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How to Take Strokes off your Golf Game by Mastering the Mental Part of it
By Monty Bryan
The game of golf can be broken down into two parts: muscle
memory and the mental game. Muscle memory is simple. So long
as you have a decent swing you can lower your handicap by
increasing your muscle memory and you do that by, of course,
putting in range time. By contrast, the mental game is something
that is as complex as the human mind itself and even
professional golfers who have muscle memory down could
endure occasional breakdowns of their mental games. How,
then, is an amateur like you supposed to master the mental
game? Well, a number of mental practices you can put in your
bag will shave more strokes off your game then any gimmicky
golf ball.
The mental game has multiple layers of depth just like the
human mind. First, let¡¯s discuss your rational mind and what it
has to do with course management. If you don¡¯t play very often,
or even if you do, you have probably noticed a heightened
sense of awareness on the golf course at times; not just when
you notice the birds chirping or the wind blowing ¨C it¡¯s more than
that. You get in a zone of thinking like a pro. That means you
know your exact yardage, which way the wind is blowing, out of
bounds is to the right, sand traps are short left, long is bad, you
have a flier lie, the air is heavy and last time you hit a seven iron
from the same spot you came up short. Making this mental
address to the golf ball is every bit as important as hitting the
right club. Smart folks say that what determines a decent round
is not how good your good shots are, but rather how bad your
bad shots are; you must take every measure to increase your
chance of success if you don¡¯t hit a perfect shot.
Next, you have to tackle you harsh golf superego and subdue its
power. Often your golf superego can make you suffer from a
¡°Tyranny of Shoulds.¡± If you are like most of us, you have
probably suffered from an inter-dialogue on the golf course in
which you berate yourself for not performing the way you
should. Not only is this a surefire way to ruin a good time, it will
have a tremendous effect on your stoke average. Thinking too
far ahead on the golf course can actually put you behind and will
most certainly throw you off your game. Perhaps the most
bankable skill possessed by great golfers is their ability to quiet
the mind. To them, every single shot is a new game of golf. This
advice may seem contradictory to tips given the prior paragraph,
but it is not. On your rational surface level, you are considering
golf course management, but now you are a level deeper in
focus, the rational brain has said its piece and you are focused
solely on making the shot. Just like all good decisions are born
from a peaceful and focused mind so is all good shot making.
However, none of these states of mind are achievable if they are
not built on a solid foundation of gratitude. What does that
mean? Someone once said, ¡°Golf is a good walk spoiled.¡± It sure
can be if you don¡¯t cultivate a mentality of gratitude. When you
get to the first tee box take a minute to appreciate all that is
taking place; you are playing a game with your buddies for a few
hours, the air smells fresh, you have 18 holes in front of you to
make good shots and a 19th hole if you need to drown a bad
outing in a whisky sour. Regardless of anything, you are
privileged to spend a few hours of life playing one of the
greatest games on earth. If you can truly achieve that feeling
inside your body, that my friend, is the fulfillment of your
deepest level ¨C the golfer¡¯s soul.
About the Author
Learn how to mentally improve your golf game seven secrets to dramatically improve your golf game from Monty Bryan, President of ReFiner Golf. Visit http://www.refinergolf.com/ to learn more and to improve your golf swing.
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| Some other articles by Monty Bryan | |
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