Golf Psychology

[JezzE]

Having studied sports psychology at uni, co-written a book on the subject with the EGU's and Monty's psychologist a few years back, and witnessed no end of players - myself included - fail to deal with things on the course, finish off rounds, play to their full potential etc when they have perfectly decent technical ability (not including myself in that last bit!), I can safely say that I find some of the attitudes to sports pyschology expressed in this thread more than a little bewildering...!

 

[chrisd]

Bob Rotella has a great advantage though, over someone starting out helping "ordinary" golfers. The people Rotella teaches are pretty much all top notch hitters of the ball and he wouldn't have to try and find out whether the pupils need is to cure a swing fault or a mental one. If the reason that someone struggles round and, say, can't break 100, its likely not to be sorted with psychology alone but could be a mixture of technique and psychology and my earlier posting was about the ability of the OP to be able to cover all aspects of game improvement.

 

[AmandaJR]

I recognise the importance of the psychological element of playing golf well - certainly for me as my confidence is very fragile (unlike most other aspects of my life). I've read heaps of books on the subject and also attended a couple of NLP seminars. I'm much more robust than I was but can still lose my head from time to time so it remains a work in progress.

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist? Yes

How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session? £50

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost? Monthly and cost is £50 for half an hour.

Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips? Not as such. Have a K15 driver which has helped me square the face which could be argued that I do!

 

[londonlewis]

I'd be interested to know who has used a golf psychologist and what their experience was.
that is probably the best / only way for me to be sold on the idea of spending money on this.

I just can't see myself seeking one out
I'd be more likely to have golf lessons before I had a golf psychologist and I am yet to have one of those either...

 

[Spear-Chucker]

I'd be interested to know who has used a golf psychologist and what their experience was.
that is probably the best / only way for me to be sold on the idea of spending money on this.

I just can't see myself seeking one out
I'd be more likely to have golf lessons before I had a golf psychologist and I am yet to have one of those either...

In answer to your question, Yes. The experience is highly recommended. Some elements are just ok, some obvious, some are stop you in your tracks interesting and invaluable. The stuff I learnt applies to every round and has improved my game no end and given me a distinct advantage in competition. Always more to do and practice as with the physical game, it's not just a quick fix - takes work like everything.

 

[dotty001]

never mind a golf psychologist , i need a life psychologist at the moment , when im on my own i knuckle down , after bad shots find a way out of trouble , but if i play with people , as soon as 1 thing goes wrong i start moaning about my life since redundancy and how much my life has changed , i can hear myself doing it and i cringe lol! its not cos of redundancy you just made a **** swing ! i tell myself then moan a bit more! its like a release!! almost like i want to play crap so i can get the moan off my chesty .... then a couple of days later i will go out on my own and play brilliantly cos ive no 1 to moan at !! :rofl:

 

[AmandaJR]

never mind a golf psychologist , i need a life psychologist at the moment , when im on my own i knuckle down , after bad shots find a way out of trouble , but if i play with people , as soon as 1 thing goes wrong i start moaning about my life since redundancy and how much my life has changed , i can hear myself doing it and i cringe lol! its not cos of redundancy you just made a **** swing ! i tell myself then moan a bit more! its like a release!! almost like i want to play crap so i can get the moan off my chesty .... then a couple of days later i will go out on my own and play brilliantly cos ive no 1 to moan at !! :rofl:

Opposite to me! On my own I am really tough on myself and the only thing that keeps me from kicking myself is that I can kick my poor trolley! I keep way more control with other players and there's no doubt it is way more conducive to good golf!

 

[GeneralStore]

Best of luck with your business, its takes brass ones to start something on your own and to go after what you want. Go get em.

