tour researched tour tested tour proven! · pros to the avids, and are designed to: ... a tall...

Generated for Edwin Dickens

4/09/16

TOUR RESEARCHEDTOUR TESTED

TOUR PROVEN!

SportPsych, Inc.2 Blue Heron Blvd.

Boerne, TX 78006-6976(830) 537-5044(888) 280-4653

Copyright 2016 SportPsych Inc. 1/38

Mental Game Builder Report for: Edwin Dickens Date: Apr/09/2016 - of 38

http://www.golfpsych.com

Ready to get more out of your game? You are off to a great start! Every minute you investin using your Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report, mental game skills analysis andrecommendations can bring many more hours of fun and competitiveness to your golf.

To start, it helps if you will think of strengthening your mental skills as a fun journey,something that can take time but can be an endless source of adventure and learningevery step of the way. On the journey you will encounter challenges, each of which canbecome great lessons in themselves, windows into your tendencies, offering greatopportunities to learn. GolfPsych and your Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report willbe your guide along the way. The type of journey is entirely up to you and your purpose forwanting to improve. The journey can be as short as simply picking up a few key tips toincorporate into your fun rounds. Or the journey can be longer by fully learning personaltendencies in a variety of challenging situations and continually work to improve them inprogressively more and more competitive situations. As even Tiger says, "You are neverreally there"!

What ever your reason for wanting to improve, for the greatest success please also keep inmind that strengthening mental skills for golf is much like strengthening physical skills forgolf. It is a process.

First become aware of exactly what good mental skills for golf are! Just by filling outthe Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report analysis you have already begun thatprocess by answering questions rating skills that have been proven by GolfPsych to bestatistically important to competitive golf.

Next you will need to know how well you are currently using these skills. Your MentalGame Skills Assessment and Report includes a one page summary chart displaying yourcurrent use of each of the 8 champion skills. Awareness is vital to change! Many playersuse the 'chart only' version of this report several times throughout the year to monitorprogress and to increase awareness of successes and challenges along the way.

Decide what your goals are for your golf. Do you just want to have more fun? Do you wantto get more out of your game? Or do you want to take your skills to a whole new level? Thiswill help you choose the path, the speed and how far you want to travel on your journey tostrengthen mental skills for golf.

Then decide on that path and the time you have available to travel it. Your path can be selfstudy, individual coaching, group coaching or a combination. Which ever path you chooseyou can be confident that with GolfPsych and your Mental Game Skills Assessment andReport you are getting information that has helped thousands of golfers before reach theirdestination of playing their best golf.

Tips for Getting the Most out of your Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report.

Every sport requires mental skills specific to its challenges, including golf. When GolfPsychwas founded over 25 years ago, the mental skills for golf were largely unidentified.Through years of research and work with hundreds of professionals and thousands ofamateurs we have defined 8 specific mental skills important to golf and the best methodsfor strengthening them. Much of this work is simplified and summarized for you right herefor you in your Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report.

These recommendations have been proven effective with all levels of players, from thepros to the avids, and are designed to:




Clearly define the mental skills that are most important for you to use to play yourbest golf. Give you a rating of how well you are currently using those skills in a quick, easy &effective way. Help you strengthen these skills to play your very best golf in the shortest amount oftime, with the least amount of effort possible.

A tall order? Yes! But by considering a few important tips you can be sure to get the verymost from your Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report and your efforts:

Use "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers" as a supplemental guide. We stronglyrecommend that you have a copy of the definitive book on the mental skills for golf, TheEight Traits of Champion Golfers. Keep it handy and use it to supplement the information inthis Mental Game Skills Assessment and Report. Each chapter in the book correlates withone of the 8 champion skills and will provide additional explanation and guidance forstrengthening each skill.

Remember That One Skill Affects Another (as in a Matrix). Think of the 8 championskills as a matrix, each one affecting the other. As one skill gets stronger it will usuallyenhance at least one, usually more and sometimes all, of the other skills in a positive way.Conversely, one very weak skill can detract in the same from the other skills in the sameway.

Focus is the foundation of Your Mental Game. Every strong mental game is based on astrong ability to focus. No matter what your scores, we encourage you to make focus thefirst skill you strengthen or review. Focus will serve as the foundation of your strong mentalgame and will be the foundation upon which all other skills are developed.

After Focus, Work on Your Next Weakest Skill. Once you feel that focus is strong andconsistent (you are, for example, able to use a strong mental routine for at least 50% ofyour shots in practice or play) then begin work on your next weakest skill, and so on.

Remember That Mental Skills Are Not Static. Just as it is difficult to keep all physicalskills sharp all the time, it is equally difficult to keep all mental skills sharp all the times too.The good news is that once you have developed the techniques for enhancing a skill,monitoring and correcting it will be much easier. When you, for example find yourselfbecoming less focused because of having to hit your first shot in front of a crowd, orbecome distracted by your own exceptionally good (or bad) play, the mental routine youlearned for focus can be checked and re-emphasized to regain focus quickly.

Don't Give Up! All recommendations in your MGSA have been proven effective time andtime again by thousands of players of all levels from around the globe. If you find that yourprogress is slow or intermittent we encourage you to remain persistent. Faulty mentalhabits can sometimes be as difficult as physical habits to break (have you ever tried tochange a habit like biting your nails, or rushing your downswing?) If you are not gettingwhere you want with your chosen path (self study, personal coaching, or group coaching)you may want to alter the path or supplement your efforts with the 8 Traits PersonalityAssessment and Report, personality assessment and recommendations. This report, whichmeasures 16 personality traits, can almost always uncover underlying challenges todeveloping mental skills for golf.

Mental Skills Can Be Affected Dramatically by Lifestyle. Many players do not realizethat their lifestyle can greatly compromise their mental skills for golf. Sleep deprivation,




poor diet, excessive stress, dehydration (common to golfers!), emotional distractions, and alife out of balance can all make it more difficult to be mentally tough for golf (not to mentionlife). If you are not getting the results you want from the mental skills work you are doing,check your lifestyle.

For the Best Results, Write Goals and Journal Progress. If you are working with aGolfPsych Instructor or attending a GolfPsych Game Builder School, both will guide you insetting goals and journaling.

If you are using self study we suggest you do two things:

1. Use the Goal Planning form in the appendix of your Mental Game Skills Assessment andReport to record your goals

2. Consider retaking the 'profile only' version of the Mental Game Skills Assessment andReport periodically to journal your patterns and progress.




Summary Scores

1. Focus and Mental Pre-Shot Routine

5.7

2. Calculations and Commitment

6.9

3. Emotion Management

7.3

4. Course Management and Game Plan

7.5

5. Tough-minded

6.4

6. Confidence

8.0

7. Independent Decision Making

5.6

8. Tension Management

7.3

Other Factors

9. Expedient Conscientious

10. Practical Imaginative

11. Undisciplined Perfectionist

12. Sober Enthusiastic




Your Focus and Mental Pre-Shot Routine Score

The Champion Skill: Focus

Champion focus for golf is the ability to narrow your attention over the ball, effectivelyeliminating all distractions as you athletically execute a shot or putt. This includes externaldistractions, such as out of bounds, water hazards, sand traps, noise, poor conditions, theattention of others, etc. And it includes internal distractions, such as mechanical thoughts,concerns about score, negative self talk, concern of what others think, etc. This skill weconsider the foundation of your strong mental game, vital for getting the most out of yourgolfing abilities as it will be the skill upon which the other seven skills are built andmeasured. Every player who is ready to learn or refresh their mental game needs to startby checking and sharpening this important skill.

Current Rating on this skill

Based on your responses to the questions on focus, here is our rating of your ability tofocus for golf.

5.7

Quick Fix: T & T

For a simple and quick way to strengthen or sharpen your focus you can use a method wecall T & T, which stands for Target & Tempo. Here are the basic steps.

