Tiger
Money List Winner
I've recently started applying some of the behavioural science I use for my work to my golf and it's made a big difference so I thought I'd share with you.
So for a long time I've been trying to follow snelly's advice to see the club hit the ball. When I do this I generally tend to strike the ball better and get improved results however doing it consistently has always been challenging. More often than I'd like I'm looking to see where the ball has gone normally before I've hit it.
I've done this for so long now it's a habit. Habits are an automated behaviour designed to enable us to get things done and be more efficient than if we consciously have to think through everything. If you've picked up a bad habit you can't just say "stop looking up" for example. This is because of Hebbs law where neurons that wire together fire together so you'll end up strengthening the very thing you are trying to change.
So how do you create a good new habit? This is where Charles Duhigg's habit loop comes in. First create a new cue. For me it's a bonus cue as it solves an issue my coach identified. At address my head slightly points towards target. So now I adjust it to look down and focus on a specific point on the ball.
The next step is Routine - which hinges on the if-then principle. If I always turn my head and focus on a specific point on the ball, then I am more likely to maintain that focus through my swing and play a good shot.
The final step is reward. My reward is hitting a good shot that sails to exactly where I want it go go and sounds fantastic off the club face. You need to anticipate the reward so I link this to visualising the shot.
The final thing to remember is be gentle with yourself. If it goes wrong just accept it but remain committed to your cue. You can apply this to anything in your game or wider life. If you want to create a new good habit this could help. It's certainly working for me... roll on the better weather
So for a long time I've been trying to follow snelly's advice to see the club hit the ball. When I do this I generally tend to strike the ball better and get improved results however doing it consistently has always been challenging. More often than I'd like I'm looking to see where the ball has gone normally before I've hit it.
I've done this for so long now it's a habit. Habits are an automated behaviour designed to enable us to get things done and be more efficient than if we consciously have to think through everything. If you've picked up a bad habit you can't just say "stop looking up" for example. This is because of Hebbs law where neurons that wire together fire together so you'll end up strengthening the very thing you are trying to change.
So how do you create a good new habit? This is where Charles Duhigg's habit loop comes in. First create a new cue. For me it's a bonus cue as it solves an issue my coach identified. At address my head slightly points towards target. So now I adjust it to look down and focus on a specific point on the ball.
The next step is Routine - which hinges on the if-then principle. If I always turn my head and focus on a specific point on the ball, then I am more likely to maintain that focus through my swing and play a good shot.
The final step is reward. My reward is hitting a good shot that sails to exactly where I want it go go and sounds fantastic off the club face. You need to anticipate the reward so I link this to visualising the shot.
The final thing to remember is be gentle with yourself. If it goes wrong just accept it but remain committed to your cue. You can apply this to anything in your game or wider life. If you want to create a new good habit this could help. It's certainly working for me... roll on the better weather
