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Judy
Anderson "Business Coach" will
be here exclusively every month to share with you
on "How to use Golf to gain a
Competitive Edge in Business".
"IMPROVE YOUR
GAME & YOUR BUSINESS!"
NOVEMBER, 2000
Playing a
More Consistent Game
As I work
with business golfers, recreational golfers, and
even pros, the concern is often the same --
"how can I play well consistently?"
Whenever I get this question, I ask the person if
they use a good mental routine on a consistent
basis. The answer is usually "yes", but
it often turns out that their pre-shot routine
focuses on the mechanics of their swing
rather than on their mental game.
Having a
physical routine is helpful, especially to the
new golfer. But it’s easy for it to become
habit. And when it’s a habit, your mind is
free to wander and you can become distracted -
maybe by people around you or course conditions;
maybe by your own thoughts. A good mental routine
helps you focus and concentrate on the shot at
hand and block out distractions because it
engages your mind in the routine.
There are
four steps to a good mental routine:
1. Calculations.
This step may sound a little like your usual
pre-shot routine. It involves picking a target, a
club, and the type of shot you plan to make. The
most important part of it is committing to the
choices you make. The calculation step uses
reasoning and logic that’s controlled by the
left hemisphere of your brain. For the remaining
steps of the routine you use the right hemisphere
of your brain, which controls athletic movements.
Unless you make a commitment to your calculations
and stick with it, you’ll be pulled back
into the left brain calculations and your
athletic abilities will be affected.
When you have
a problem committing, it’s very often
related to tension. As tension increases, your
mind gets busier and it’s harder to make
decisions. If you feel this happening, stop your
routine and take a deep breath to help you relax.
Then begin the calculations again, this time
making a firm commitment to your decisions.
The second
and third steps of the mental routine are
interchangeable - you can do whichever one first
that you feel most comfortable with. They both
require right brain thinking, so they actually
enhance your ability to make a good shot.
2.Visualization.
See the shot in your mind, as though
you’re watching a video or movie. See it
flying through the air, falling, rolling toward
your target. The more vividly you can visualize,
the more you engage your right brain and promote
athletic movement.
It’s
more difficult to visualize when you’re
tense or in a pressure situation. So again, be
sure you take some deep breaths to calm yourself
if you’re having trouble with this.
3. Feel.
This step involves actually feeling the movements
you will use to hit the shot. When first using
this routine, many people will take a full
practice swing. Later, the feel step may be
reduced to just a small waggle. The important
thing is to place the emphasis on feel, tempo,
and rhythm, and have a swing thought that’s
related to feel. Sam Snead’s feel-based
swing thought was "oily." Mechanical
swing thoughts are fine for the driving range.
But to keep from getting distracted by a lot of
details while on the course, you need to use a
feel swing thought.
4. Hit the
shot.
Use the feel thought while you’re hitting
your shot. Don’t wait too long after step 3
to hit your shot or your focus will expand and
you’ll get distracted.
If you use
this mental routine before every shot,
you’ll find you’re more focused and
less distracted. You’ll be freeing your
athletic ability instead of getting in your own
way. Even your bad shots (which ever golfer
has!!) won’t be as bad. And you’ll find
yourself playing more consistently and
consistently having more fun too!
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Do you want to Improve your
Golf & Business?
Ask Judy for FREE advice and she will e-mail you
an answer.
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Judy
Anderson is the founder of Business Golf
Unlimited and the author of "Teeing
Off to the Green" & "Using
Golf as a Business Tool". Through
her speaking and coaching, she has helped
countless executives improve their golf
game and gain a competitive edge in business.
Her programs have been featured at
the Greater New York Golf Show, the Northville
Long Island Classic and First of America Classic
Senior PGA Tour events, and at the PGA's Quad
City Classic. Clients have included, Merrill
Lynch, the National Alliance of Sales and
Marketing Executives, United Cerebral Palsy, the
National Association of Female Executives, and
the World Sponsors Forum.
Judy and Business Golf Unlimited
have been featured in the New York Times,
National Business Employment Weekly, Selling
Power, Executive Female and Golf Digest
magazines. She has been a guest on numerous tv
and radio shows, including CNBC Money Talk, The
Business News Network, and Smart Money with the
Dolans.
Her 20 years experience in post
secondary education, human resources, sales and
consulting, plus undergraduate degree in
business, graduate degrees in counseling
psychology and certification in GolfPsych ® give
her the saavy to use golf to help you identify
and address the challenges facing you in today's
workplace.
Business
Golf Unlimited is a
company dedicated to developing individuals and
organizations through golf. We offer a variety of
speaking and coaching
services. Judy Anderson and Brian
McMahon are committed to helping you
reach your true potential, in golf and, through
golf, in business.
How
to contact:
Business Golf
Unlimited
42253 Parkside Circle Suite 105
Sterling Heights, MI 48314
Phone 810-739-8506
Fax 810-739-9012
e-mail:Judy@BizGolf.com
Visit
Business Golf Unlimited
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