Practice- Using a small bucket of balls, challenge yourself by seeing how many of the ballsin the bucket you can hit with A DEFINITE TARGET and GREAT TEMPO.

Choose a target that is small enough to challenge you but not so small that you feelpressure to perform. Hit a variety of shots with your attention on “Target and Tempo” ratherthan any external or internal distractions.

For putting you will take 3 balls and putt from various locations around the hole. Challengeyourself to execute as many putts as possible with concern for nothing but your target(location on the hole, or a spot between you and the hole) and a smooth tempo. Repeatwith several holes and several types of putts. Keep “score” during your practice byrecording the number of shots you were able to execute with good Target and goodTempo, not how many hit your target.

Repeat as necessary until you are able to get your T & T percentages over 50% andeventually over 85%.

Play- Commit to playing a round of golf with your single goal being to match or beat the T &T goal of 50%. No concerns for the score or your swing, etc. Raise the bar in subsequentrounds till you can exceed 85%.




The Tour Proven Solution: Your ‘Athletic Shot Process’ or Mental Pre-shot Routine.

The best technique for improving focus is to develop a strong and consistent mentalpre-shot routine. We like to call this the ‘Athletic Shot Process’, or the ASP. A good mentalpre-shot routine is remarkably effective at freeing up all you natural and trained athleticskills for golf by facilitating great focus. One of the best at this is Tiger Woods.

The ASP involves 3 simple steps, each being very important to helping you maintain focusin all types of situations with all types of challenges, external or internal. One of the ways agood mental routine helps you do this is by helping to quiet your mind, putting you in asemi-meditative state, which then frees you to “create” rather than “manufacture” a shot.

The steps:

1. Commit: We think of this as the left brain step, or the thinking step.

For your shots: In one full complete step decide and fully commit to three things: the club,the target, and the shape or type of shot you want to hit. It is extremely important that yoube definite and unwavering. As we have repeatedly told the pros over the years, “You arebetter off committed to the wrong shot than uncommitted to the right shot”. So make adecision and stick with it. If uncertain, back off and recommit before hitting the shot.

For putts and chips: Fully commit to your read and speed. Again, be decisive.

2. Visualize: We think of this as one of two right brain steps, or one of the two athleticsteps.

For your shots: Come to a complete stop behind the ball, relax and visualize as much of theshot as possible. If your imagery is practiced enough, try to see the full shot as vividly as ifyou were watching it drawn on a telestrator on a golf telecast…see the ball in flight, landingand rolling into your target. If your imagery is not yet this developed enough to see all ofthis, see as much as you can with the minimum being your target.

For your putts: Come to a complete stop behind the ball, relax and visualize the ball rollingat the speed you chose into the cup at the precise place you want it to enter, or over thespot you have chosen as a target.

3. Feel: We think of this as the second of two right brain steps, or one of the two athleticsteps in the three step routine.

This step is best accomplished if you adopt a feel thought or “mantra” to say to yourself asyou swing the club. The most popular swing thought among our tour players is simply“smooth back, smooth through”. This can be modified in any way you choose so long as:you do not include more than 1 technical thought; and that you feel the thought rather thanassess it.

For example, one of our U.S. Open winner clients decided before the event on a feelthought of “close back, smooth through” to help him keep his left arm close on take away.He was not checking his arm to see if it was close, rather engaging the feeling he hadwhen his left arm was close and in position. This feel thought then serves to help createthe rhythm of the swing. Try to imagine watching a beautiful, rhythmical swing that is incadence with “close back, smooth through”.

This feel step can be interchanged with the visualization step if this provides a better fit toyour current physical pre-shot routine. [For example, if you take a practice swing behind




the ball you can easily reverse the order of steps 2 and 3.] As your mental routinedevelops, you may be able to feel the swing with imagery while simultaneously visualizingthe shot, sometimes eliminating the need for a practice swing on some shots.

Practice- Home: put yourself into a relaxed position with your eyes closed. Imaginepreparing to play one of the most challenging shots on one of your most challenging holes.Use the 3 step routine to prepare to hit the shot. Tell yourself that mechanics and outcomeof the shot are not as important right now as is using the 3 steps to hit an athletic shot.Repeat until you can truly visualize and feel a great shot.

Range or Putting Green: hit a few shots or putts simply to get loose and to get your touch,timing and feel (no mechanics!). Now pretend you are on the course walking up to play theshot you imagined at home, choosing a target, or read of a putt, that represents what youwould choose if you were actually on the course. Go through each step of the routine justas you imagined at home, reminding yourself that the routine is more important than themechanics or the outcome of the shot. Repeat until you can hit the shot without theTHINKER interfering with thoughts of outcome, technique, who is watching, how youmissed this shot before or any other internal or external distraction. If you are finding thisdifficult, try breathing and relaxing and saying your feel thought louder (in your mind or outloud) until it gets easier. Once you feel you have the 3 steps down, use it to simulate hittingshots with all your other clubs. Try to make the ASP or 3 step routine a part of all yourpractice sessions, especially when you are warming up to play.

Play- Challenge yourself to keep score not by outcome or results but instead by how manyshots you hit with a good ASP. Use your first round as a baseline and set a realistic goalfor improving those percentages in each consecutive round.

Tips

We call practicing with the Athletic Shot Process, or mental pre-shot routine, to createshots and simulate play ATHLETIC practice. We call work on club positions, drills, set-up,alignment, grip, etc. THINKER practice. Both are essential to playing your best golf, as isgood club fitting, diet, hydration, fitness, adequate sleep, etc. But, you must become veryskilled at separating and balancing the two.

Use THINKER LESSONS AND PRACTICE to develop your physical performance skills,use ATHLETIC LESSONS AND PRACTICE to develop your mental performance skills.Work on them separately, but if possible, finish all practice sessions with some athleticshots.

Always separate THINKER and ATHLETIC practice. Set specific time for each and practiceseparately. If you are between tournaments you can emphasize THINKER practice, if youare approaching or in an event it is important to emphasize ATHLETIC practice.

If you are in your competitive season, and especially if you are at an event, resist thetemptation to fix something, instead make the majority of your practice ATHLETICPRACTICE

The percentage of your current practice that is THINKER practice will likely be the sameamount of your play that is THINKER play. To free up your skills you must have more ASPand ATHLETIC practice. For More information on focus, please read the first chapter of thebook, "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled "Focus", pages 35 to 57.

Personal Coaching




Based on your answers you appear to be focused too much on the physical pre-shotroutine. You need to simplify your pre-shot routine and develop a routine closer to theMental Routine we discussed above. The routine you appear to be using is too mechanicaland un-athletic. It exercises your left brain and emphasizes closed loop control of yourswing. This will make it hard to be consistent when you are relaxed. When you are arousedor excited or nervous about competing or the shot at hand, it will be harder still.

The best Tour players keep it simple. They work to see the shot, feel the shot and hit theshot. When they work on their swing during competition, performance declines. When theytry to control the mechanics of the swing or be perfect, performance declines. You have totrust your swing and your set-up and just play golf.

FUN FACTS

Awesome focus! In one Master’s tournament Tiger Woods was so focused on his routine ofsimply hitting shots that when he reached the 18th green on Sunday, leading thetournament, he was surprised to be out of holes.

QUICK TIP

Doing a good job of fully committing to each shot and putt can immediately reduce yourstroke average by 1 to 5 strokes. If you are doubting the shot choice or anxious aboutwhether you can hit the shot, you are not fully committed.




