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SEPTEMBER, 2000
"Thinkin Is Stinkin -
Part II"
This tip is a
continuation of my previous tip "Thinkin Is
Stinkin" which can be found in my tip
archives. This will be a discussion of why
thinking interferes with your golf and what you
can do about it to improve your game.
Some golfers
with high handicaps are actually mechanically
better than their scores reflect. Upon reading
The Mental Keys they happily find themselves
dropping 8 to 10 strokes. That is because they
are able to quickly become process oriented and
let the results take care of themselves. They
simply stopped thinking or worrying about making
a bad shot.
By freeing
their thoughts of negative emotions there is a
positive shift in the brain's chemistry, which
allows their body and mind to function at its
optimum. Hence, without improving their mechanics
they see an immediate improvement in their game.
Some golfers
who once had low handicaps find themselves
plagued with the yips. The yips are normally
related to putting, but they can be applied to
other parts of your game as well. One golfer told
me he played great as long as he was 30 yards
away from the hole. Once he came close to the
hole, his palms would sweat and his game would
fall apart. This definitely is a case of 'thinkin
is stinkin'.
Recently,
another golfer called and said he had problems
with shanking the ball. It was costing him one to
two strokes a hole. He use to shoot in the 70's
and now he was in the 100's. He knew his problem
was mental because he rarely shanked the ball on
the driving range. He was beside himself and
wanted my help.
I told him
that I could help, but not to look for a quick
fix because he has to retrain his brain not to
think about the outcome which is the cause of his
problem. Normally, it takes 30 days to reprogram
the brain to develop a new habit.
Since his
game was mechanically sound in practice, his
problem was definitely 'thinkin is stinkin'. The
game plan that I laid out was to accept the fact
that he now shot in the 100's and relax. His
memory of shooting in the 70's was getting in his
way. He had to accept that mentally he was an
unconscious incompetent and use that as a
starting point.
Then, I
advised him to become conscious of the fact that
in practice his mind was relaxed. Also, to notice
what he focused on when he played. He said he was
focused on being afraid of shanking or being
upset because he just shanked his last shot. Now,
he was conscious that his outcome-oriented focus
was causing his problem.
Next, I
instructed him to focus on an acceptable
progression, instead of trying to eliminate
shanking over night. For example, if he shanked
the ball 28 times during a round of golf, work on
gradually reducing the number of times he shanked
the ball. This would give him permission to fail
and allow him to start focussing on the process
instead of the results.
By becoming
process-oriented, he would naturally become more
relaxed and there would be a corresponding shift
in his brain chemistry, which would reduce the
number of times he shanked the ball. With this
new mindset he will be happy once he only shanks
20 times during a round, instead of being
depressed.
If he stays
focused on the process, he will gradually find
himself shanking only once in awhile during a
round of golf and be back to shooting in the
70's. I told him to be realistic about his
mechanical abilities because even Tiger Woods
shanks the ball every so often. The key is to
stay in the process and let the results take care
of themselves according to your mechanical
proficiency.
This is the
tricky part because it's a catch 22. If you want
the outcome, you can't have it because it will
bring you back into thinking about the results.
If you don't care about the outcome, you can have
it because you mind is free to perform without
fear of failure. In summary, if you don't think,
you won't stink.
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"My game had
improved since reading your book and applying
your Mental Tips. Last year was my first year of
golf. When I applied your techniques, I
immediately took 10 strokes off my game. I am
also able to get my game back on track after a
"bad" hole. Thank you for taking the
time to write this book. Not only has it helped
in my golf game, but in other aspects of my life
as well! Thanks again."
-Nancy Edwards
Phoenix, NY
"I partially put your
program to work after reading the material. When
I began, my golf league average, at several
courses was a 94. My last three rounds have been
83, 86 and today an 80! I putted for birdie on
the last hole and that would have given me a 79
for the first time ever. I made the par.
"I am now rereading your material and plan
to absorb more from it and put it to use in a
more organized way. Being focused on the process
rather than the outcome has definitely helped my
score.
"The guys I played with were amazed at what
they saw. I have played with them many, many
times and it was always a big thing for me to
break 90. My score was the best in the foursome
and I outscored the best all around
golfer that I know. I'm 56 years old and I have
been golfing for over 30 years. Thanks again!
I'll keep you posted".
-Dennis Hansinger
Utica, MI
"My game is going really well. Buying your
book was the best money I've ever spent on golf.
You can have all the Taylor Mades and the Pings
you like, but if your head isn't in the game you
might as well hit it with a hockey stick!!"
-Lizzie Koch
Gillette, Wyoming
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MENTAL KEYS
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