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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