Calculations and Commitment

The Champion Skill: Abstract Thinking (calculations & quiet mind)

Abstract thinking as we are using it here refers to your skill to effectively think your wayaround the golf course. Golfers must strike a balance between thinking enough to makethe decisions that will help them get the most out of their play without thinking too much.Effective thinking is using your abstract skills to: make the calculations necessary tochoose the right club, target and shot pattern, or the right read and speed of a putt; tochannel thoughts to things you can control; and to resist busying your mind with thoughtsthat only interfere with athletic play.

Current Rating on this skill.

Based on your most recent responses to the questions on abstract thinking, here is thecurrent rating of your ability to effectively do the calculations necessary for golf while stillquieting your mind for maximum creative play.

6.9

Quick Fix: First Impressions or Variable Checks?

If you are over-thinking- and you probably do if you are over 12, and care about what youshoot-- and needing a quick way to simplify calculations and quiet your mind here is asimple solution—trust your first impressions! Give yourself a chance to tap into yourintuition, trust it and make decisions based on it without all the excessive thought.

Practice- On the range or around/on the greens place 3 balls in various places. Without aclub, calmly, smoothly and slowly walk up to one of the balls as if you are walking up to itduring a round of play. Once you arrive, come to a complete stop behind the ball. Take adeep, abdominal breath (see appendix) inhaling slowly to a count of three, hold briefly, thenexhale slowly to a count of four, all the while imagining the air traveling in calming you andthe air traveling out expelling any tension you hold. The moment you reach the count offour with your exhale, let your imagery create the shot or putt you are about to hit using theleast amount of analysis possible. Now pull the club needed to create this image withminimum detail & what-ifs. Go immediately into the routine of T &T or your ASP to see andfeel the shot you just created. Start with easy shots or putts then gradually progress intoshots and putts that are more difficult for you. Practice until you are confident enough to trythis in your play.

Play- Give yourself a goal for hitting a realistic percentage of your shots truly trusting firstimpressions (strive for a 10% or greater increase over what you are currently able to do)Start on an easy course with good conditions. Set a realistic time period for progressivelyincreasing your percentages to at least 80% of your shots.




Tip- The harder you find this to do, the more likely it is that you need to simplify yourthoughts; and when you do so effectively you will probably feel you are not working hardenough. Stay with it until it comes to feel more natural.

Variable Checks If you are under-thinking, your quick fix is quite the opposite- you willneed to do Variable Checks. You know you are under-thinking if you are hitting good shotsbut ending up in the wrong places often or misreading putts by a lot often.

Practice- On a note card, or in this report write down the variables you most need toconsider to play your best shots (this list will vary depending on your level of play but at themost basic level you will probably want to consider distance and how far you are hittingeach club. Then perhaps wind, slope, grain of grass, etc. Your teacher or coach can helpyou with this list. On the range or around/on the greens place 3 balls in various places.Without a club, calmly, smoothly and slowly walk up to each of the balls as if you arewalking up to it during a round of play. Until they come to you naturally, pull out your listand check each variable to consider for this shot or putt. Go immediately into the T & T oryour ASP mental pre-shot routine that you learned for focus using this information. Startwith easy shots or putts and progress into shots and putts that are more difficult for you.Practice until you are confident enough to do this in your play.

Play- If it is not already a habit, continue to use your check list and mental pre-shot routinein play until it becomes so.

The Solution to Performing Like the Champions- ‘Managing Mental Energy’

A quiet mind is necessary for athletic play, and while a good mental routine can helptremendously, you will need to learn a technique for managing your thoughts. One of thesimplest ways to do this is to think of your thoughts as a form of energy, mental energy thatyou can manage. You have a choice of using your thoughts to either create energy or touse energy. You also have a choice of managing your thoughts in ways that facilitate usingyour energy productively or non-productively. Your goal then is to use your thoughts tocreate as much mental energy as possible, and to manage your thoughts for using thisenergy in the most productive way while playing golf.

Practice- Start by making a list of the ways that you can maximize your mental energy.You might have examples like: getting good, adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, stayinghydrated, keeping a healthy balance in your life, taking care of problems or conflicts assoon as possible, etc. On the course this might be carrying and eating healthy snacks,water and electrolytes, wearing shoes, hats or clothing that provides maximum comfort.Both off and on the course it might be minimizing worry, learning effective methods forrelaxing, etc.

Now we need to make two more lists: Non-Effective Thought and Effective Thoughts.

On the left side of your page, with the heading of “Non-Effective”, write some of the manythoughts that you have when playing golf, placing them on the appropriate list. Forexample if your thoughts go to topics of worry, dread, fear, outcome, mechanics these arenon effective and must go on that list. They take the form of "don't miss the green, who iswatching me, I should have practiced this shot more, how you could I miss that putt, etc.".Hint: non-effective thoughts are usually things you cannot control, and/or that createtension, or otherwise inhibit a good mental pre-shot routine or a carefree attitude betweenshots.

On the right side of the page, with the heading of “Effective”, write thoughts that do, or




could, enhance your play. Examples could be “choose a definite target, walk and talk withconfidence, breath and relax, have good tempo, chit-chat between shots, day-dream ofpleasant things, keep positive images, etc.” Hint: Thoughts that are effective are usuallythings within your control, thoughts that create a relaxed and peaceful state of mind or canotherwise enhance a good mental pre-shot routine and a carefree attitude between shots.

Close your eyes and reflect on the last time you played and a specific place in the roundwhere you know you wasted mental energy. Imagine walking or riding down any fairwaychanging your thoughts to an item(s) on your list that gives you energy. You might seeyourself reflecting back on a favorite vacation, or a really great shot, pondering what thefish in that pond might be biting, seeing yourself joking with a playing partner, or enjoying asnack or cool drink of water, etc. Next, imagine your self using energy productively. Youmight see yourself walking and talking with confidence, being very committed to your nextshot, breathing and relaxing before executing the shot or putt, etc.

Play- Next time you play golf, challenge yourself to remain aware of your mental energy byperiodically doing “thought checks”. That is, ask yourself “what am I thinking” and “are mythoughts creating mental energy, or using mental energy; if using mental energy, is itproductive.” Use your lists to effectively replace thoughts that are taking energy in noneffective ways. As you walk or ride down the fairway choose to think about things that areenergizing or productive; each time you catch yourself wasting energy by thinking of thingson your non-effective list, replace them with something on the effective list.

For example, if after a bad shot you find yourself bemoaning your poor lie, recognize it as anon-effective thought and replace it with something effective, such as: "That shot is history,I am going to have a definite target and better tempo on my recovery shot."

Tips-

Managing your thoughts in your personal life will give you a head start to bettermanaging them on the golf course.Lifestyle has a huge impact on your ability to manage thoughts. Lack of sleep, poordiet, excessive stimulants, dehydration and fatigue can all make it more difficult toquiet your mind, make good calculations and otherwise manage your thoughts.

For more information on abstract thinking (calculation, and quieting your mind) Please readthe second chapter of the book, "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled "AbstractThinking", pages 58-81

Personal Coaching

FUN FACTS

Jackie Gallagher Smith was able to win her first LPGA event by effectively quieting hermind. As the excitement of being in contention began to stir her tendency to over-thinkregarding her position, its importance to her and how to hit each shot, she reduced herbrain’s impulse to “fire up the neurons” by calmly and continuously humming one of herfavorite tunes, just as she had practiced.

QUICK TIP

Take a walk in the park! One the easiest and most effective ways to quiet your mind




Take a walk in the park! One the easiest and most effective ways to quiet your mindbetween shots is to take a mini-break from your game and enjoy the scenery. Shift yourattention to the flight of birds, the shapes of trees, the warmth of the sun, the gentleness ofthe breeze, or the color of the flowers.




Emotion Management

The Champion Skill: Emotion Management

Emotions like anger, frustration, disappointment, fear, expectation and even excitementcan all play a role in weakening the other 7 champion skills for golf. The very best golfershave learned to manage these emotions rather than let the emotions manage them.


