness is caused by doubt. Not trusting yourself to play your best golf is the reason that you are not playing your best golf. If you are vulnerable, you are weak. Let’s take that four foot putt. You know that you can miss it. You lack faith and you tighten up. You’re conscious mind is screaming at you, ” YOU CAN MISS THIS STUPID!” You half stab at it, miss, and your beliefs are confirmed. So my friends, the viscious cycle begins. Each succeeding stroke becomes harder, and your capability to perform wanes. The conscous mind reminds you that you can miss a shot, producing fear and doubt. When doubt is at the forefront of our thoughts, the mind starts telling the body how to do things and you keep trying harder. Golf is the perfect game for ‘trying too hard’…

In his book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!