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SplittheFairwaysGolfShop.com Featured Article
The Mental Game of Golf
By Bob
E. Jones
Do you remember the times on the course when instead of
chattering to you about your swing and the hazards you
faced, your mind quieted down and you just swung the
club? And the result was a shot so good you couldn't
believe it was you who had hit it?
In moments like that, the knowledge in the mind becomes
lodged in the body as well. Your body becomes a physical
expression of your mind - not taking orders from the
mind, but the mind made manifest.
Now that might have been a fortuitous moment, and you
might think, "Wow! I like it when that happens." But you
can learn to repeat it at will. You can make it happen
whenever you want.
Prepare for a shot by calming your mind and visualizing
the shot you want to hit. But what is visualization? It
is not seeing a movie of what you want the ball to do.
Visualization is allowing what you see between yourself
and your target to create an impression in your mind
that spreads through your body, an impression that
carries the exact feeling of how to hit a shot that will
get the ball where you want it to go.
That's what visualization is, and you do it for every
shot, from drive to three-foot putt. The process takes
only a few seconds once you get used to it.
The reason this process is important is that every shot
you hit is unique. The shot you hit from this spot last
week is not the same shot you're about to hit right now.
It's different in many respects. The lie can be
different. There can be more or less wind. The pin can
be in a different place on the green. You're striking
the ball differently than you did last time out. I'm
sure you could add to this list.
When you plan a shot by drawing on your experience in a
logical way, you'll be off the mark. By keeping a calm
mind, you'll become aware of the situation you're facing
right now, and plan the shot that is called for right
now.
Once you've calmed your mind to plan your shot and that
calmness continues as you're standing over the ball
ready to take the club away, this is the critical
moment. The change from a motionless state to movement
can easily cause your mind to switch to concentrating on
your physical movement. If it does, all is lost. Your
feeling of calmness must not be interrupted by starting
your swing, and it must continue undisturbed throughout
your swing. You only have about one second within which
your calmness must continue without interruption, and
the shot is over.
This process illustrates the meaning of concentration.
It is to calm your mind and have that calmness continue
undisturbed as you act. If you can master that, you have
mastered the mental aspect of golf.
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