Based on your most recent responses to the questions on emotion management, here isthe current rating of your ability to manage emotions for golf.

7.3

Quick Fix: Fake-it-till-you-make-it.

One key goal for every golfer is to manage emotions so well that someone approachingwould not be able to tell how you are playing by your actions or mannerisms. A quick wayto master this is with your imagination! Immediately after hitting a shot or putt that revs upthe emotions, turn on your best acting skills possible! Your goal is to project the reactionthat you want to have, the cool, confident reaction of a champion, until you develop theskills for truly managing your emotions.

Practice- Take a moment to recall a recent shot or putt that created one of your strongestreactions (good or bad). Use your imagery to change your reaction to that shot or putt. Themoment you see the results of the shot the acting begins! See yourself as one of the bestin the world at staying cool under pressure and projecting that for an imaginary audience tosee. You will demonstrate a resilient, composed persistence with only a slight reaction atmost; perhaps you will have a very slight grimace or jerk, followed by a deep breath and astrong projection of great confidence, head up, shoulders back with a defiant spring in thestep. If at first you have hard time imagining yourself doing this, you can instead imagineand project how one of your most admired pro’s, who is a role model for managingemotions, might handle the same shot.

Play- Once you can effectively fake-it-till-you-make-it in your practice, challenge yourself totake it into your play. It will help motivate you if you will journal your successes andchallenges to watch for continued improvement.

Tip

Fake-it-until-you-make-it is all about redirecting your thoughts from the shot itself to yourcreative imagery of how you would like to react. So, the more detailed and vivid yourimagery the more effective you will be. Have fun with it, seeing and projecting as muchdetail as possible! For example, imagine yourself in front of a huge audience and a T.V.camera only feet away showing a close up of your face as it reveals nothing but confidence




camera only feet away showing a close up of your face as it reveals nothing but confidenceand composure.

The Champion Solution-Process vs. Outcome

One of the key reasons you react to shots is because you are doing something quitenormal, you are judging the outcome of your shots, pre or post execution. Either you arefearful of where the ball might go, angry or disappointed because of where it did go,frustrated because your score is not what you want it to be, embarrassed because of howyou are playing, excited because of your phenomenal play, hyperventilating because youare in the lead, and so on.

You can rein in your run-away-emotions by developing an effective habit of judging theprocess of creating the shot rather than judging the outcome of the shot.

Practice- Commit your next practice session entirely to jump-starting the habit of judgingthe process of your shots. During this practice session you will try not react to any shot, orjudge the outcome of any shot. Rather, you will challenge yourself to use your mentalpre-shot routine, your T & T or ASP, for as many shots as possible, judging your playaccordingly.

Choose the clubs and shots you want to practice. Proceed by using your whole mentalpre-shot routine for each shot. Check your success in doing so after each shot. Forexample, if your mental pre-shot routine is T & T, you would ask yourself 1. How was mytarget step? 2. How was my tempo? If your mental pre-shot routine is ASP you will askyourself 1. Was I committed? 2. Did I visualize that shot? 3. Did I feel the shot? Each timeyou effectively do the routine and judge the process you get a point. On the contrary, eachtime you forget the routine or react to a shot you loose one point. At the end of yoursession tally your score and estimate the percent of your shots you were able tosuccessfully focus on and judged the process. Repeat until you can achieve a level of 80%.

Play- Once you are able to judge the process of up to 80% of your shots in practice you willwant to try to do the same thing when you play. Commit a round of golf to focusing on greatmental routines and keeping score with your process point system. Use the percentages ofyour first round as a baseline for improvement. Dedicate as many rounds as possible to theprocess point system until you have fully developed the habit of judging the process,minimizing reactions to your shots.

Tips-

• Expect to have an easier time judging the process in practice than on the course.

• Your ability to manage emotions can be greatly influenced by genetics, body chemistry,lifestyle, low confidence and current stressors.

• If you are finding it difficult to manage emotions effectively you may need to pay closerattention to personal balance, sleep, diet, hydration, tension and over-all health.

For More information on Emotion management Please read the third chapter of the book,"The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Emotional Stability", pages 82-100.

Personal Coaching




FUN FACTS

For some of his best wins, Freddy Couples would manage pre-shot fears on the finishingholes by imagining the last time he effectively hit the same type shot. Sometimes he wouldeven imagine he was back on his favorite Northwestern U.S. course, playing with hisbrother when he hit the shot.

QUICK TIP

Give yourself the “2 Second Rule”. Many of our Tour clients use the 2 Second Rule to helpbreak habits of reacting to shots. They allow themselves only 2 seconds or less to react toany shot, good or bad, and without breaking or throwing. After which they challengethemselves to change their thoughts to something relaxing or neutral.




Course Management and Game Plan

The Champion Skill: Dominance (course management & game plan)

For this champion skill, think finesse instead of force. Some players loose strokes by beingtoo careful and under-utilizing their skills (and not playing to their potential) while othersloose strokes by being too aggressive, over extending their skills (and experiencing widefluctuations in their scores).

Golf requires a moderately aggressive, or dominant, playing style and game plan tomaximize natural abilities and trained skills.


Based on your most recent responses to the questions on dominance, here is the currentrating of your ability to use course management and game plan effectively for golf.

7.5

Quick Fix: The Mantra or Count (for consistent rhythm & tempo)

One great clue to whether or not you are playing with good dominance or finesse is therhythm and tempo of your swings and strokes.

If you are not dominant enough when you play, you will tend to swing or stroke toocarefully, holding on to, guiding or steering your shot or putt. This can change the normalrhythm of your swing or stroke, making it more erratic and mechanically less effective.

If you are too dominant when you play, you will be swinging or stroking too aggressively,trying to force shots or opportunities. This can change the tempo of your swing, making itfaster, and mechanically less effective.

The solution! Make the feel step of your mental pre-shot routine a mantra, or count, thatyou can recite to yourself as you swing or stroke, locking in your ideal rhythm and tempo.

Practice- In the practice area experiment with simple slogans or counts that can help youengage the rhythm or tempo that best matches your swing or stroke. For example, PayneStewart once used the mantra “swing it loose, mother goose” when he most needed toguard against protecting or over-swinging. Other pros use a simple count of “one, back,two through” to keep their swing or stroke consistent in the most challenging situations.Experiment until you find your own mantra or count that best matches your own swing orstroke. Incorporate this into your mental pre-shot routine. Imagine playing some of yourmost challenging shots and putts using your mental pre-shot routine with the mantra orcount.

Play- Once you are able to imagine doing it, play a practice round using the mantra or




count in your routine. At various times during the round imagine, or put yourself in,situations where you are most likely to be too aggressive or too careful to test the mantraor count.

Tip- Some favorite mantras are a favorite rhyme, words to a favorite song, and a favoriteperson’s name. Have fun experimenting!

The Solution to operating like the Champion Tour Players: Course ManagementBackwards!

Whatever your skill level, you are faced with many decisions and choices when you playgolf. To get the most out of your game you will want at least a basic strategy for playing acourse, ideally one that simplifies these choices while best utilizing your current mental andphysical skills. Rather than simply go out to play the hole “as it was designed to be played,or use the strategy of “hit-as-far-as-I-can-and-then-decide”, you will have a head start onbetter mental skills (pre-shot routines, a quiet mind and your ability to manage emotionsand all the other champion skills) if you go out with a basic plan for playing the course;especially if it is one that fully taps your strengths at the time. Did you know there weretournament rounds when Jack Nicholas did not use his driver?

