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Our special guest,
Dr.Bob Phillips "Golf
Psychologist" will be here exclusively every
month to reveal to you techniques used by top
level professional golfers to mentally prepare,
maintain focus, bring about their peak
performance and to help you improve your score!
JUNE, 2001:
Gremlins
Did
you know that you are the target of gremlins?
"What are gremlins?" you ask. Gremlins
are those nasty creatures that follow you around
the course and remind you of negative things, or
suggest that you might want to take up bowling
instead of embarrassing yourself on the golf
course. In other words gremlins are the voices
inside of your head.
Some
gremlins are pretty straight forward. They tell
you to "keep your elbow in",
"Pivot from your hips",
"Don’t look up" and all the
helpful things that can wreck a swing when they
come at the WRONG TIME. Gremlins of this nature
are at lease up front about it. They usually
start chattering away about the time you leave
home. They increase their chatter when you head
out for the first tee, and they get even louder
as your prepare for your first drive. Do you
remember thinking, "I don’t think I
will ever get the hang of this." Well that
was a grand daddy of a gremlin.
The
gremlins I dislike the most are the sneaky ones
that say they are trying to help and be
supportive. These tend to speak in friendly tones
and say things such as "Don’t hit into
that water. Just in case you didn’t see it
over there", or "Say, didn’t you
three put this hole last time?", and
"Frank sure has gotten better, too bad you
haven’t". Sometimes these gremlins have
specialties. Some specialize in "outcome
thinking". These are thoughts that take your
focus off the next shot and put it on some
outcome down the road.
Some
of the favorite outcome thoughts for these
gremlins are: 1. If I make this I’ll have my
best round this year. 2. If I can hold on for two
more holes I’ll win this thing. 3. If I miss
this putt I’ll really look stupid. 4. If I
get a three on this one and then a four, that
will put me in third. 5. I’ve never pared
this hole before. All of these take you focus and
attention off of the only important
thing—the next shot! Gremlins are not your
friend.
The
best way to deal with gremlins is to not get mad.
Gremlins love it when you get mad. In fact there
is a large group of gremlins that specialize in
getting mad. Don’t go there. Instead, be
smart, expect gremlins and be ready for them.
Even go so far as to "thank" them for
their concern and time.
Remember,
getting mad falls into their grimy hands. So
expect them and be nice, at first, then grab the
little guy and hang him in a tree. That’s
right. Hang them up high in a tree and leave him
their swinging in the breeze. If you look closely
at a gremlin you will find that they all have
little hooks on their backs. These are there so
that you can actually hang these little guys on
things.
Mostly
a smart golfer will hang them up in a tree or on
a power line. The smell is unpleasant, but the
sparks are pretty. Some golfers like to play a
trick on other golfers and so they hang their
gremlins on passing carts or bags of other
golfers. Personally I think this is unkind to the
other golfer and unfair to the large group of
personal gremlins that they have brought from
home.
Another
thing you can do with gremlins is to put them
under rocks or into wooden crates (these are
stored in your mind and come in many sizes and
colors). Place the gremlin into the box secure it
with rope and nails and leave it behind. When you
finish your round you can either set them free or
just leave them their and let the grounds crew
take care of them. Personally, I believe that
gremlin is the primary meat served at club
picnics.
Now
you are warned. You know what gremlins are and
you will be expecting them. Take care to not
blame yourself or to get mad. Simply deal with
these little furry guys and get on with the game.
RETURN
TO DR SPORT MAIN MENU
Bob
Phillips, Ph.D.
Aspire
Training and Coaching Personal coaching for
success in sports, business and life. Helping you
achieve your goals. 748 Holcomb Bridge Rd.
Norcross, Ga. 30071 (770)729-0030 Fax
(770)449-5758
Ask Dr. Phillips about any
mental game of golf question or problem you have
and he will e-mail you an answer.
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Bob Phillips, Ph.D., has
been helping athletes, sales people and managers
perform at their best for over fifteen years. As
a leading performance psychologist and coach, he
has developed several methods of evaluating and
maximizing performance.
In this series of articles
Dr. Phillips gives golfers the information and
techniques used by top level athletes in all
sports -- especially golf -- to mentally
prepare, maintain focus and bring about their
peak performance. A number of articles will focus
on Junior Golf.
ONE-ON-ONE
COACHING
Now Available
- First Session Free -
Dr. Bob Phillips offers
one-on-one coaching by phone to home or office
for golfers who are "stuck" and want to
move up to the next level of play, taking 5-10
strokes off their game. For more information,
call Dr. Phillips at 770-729-0030 or e-mail him
below.
E-Mail
Dr. Phillips
"Check
out your mental game for FREE"
Visit
Dr. Phillips'
web site
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