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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!
OCTOBER, 2001:
Cheer Yourself On
Some
golfers become absorbed in their game in ways
that are more destructive than productive. Some
golfers hover over themselves like a worried
mother hovers over her toddler. They fret more
than plan. They see every trap and tree as a
lethal enemy and they worry more than Hilary
Clinton does on Girl Scout day at the White
House.
Some
might see this as intensity, but in reality it is
much more destructive. This negative view of the
course and their play can only cause problems and
higher scores. Could you imagine what would
happen if Michael Jordan spent game time worrying
about how things might go?
Instead
of worrying spend your time and effort on what
needs to happen in order for you to score well.
Make your plans on how to manage this course on
this day using your current level of ability.
Plan your practice program to move you steadily
into position to make the right choices and the
right shots to maximize your game on this course.
There
is simply too much to attend to for you to take
time and energy away from your game to worry
about how well you are doing. Remember the Kenny
Rogers song "The Gamble"? Think of the
line, "You never count your money when
you’re sitting at the table". Take this
as good advice and limit or eliminate time spent
wondering how well you are doing or how well the
day will go.
Why
do people worry on the course so much? Sometimes
it seems that people believe in emotional voodoo.
They seem to think that if they worry about it,
it will not happen, or at least it will happen a
lot less. So they worry, fret and get upset as a
defensive measure against bad things. Well guess
what? This voodoo can kill your chances of doing
well. I can not think of a single time when this
kind of worry is the best way to reach your best
game. Of course you should be aware of what is
happening, but fretting and worrying are not
necessary or desirable.
Instead
of protecting yourself with worry, protect your
best game with confidence, expectation and
planning. You don’t need to be a good player
to produce your best game. Your best game is your
target, whatever level you play at. You do not
need to be concerned with the par of a hole or a
course. Your objective for the day is to play in
your best ten percent with consistency and to
gradually increase your mental and physical skill
level.
You
must earn the better scores, but you can enjoy
the level of play that you have already earned.
The only par that really matters is your personal
par. When on the course, your goal is to enjoy
your best play. In practice you work hard to
improve this score. When playing you strive to
perform at your best, not par or someone
else’s best. How can you play at your best
if you distract yourself by worrying or fretting?
You can’t.
Worry
and fretting also affect your tempo and your
ability to be flexible in unusual situations. If
you increase your pace to the point where you are
pushing yourself you will almost always find
problems in muscle tension and mental stamina. I
know golfers who can’t even enjoy a low
scoring round because they spent most of the time
worrying about doing well. They make it another
form of work.
You
walk onto the course ready to play at a certain
level of performance. Your level of skill (mental
and physical), your mental state and your
expectations control this level. If you want to
maximize this level then pay attention to only
what is important to performing at your best.
During the "golf times" of the round
(planning the hole, hitting or putting and the
pre and post shot routines), which is only about
three minutes for each shot, pay attention to
only the factors that really count.
When
you are not in these "golf times",
spend the time enjoying the people, the
environment or pleasant thoughts. Take the time
to enjoy the place, the day and the chance to
play golf. Remember to cheer yourself on. Be a
friend to yourself. Let yourself know you enjoy
playing golf and that this is a good time.
Do
you think you really should have done better? Do
you know the difference between what should be
and what you want? They are not always the same,
are they? Take whatever score you produce. On the
course is not the time to worry or complain about
it. Even in competition, what good does it do to
complain? There is an old saying, "You get
what you ask for". Have you been asking for
your best score, or have you been asking for
higher scores by wasting time and energy on
worrying and fretting?
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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