Practice- One effective strategy for finding the game plan that best matches your currentskills is to manage the course backwards. Try this strategy both with a course you knowwell and with a course that is fairly new to you (or the same course from different teemarkers). Ideally using a map of each hole. Start by dividing the green of the chosen holeinto quadrants, deciding where you would like to be for a particular pin placement. Nextdecide what club you would ideally hit into that quadrant and from where. Then decide thelocation and club you would ideally use to hit into that target, and so on. Make your noteson the map of the hole or jot them down in chronological order. Do this for each hole tryingto use clubs and shots in which you currently have the greatest confidence.

Play- Challenge yourself to play rounds using your game plan as much as possible.

Tip- Resist changing your game plan because of emotion, outcome or score.

For More information on dominance, course management and game plan, please read thefirst chapter of the book, "The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Dominance",pages 101-113.

Personal Coaching

FUN FACTS

Invited to play the Pebble Beach AT&T as an aging senior Dave Stockton Sr, (known morefor his great finesse than distance), lamented that he could not convince some of the youngpro’s he practiced with to hit 3 wood instead of driver on a few of the high risk holes. Guesswhich “one” of the guys in that practice group made a check that week?

QUICK TIP

If you are too aggressive, Go for percentages! Challenge yourself to choose shots you feelyou can hit at least 50% of the time in practice. If you are too careful, expand your comfortzone! Challenge yourself to find one or two holes per round where you can use a slightly




more aggressive game plan than normal.




Tough-Minded

The Champion Skill: Tough-Mindedness

Wind, rain, heat, cold, slow play, bad bounces, noise, the tough-minded golfer can handlethem all! No matter what the challenge, the tough-minded golfer is ready to face andconquer them with intent and determination.

Current Rating on this skill.

Based on your most recent responses to the questions on tough-mindedness, here is thecurrent rating of your ability to remain tough-minded for golf.

6.4

Quick Fix: Create an Attitude for Competition

Your attitude going into the round sets the stage for how tough-minded you will be duringthe round. Investing a few minutes to check, and improve, your attitude can go a long waytoward helping you be more tough-minded, and get the most out of your game.

Practice- On a day when you plan to play, ask yourself if you are up, positive, competitiveand ready for any challenge. If the answer is “No”, take a few moments before the round tocreate your attitude for the day. The steps are simple. Find a place where you can relaxwith few distractions; while still in bed, in the shower, in your car, the locker room, etc.Take several, slow, deep relaxing breaths then with your last exhale, take your thoughts toone of your all time favorite rounds of golf. Reflect on and recapture your attitude that day,making mental note of some of your predominant thoughts and feelings. Hopefully you willrecall things like “fun, in the moment, positive, calm, focused, confident, patient,determined, decisive, committed, resilient, carefree between shots, positive, etc”. One byone, to the best of your ability, take a few seconds to imagine feeling each adjective orphrase. Then imagine proceeding with your day retaining these feelings regardless of thechallenges you face.

Play- As you warm up, and periodically throughout out your round, especially as youencounter your greatest challenges, refresh your attitude by mentally reviewing your wordsand projecting them in your movements and mannerisms.

Tip- Many players find it helpful to put their adjectives or phrases on a note card and tuckthem in their pocket or yardage book holder for quick refreshers throughout the round.

Solution; Using Adversity as a Cue

A great way to increase your tough-mindedness is to get right to the heart of yourvulnerabilities or “tender” areas and learn to use them as powerful cues. With a little selfawareness and discipline, you will be able to turn game-breaking challenges into




stroke-saving cues.

Practice- Sit down in a quiet and relaxed place with writing utensils handy. Take a fewslow deep breaths to relax then reflect on recent play…start to identify as specifically asyou can, what during a round made it especially hard to use a good mental pre-shotroutine. List these challenges in a column on the left side of your paper with a spacebetween each item. To help you get started, here is a sample list of some classicchallenges: wind, slow play, irritating playing partner, not hitting the ball well, too focusedon score.

Now to the right of the first item on your list and on the first line, place an = sign and writedown how this challenge tends to negatively affect you. For example, your Challenges andAffects might be:

wind = bad tempo, or wind = rushing my routineslow play = poor focusirritating playing partner = distracted and angrynot hitting the ball well = overly mechanical, or not hitting the ball well = negative selftalkfocused on score = tension & poor mental pre-shot routines

Once you have your list of Challenges and Affects go back to the second line under eachchallenge and rewrite the “formula” with the opposite affect or what you want it to Cue youto do. For example, your Challenges and Cues might be:

wind = great tempo, or wind = smooth, rhythmical routineslow play = great mental pre-shot routineirritating playing partner = more focus on my goal of great mental routines & carefreebetween shotsnot hitting the ball well = even stronger commitment to my mental pre-shot routinefocus on score = more breathing & relaxing and great mental pre-shot routines.

Schedule short mental practice sessions and using one challenge at a time, imagineyourself playing a round using the challenge as a cue to experience the affect you want.

Tip- Your imagery will be even more effective if you will imagine replaying past shots usingyour cues.

The more time you take to imagine using your challenges as cues to think moretough-minded, the faster you will be able to actually do this when you play.

Play- Challenge yourself to play a fun round using your cues. Once you can use them wellin relaxed rounds, challenge yourself to use your cues in more competitive rounds.

Tip- You will find it helpful to write the cues on a note card and carry it with you when youplay. As needed, use your card as a reminder. It will take time and practice to change oldhabits but each time you remember your cue the closer you get to more tough-minded play.

For More information on tough-minded Please read the fifth chapter of the book, "The EightTraits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Tough-Minded", pages 114-132.

Personal Coaching

According to several of your answers, you appear to be more Tender-Minded than theChampion Tour Players.




A Tough-Minded player plays their best no matter what the conditions are. They get themost from their skills that day and often play better than they expect. You cannot changethe conditions, so accept them and do your best.

The Champions do not let their attitude change because of tough or poor conditions.

When a competitor complains, it should be music to your ears. If they are complaining thenthey have a bad attitude about playing and their performance. This will lead them toreacting to their outcomes and not trying as hard to perform. They may give up at somepoint. Of course, it is never pleasant to here anyone complaining or whining. Don't listen tothem any more than you can help. Definitely don't try to change their attitude. That is theirproblem and your advantage.

If you let problems with your swing determine your attitude about playing the round, thenyou may never have a good attitude about playing. A poor attitude or expectation willguarantee a poor round.

Bruce Lietzke missed a lot of fairways during the final round of the 2003 US Senior Open.He did not let his physical swing problems affect his attitude and the rest of his game. Whilethe common logic is a good swing means a good score, this logic means you cannot scoreif the swing isn't perfect. Very few golfers ever hit the ball perfectly for the whole round, letalone the whole tournament.

We are not playing golf swing. We are playing golf. Focus your efforts on the things youcan do and adjust for the swing you are playing with to get the most from your round. Youare not a machine. Don't try to play golf like a swing machine.

While etiquette says that you should help your competitors look for their balls for up to thelimit of 5 minutes, Tough-Minded players seldom do this. We encourage you to look a shortwhile and then go worry about your shot. The fact that they hit their ball into trouble is notyour problem. If you look with them then it will take more time for you to play your shot oryou may feel rushed to help the group catch up when it is your turn. Be Tough-Minded incompetition. If the round is purely social, then help them look.

FUN FACTS

One famous-and fast-European professional overcame a tender-minded challenge ofrushing and playing poorly when his group was being timed. He did it by using “beingtimed” as a cue to declare, “I may help make up time between shots, but when I am overthe ball, it is my 40 seconds to do with as I please, and I am going to do a great mentalpre-shot routine”.

QUICK TIP

Being tough-minded is in part a decision. Before you tee off decide whether your roundtoday is for socializing, enjoying, or helping others with their game; or if it is a competitiveround for you in which you prioritize your own mental routine and mental goals. (Fewpeople can truly do both well in the same round.)




