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I would never consider myself

a Trekkie, but I saw enough

episodes of Star Trek to know

that Mr. Spockwould have been

great golfer, because hisVulcan

blood made him devoid of any

emotion. Imagine playing golf

without letting your emotions

trash your swing, or being able

to stand over the ball without

any mental distractions.

Research shows that 95% of your

actions are driven by emotions,

not your subconscious mind.

Every day feelings such as those

that make you feel unmotivated,

or fearful,orecstatic, are theones

driving the bus. It’s imperative to

understand how your emotional

state impacts your game.

Thus, understanding how you

feel provides the foundation

to establish a starting point to

play your very best. The goal

is to establish a focused and

positive mindset by creating

emotions that work for you,

not against you.

Develop a Strategy

This is high-level mindset is

designed to make you feel

calm, confident and focused

from the first shot to the last

and becomes your

Strategy

.

A Strategy can be determined

by asking three questions:

1. How Do I Feel Today?

2. What Must I Do to Play

My Best?

3. What is My Strategy?

If you had an overwhelming

day, and are on edge from the

day’s emotional roller coaster,

asking the first question,

How

do I feel today?

allows you to

realize your current emotional

state is not conducive to

playing great golf.

The question then becomes,

What must I do to play my best?

The act of simply relaxing your

mind on the way to the golf

course helps to formulate the

answer to the last question,

What is my Strategy?

In a previous article, I shared

a breathing technique called

the

4-Second Timeout

. This

relaxation exercise involves

inhaling through your nose

for two seconds then exhaling

through your mouth for two

seconds. This technique is

most effective just prior to

starting your round or during

your pre-shot routine.

Developing a Strategy of

taking a

4 Second Timeout

before every shot creates an

immediate sense of relief for

your emotional state.

You can now step on to the first

tee feeling confident and relaxed.

Pull that Big Dog, pause for

your

4-Second Timeout,

and

stripe it down the middle of

the fairway.

Mr. SpockWould

Have Made aGreat Golfer

By Greg Liberto

NWO Golf Links