Confidence

The Champion Skill: Performance Confidence

Performance confidence in golf is your belief in your abilities to play your best, at your levelof play. It is the nature of golf for performance confidence to ebb & flow for golfers of alllevels (especially for players who are also lower in personal confidence). But, it is possiblefor everyone to better manage performance confidence with a few basic techniques.

Please note that personal confidence, belief in yourself, is addressed in the GolfPsychPersonality Assessment and Report along with the other Champion personality traits.


Based on your most recent responses to the questions on performance confidence, here isthe current rating of your performance confidence.

8.0

Quick Fix: “One-for-One”

Your objective with “one-for-one” is to manage your thoughts to enable the “longest highs”and the “shallowest lows” in your performance confidence. Whatever your current level,your self-talk is either going to strengthen or weaken performance confidence when youplay. And because some portion of your negative self-talk and reaction is habit, you canimprove it using the “one-for-one” goal. That is, for every shot or putt you have, yourchallenge is to think or say one thing positive or good about it. Sound simple? It’s not aseasy as you may think, and the more conditioned your habit of negative self talk, the moredifficult you will find it to be.

Practice- On paper or in your report, make a list of as many possible compliments you canthink of to practice giving yourself after shots and putts. Ideally your list will be thingscomplimentary of your game, such as: ”I had the right line; I had the right target; I had theright speed; I had a great tempo; I was committed; I am a great putter; I am a great athlete;I was patient; I am determined; etc.” Now make a second “back-up” list to use when youfind it difficult to say something good about the shot. It can be more general with thingslike: it is great to be outdoors; I love the challenge of golf; I appreciate the opportunity toplay today; etc.

In your next practice session, make it your goal to practice both your mental pre-shotroutine and to test your ability to say something positive after every shot or putt.

For example, if you had the right club but missed your target, first compliment yourself forhaving the right club, or if you had the right line on the putt but left it short, firstacknowledge that you had the right line.




Play- Just as you did in practice, emphasize using your mental pre-shot routine for everyshot possible, and test your ability to say something positive after every shot or putt,especially the ones you do not like. Do this every round you play until you feel you havebroken habits of immediate negative reaction.

The Solution: Post Round Ratings

Performance confidence is tied to performance, and performance is affected byperformance confidence. So where do you start? Start with quality, efficient andappropriate practice to maximize confidence and performance!

After every round of golf, take a few minutes to do a post round rating. To the best of yourability, and relative to your best play, write down the following,: physical skills that werestrong and physical skills that need strengthening; mental skills that were strong and themental skills that need strengthening. Following are some examples:

Physically strong: hit my driver pretty well off the teePhysically weak: missed several chips, fundamentals not goodMentally strong: was committed to 80% of my shots todayMentally weak missed several short putts, did not do my full mental pre-shot routine

The items you found to be weak physically become your goals for practice. The items youfound that were weak mentally become goals for practice and play. So, using theseexamples, you would; take a chip lesson or revisit some of your drills for chipping inpractice; and you would practice short putts using your full mental pre-shot routine.

Tip- Always write your strengths first, even if your first reaction was “there were none”. Youcan always find something you did well, that must be acknowledged first. Then choose 2 or3 key weaknesses rather than make a long list.

For More information on confidence, please read the sixth chapter of the book, "The EightTraits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Confidence", pages 133-159.

Personal Coaching

FUN FACTS

Mark McCumber over-came low performance confidence one season on the PGA Tourusing his mental pre-shot routine and changing habits of negative thought using‘one-for-one’ (one compliment for every shot or putt). On Friday evening of a late seasonevent he exclaimed, “I have never hit the ball this poorly and been in the lead of atournament!” He went on to win that tournament qualifying for the Tour Championship, andwon it too!

QUICK TIP

Challenge an old negative belief! If in the habit of referring to, or thinking of yourself as a“bad putter”, “lousy off the tee”, “poor chipper”, etc. challenge yourself to reverse that belief.Instead of waiting until you have achieved it, start now by telling yourself that you are, orwill be, “a great putter”, “great off the tee”, “consistent with chips”, etc.




Independent Decision Making

The Champion Skill: Self-Sufficiency (independent decision making)

Ideal self-sufficiency for golf actually encompasses two skills. One is the ability to beself-sufficient enough to sift through the many choices you will encounter while playing golfand make firm decisions about the shot you are hitting. The other skill is the ability to benon self-sufficient enough to open your mind to receiving input from others rather than tryto make all your decisions with little or no help. We will focus more on the first one. [If youneed help with the latter you are probably not reading this!]


Based on your most recent responses to the questions on self-sufficiency, here is thecurrent rating of your independent decision making for golf.

5.6

Quick Fix: Go Solo

Develop more confidence in making your own decisions by making them! If your course willallow, play a few holes solo. If they do not, pretend you are playing alone. Your goal is tobreak habits of looking into someone’s bag or otherwise trying to see what shot they chosebefore selecting your own, or habitually asking for other’s opinions of how you should playthe shot rather than deciding on your own.

Tips-

If you are playing with others, challenge yourself to look away or otherwise distractyourself when they are playing their shots and putts to force yourself to be moreinvolved with your own decision.For several rounds, rate your play not by your score but by how successful you wereat making your own decisions.The exercise under Abstract Thinking for trusting first impressions will also help withdecisiveness.

The Solution: Map the Course

Practice making as many decisions as possible about playing your course before gettingon the course. Besides having the extra practice making the decisions, having a writtenpre-plan for playing your course will make it easier for you to be decisive once on thecourse.

Tip- If available, get a map of each hole, or create basic sketches of your own. With yourpencil chart a strategy for playing each hole by circling target areas and identifying clubsyou would like to use considering the most likely pin placements and conditions.




For More information on self-sufficiency, please read the seventh chapter of the book, "TheEight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Self-Sufficiency", pages 160-174.

Personal Coaching

FUN FACTS

Many tour players have broken slumps by reducing over-reliance on their caddie andmaking more of their own decisions, thereby becoming more committed to their shots andputts. Ironically, many other tour players have broken slumps by reducing extremeself-reliance, looking more to their support team; wives, caddies, teachers, coaches, sportpsychologists, etc., for related assistance as needed to play their best.

QUICK TIP

If you find it hard to make your own decisions on the golf course, you likely find it hard tomake decisions in other areas of your life too. See every decision-making situation that youfind yourself in as a great opportunity to practice being more decisive, strengthening thisimportant skil. "What shall it be, pitch or putt? pizza or pasta?, you decide!




Tension Management

The Champion Skill: Tension Management (optimum arousal)

The arousal or tension level required for peak performance in golf is somewhere betweenthat required for target shooting and football; and the closer you get to the green the morerelaxed you want to be.

As we refer to it here arousal is the amount of mental and physical tension you experiencewhen you play. When your arousal is too low your mind will wander; when too high, yourmind will race and your body tense, changing your swing or stroke.

In this Skills Analysis report we address the more common challenge of over arousal forgolf. The full spectrum of managing arousal or tension is done with your Personality Profileand Report.


Based on your most recent responses to the questions, here is the current rating of yourability to manage tension for golf.

7.3

Quick Fix: Body Checks

On a day when you find yourself particularly tense, take a few moments to become moreaware of your tension by doing “body checks”. Look for areas in your body where you aremost likely to experience your tension, such as eyes, jaws, neck, shoulders, lower back,stomach, hands, etc.

Practice- When you practice, periodically check this area or areas where you storetension. If you find tightness take a moment and find a creative way to relax that area ofyour body. For example, if you find you are clenching your teeth, purposefully relax yourjaw and gently touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue; or if you find your grip istight, consciously relax your hands and use the old tip of imagining holding a delicate bird.

Play- Take this same awareness into your play, doing body checks, and relaxing tension,especially as you approach your most challenging shots and putts.

Tips- One of the hardest parts of managing tension is just becoming aware of it, largelybecause after awhile it comes to feel natural. The more you practice Body Checks thebetter your awareness of your tension will be.

The Solution: Deep Breathing

The most effective and most widely used method of relaxing on cue for golf is deepabdominal breathing. If practiced correctly, it can be used to lower your tension in a matter




abdominal breathing. If practiced correctly, it can be used to lower your tension in a matterof seconds in even the most challenging situations.

Practice- Take a few minutes each day to lie down in a quiet place and practice deepabdominal breathing (the same type of breathing taught for singing, yoga, martial arts &Lamaze child birth training). See the guide in the appendix if needed. Once you feel youare effectively deep breathing while lying down, do the same effective abdominal breathingsitting up, and then, standing up. If you are chronically tense, this progression may takeweeks, while if you are an accomplished deep breather, only a day. Once you are good atdeep breathing while standing up, it’s time to take it to the range.

Using your mental pre-shot routine, simulate hitting some of your most challenging shotson some of your most challenging holes. Insert a deep breath into your mental pre-shotroutine in the place it feels most comfortable; either (1) before you start the routine, (2)after you commit and before you visualize or feel, (3) just over the ball, taking the club backat the end of your exhale, or (4) during the swing, by inhaling on the take-away andexhaling on the down swing. Once you can comfortably insert the deep breath into yourmental pre-shot routine in practice, take it into your play.

Play- Use your deep breath as part of your mental pre-shot routine. Dedicate your play toworking on your mental pre-shot routine and including your deep breath until it becomesnatural.

Tips-

Especially tense players will often need to insert more than one deep breath into theirroutine.If you are having trouble visualizing your shot it is a great cue that you need to relax.The alpha brainwaves needed for visualization disappear when you are over aroused.If you are struggling with your grip or your alignment, check your tension first. Bothare early signs of too much tension.

Many players who are overly tense can unknowingly develop a habit of actually holdingtheir breath while executing a shot or putt. Often this habit can be changed by inserting thedeep breath over the ball or during the swing.

For More information on managing tension, please read the eighth chapter of the book,"The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers", titled, "Optimum Arousal", pages 175-202.

Personal Coaching

Excitement about playing golf and competing is OK if it doesn't raise your level of arousaltoo much for golf. The butterflies many players report, are due to some arousal and maynot represent too much. If they go away soon after you start your round, then they probablydo not represent too much arousal. If your thoughts of competing get you more excitedthan this, then you are probably experiencing less than optimum performance.

Often the tournament has been scheduled for some time. You have been looking forwardto the tournament and preparing for it for quite a few days beforehand. This anticipationcan raise your level of arousal gradually so that you are operating at a higher than normallevel before you start your round. We all feel a little more excitement when we go to thefirst tee. Adding this to an already heightened level can easily have you considerablyover-aroused for golf. You know this is happening when you swing awfully fast on the firsttee or your mind is racing and your focus is wide.




Extreme excitement will guarantee that you start rough and may not recover by the end ofthe round. Is your excitement about competition a good excitement? Are you lookingforward to the test, to seeing how you compare? Or is it due to fear of the unknown, to thepossible bad outcomes or frustrations? Is it due to memories of this or other competitionswhere you have not played well?

If the excitement you feel is due more to anxiety then it is a definite problem and needs tobe addressed. These anxieties will make you more reactive and raise your level of tensionabove the optimum level. You need to identify the source of these anxieties and developsolutions to these concerns. This effort will help you deal with them and reduce theirimpact. Working with a GolfPsych Instructor or psychologist can be very effective.

FUN FACTS

Jack Nicklaus made a point of always trying to visualize his shot before executing, believingthat if he could see it he had a much greater chance of hitting it. If you ever watched himplay you may have also noticed that when he needed it, he often took a deep slow breathand shook his right arm as he exhaled, relaxing enough to make visualization possible.

QUICK TIP

On their most tense days, many tour players find it helpful to declare it an “80%” day. Theirobjective is to counter their subconscious tendency to speed up as their arousal or tensionclimbs by consciously relaxing and slowing everything down to what feels like 80% of theirnormal pace (in reality it is more their normal pace when tension is lower). Apply it to youractions off the course: driving, eating, talking, walking, warming up, etc. Apply it to youractions on the course: the way you pull your clubs, the way you move up to the ball, andthe way you swing or stroke.




Conscientious

Expedient

Conscientious

Practical or Imaginative

Practical

Imaginative

Discipline

Undisciplined

Perfectionist

Sober vs Enthusiastic




Sober

Enthusiastic

You measure to be more enthusiastic than the average player. That is you like to enjoyyourself with others between shots. You are known to be more bubbly and happy seemingthan others. Lee Trevino and Sergio Garcia are more like you. They are Champions but this isnot a Champion Trait according to our research.

The problem for players that are enthusiastic on the golf course is usually with others.Others may interpret this behavior as not intense or serious enough to play your best. Yourcoach, parents or other players may make these kinds of comments.

We call this the Ben Hogan myth. Ben Hogan was extremely serious appearing on the golfcourse. Too many players think you have to be very serious to play your best. We encourageyou to remain enthusiastic on the golf course between shots.

This is OK as long as you are working to do a really good mental routine to play your shots.You cannot be laughing or talking to others during your mental routine and play good shots.

After the shot, you should lighten up and enjoy yourself. This will conserve your energy andyou will enjoy the round of golf more. If you have problems with others on this issue havethem talk to your GolfPsych Instructor to understand what is best for you.




Appendix:

Goal Planning-

Set Outcome Goals for your play. These are the outcomes that you want to accomplish overthe next year or two with your golf, longer if you are motivated to play at a high level. Thesegoals will be things like lower your competitive stroke average, win a tournament, make thevarsity, earn a college scholarship, etc. They must be specific so that there is no questionthat you have accomplished them. They must be motivating to you.

Set your outcome goals too high and they will not be effective. They should be a stretch, noteasy, but within possibility.

These outcome goals must not be in your mind when playing. They are to set direction andhelp you make decisions on a daily basis, for guidance. Thinking about achieving your goal ofwinning this tournament before the round is over will most likely raise arousal or tensionand make it harder to perform.

You must write them down to get the benefit of having them.

Performance Goals- These are the smaller steps that help you achieve your outcome goals.You must set Physical Performance Goals and Mental Performance Goals.

Physical Performance Goals have to do with your physical skills for golf. They guide yourpractice. Test your physical skills then practice, get a lesson and check the equipment. Thenre-test a week or two later. Have you improved? Modify your practice if necessary.

Mental Performance Goals- These are goals that are associated with competition or play. Youneed to have one or two mental goals for a round of golf. These mental goals must be themost important aspect of your round. You should be thinking about them and moreconcerned with them than the score or any shot.

Mental goals have you focused on some part of the process of playing. Typically we startwith goals about some important part of your mental routine. For example: Today's goalcould be to do really good visual steps during your routine 50% or more of the routines. Youmust track this performance while playing. Write down when you did good or when youcould have done it better. At the end of the round add up how many good visual steps. Thisis the important score. If you did better than the goal, great! Raise the bar for tomorrow'sround or set another goal for tomorrow.

Of course you want to do 100% but this is not realistic in our experience. In addition, itdoesn't work very well because after the first poor visual step, the goal is over.

Set no more than 2 mental goals for your round. Try to pick the area that is your weakestand use the goal to emphasize that area.

Work with a GolfPsych Instructor to develop and use these goals well. They have tools tohelp you like our Mental Game Scorecard and our Champion Circle or Bubble.

Deep Breathing- The most effective way to lower your tension or arousal is deep breathing.Unfortunately, most people do not know how to do this to get the relaxing effect.

An effective breath is an abdominal breath. Long and controlled in both directions. Imaginebreathing through a straw. As you inhale, your abdomen should expand. As you exhale, yourabdomen should contract. The pace of breathing to start with is 5 seconds in and 5 secondsout. If this is too slow at first you will know because you will not get enough air.

Most people have tight diaphram muscles. This means that your abdomen may not movemuch at first and your breaths may be 5 seconds or faster. With practice your diaphram willloosen and your breaths can approach as slow as 10 seconds in and out.

Along with exercising the abdomen and the diaphram your mind must focus on the flow ofair and controlling it. This is why some techniques want you to count when breathing orchange the pathway between nose and mouth. This effort focuses your mind on thebreathing and gets it off of any tension creating thoughts.

Effective abdominal breathing is a skill. You must practice daily to get good at it. Then whenyou need it, it will work for you. Use it while waiting on the first tee or while waiting to putt,even over the ball.




even over the ball.

Optimum arousal for golf is critical to performance. Over arousal is typical and effectiveabdominal breathing and thought control are the antidotes. Work with a GolfPsychInstructor and our Mind Meter with Zone Training Software to develop this skill in theshortest possible time. Use the Mind Meter on the course to see how good you are at it.

AnswersNumber Question Answer1 A missed shot or putt is hard for me to accept Sometimes

2 I intensely focus and concentrate (grind) the whole time I amcompeting Often

3 I consider all the variables when deciding on the shot AlmostAlways

4 I throw clubs, kick the bag, scream, or want to but hide it on thecourse Never

5 I like myself Always 6 I have a big number on one hole every round Often 7 I make decisions easily and quickly Often

8 I hate standing in line even though it is the right thing to do. If I canfind a shortcut, I will try. Never

9 I learn a skill faster by watching it performed instead of readingabout it. Often

10 I try to be very precise with my shots, hitting to small targets AlmostAlways

11 I am known to be a fun-loving, cheerful person. Always 12 People who know me would say I am rather serious and pensive. Never 13 I try to hit the perfect golf shot or putt Sometimes 14 I prefer to practice more than play Never

15It upsets me when others ignore the etiquette rules. I know theetiquette rules well and think all should follow them exactly. Noexceptions. I make sure I do always.

Never

16 I do what my coach tells me to do AlmostAlways

17 I score consistently within a couple shots every round Often 18 I am very excited by competition Always 19 A bad round bothers me for several days Sometimes 20 I get frustrated, angry, irritated, impatient, depressed on the course Sometimes 21 I play well when the conditions or course are difficult Often 22 When I finish my competitive rounds, my brain is tired Sometimes

23 I do my physical pre-shot routine very carefully in competition AlmostAlways

24 I change the shot while over the ball Never




25 I react positively or negatively to the outcomes of my shots andputts Sometimes

26 I call myself names or swear at myself when I miss a shot or putt Sometimes 27 I play well in poor conditions Sometimes 28 I hit the ball well on the range, not on the course Never 29 I try shots where I have less than a 50% chance of success Sometimes 30 I like making my own decisions Always

31 Completing a task quickly is more important to me than doing itperfectly. Sometimes

32 I work on the mechanics of my swing Always

33 I am on time AlmostAlways

34 When I am playing my best golf, I tend to small talk and enjoyothers between shots Often

35 I am dissatisfied when the shot does not come off perfect Sometimes 36 I have several swing thoughts when I compete Never 37 I always try to beat the traffic light or want the driver to. Sometimes

38 I don't care what club or shot others play, I choose my own AlmostAlways

39 I try to reach par 5's in two shots Often 40 I am more emotional than usual in competition Never 41 I love to hear competitors complain Never 42 I wonder about what others think about my game or swing or me Often 43 I follow birdies with bogies Never

44 I read greens well AlmostAlways

45 I check my alignment AlmostAlways

46 I check my grip and posture AlmostAlways

47 I have a hard time deciding on the shot to play Sometimes 48 When I start poorly, I play poorly Sometimes 49 I have guilty feelings Never 50 A poor warm-up has an impact on my expectations for play Sometimes 51 My mind is too busy in competition Sometimes

52 I stay committed to my game plan even when scoring poorly AlmostAlways

53 I prefer to follow the instructions exactly as my teacher gave themto me. I never skip any parts. Sometimes

54 I feel the shot in my hands and body before I swing AlmostAlways

55 My closet is very neat Sometimes




55 My closet is very neat Sometimes 56 My shoes are shined and clean Sometimes 57 I can create a lot of different shots for the same situation Sometimes

58 I hit lay-up shots well AlmostAlways

59 I putt well in competition AlmostAlways

60 When my fellow competitors or partners play poorly, so do I Never 61 I expect to do well in life and better than others Always 62 I get excited when I am playing well Often

63 I play trouble shots well AlmostAlways

64 I make sure my swing is on plane Often

65 I check my swing keys or cues or thoughts during the pre-shotroutine

AlmostAlways

66 My mind is peaceful in competition Often 67 I react to unlucky bounces or outcomes Sometimes 68 When I miss a shot, I worry that I will miss more Never 69 A missed shot or putt is hard for me to accept Sometimes

70 I read the greens well in competition AlmostAlways

71 I play sideways or backward to get out of trouble Sometimes 72 My clubs are clean and my bag is organized Always

73 I relax while waiting to putt AlmostAlways

74 I can find a way to score, even when my swing mechanics are off Sometimes 75 I believe that I am a good putter Always 76 I finish my rounds emotionally spent Sometimes

77 I know what score I need to shoot, what the cut will be, howeveryone in my group is scoring Often

78 I check my swing keys or thoughts during my swing Never

79 I imagine or visualize the ball flying to the target vividly, in detail, inreal time Often

80 I expect to play my best in competition Always 81 My tee-time has an effect on my attitude about playing that round Never

82 I have great rhythm or tempo in competition AlmostAlways

83 I swing faster on the first tee Never 84 Who I am paired with has an effect on my attitude Never

85 I feel calm and confident over my shots and putts AlmostAlways

I imagine or visualize the ball rolling across the green, taking the Almost




86 I imagine or visualize the ball rolling across the green, taking thebreak, going in the hole

AlmostAlways

87 Over the ball, my mind is quiet and my thoughts are on the shot,not the swing

AlmostAlways

88 I imagine what good could happen, not what bad could happen AlmostAlways

89 Slow play upsets me Sometimes 90 I start my rounds poorly Sometimes 91 I worry about holding others up Sometimes 92 Over the ball, I worry about the trouble this shot might find Never

93 I can feel the ball flying towards the target or rolling across thegreen

AlmostAlways

94 My decisions are finished and I am committed before I pull the club AlmostAlways

95 I help fellow competitors look for their balls for up to 5 minutes Often 96 I am sentimental Sometimes

97 I have definite targets before the shot AlmostAlways

98 I decide on the shape of shot before I pull the club AlmostAlways

99 I care about others AlmostAlways

100 I play shots I have confidence in AlmostAlways

101 I know the yardage to the target and how far I am trying to hit thisclub Always

102 Between shots, I think about the round Often 103 Between shots, I think about my score and strategy Often 104 Between shots, I take my mind off the round Sometimes 105 I am distracted by others, my thoughts or noises over the shot Sometimes 106 I am anxious about where my shot or putt is going Sometimes 107 I guide or steer my shots and putts Sometimes

108 I practice alone AlmostAlways

109 I have lots of friends AlmostAlways

110 Off course, when focused, I don't hear others speaking to me AlmostAlways

111 I have rabbit ears when I compete Sometimes

© Copyright 2016 SportPsych ®, Inc.




tour researched tour tested tour proven! · pros to the avids, and are designed to: ... a tall...

Documents