To answer your questions:

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist? No I haven't used one, and yes I would consider it

How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session? Probably around £50, maybe a bit more for an initial introductory/'get to know the issues' kind of session, but after that probably around 50/60

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost? I take 1 every 4 to 6 weeks and it costs me £25

Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips? No

 

[TheClaw]

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist?
Haven't used one. Downloaded Karl Morris app which was very good and read a few Rotella books. Being a bit of a sport know-all I probably wouldn't be able to use one without doing my own psychology I am interested in the subject however.


How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session?
I would expect it to be around £40.

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost?
Haven't had a lesson for 3 years. Unfortunately, I picked a few poor teachers and found better teaching on YouTube. I would pay good money to be coached by the guys from the MeAndMyGolf YouTube channel though!


Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips?
Never, I enjoy buying new gear but have never blamed equipment for a poor shot.

 

[sev112]

Good luck mate, I hope it works out for you
I thinki spend the vast majority of my working life doing psychology of one sort or other, and have seen the improvements in a good number of golfing colleagues during play from giving them a better mental approach

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist?
No but I'd consider it if I thought I could help. I have read the Rotella books and downloaded the Karl Morris apps so I guess I've started to dabble

How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session?
My guess would be £30-£50 which is the norm for an hourly lesson across the board (give or take)

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost?
As often as I need. I buy a block of 6 for £120. They should be 30 minutes so I tend to put two together for an hour and invariably get a least 70-90 minutes each time so I guess I probably get the equivalent of an extra 30 minute lesson

Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips?
No. Now I've been fitted it is down to me. The gear is right for me

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I've been thinking about this overnight, and I guess for a while now I have known I have this little issue with confidence but not in the way you'd expect. My confidence seems to wain the better I am playing. I'll give you an example from Saturday. I wasn't playing great but getting the ball around the green in regulation. In the first 6 holes I missed every green (I said I wasn't playing great didn't I) but my short game was on fire and I scrambled pars on 5 of the 6 holes. I get to the 7th, miss the green again hit another good chip but missed the 3 footer for par. Then on 9 I miss the green again but rather than being confident with my chipping I started to doubt myself, backed off it a couple of times as I wasn't comfortable and skulled it. It's almost like I tell myself I can't keep chipping well. From that point on my short game was no-where near as good, to the point that one of my FC commented on how it had gone downhill on the back nine.

This isn't the first time this has happened either, it has happened before with other aspects of my game and I can't explain it. Clearly there is something psychological going on in my brain somewhere. I suspect the OP is thinking I am a perfect example for a sports psychologist but I'll probably deal with it in my own way. Thinking about it and posting this almost gets it out in the open and forces me to deal with it and change the way I think.

If it doesn't work, I'll give the OP a call

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Hi Everybody

I am setting up my business as a golf psychologist and need your opinions on a few things for market research.

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist?

How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session?

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost?

Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips?


Hope you guys don't mind helping me out.

Thanks

Personally as an amateur golfer there is no way I would consider psychology when the basics of my mechanical golf game require so much work, yes I could improve my mindset but that would not help me in knowing whether my ball is going to go left right short or long. Whilst I am happy to pay a professional golfer to try and improve I would leave my mind alone,

Best of luck with the idea though

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Personally as an amateur golfer there is no way I would consider psychology when the basics of my mechanical golf game require so much work, yes I could improve my mindset but that would not help me in knowing whether my ball is going to go left right short or long. Whilst I am happy to pay a professional golfer to try and improve I would leave my mind alone,

Best of luck with the idea though

I happen to think that psychology has a part to play with all of us, regardless of ability. I wouldn't however go as far as paying someone for the service.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I happen to think that psychology has a part to play with all of us, regardless of ability. I wouldn't however go as far as paying someone for the service.

I don't disagree with you, however golf for me is purely for 'fun', sometimes I play ok sometimes not, sometimes things are weighing heavy on my mind and I don't play at all well, however what I was trying to say was that however much I thought about my gameplan, shot selection et al, I simply do not have the required mechanical skills to execute the shot each and every time, therefore I would rather try and improve the mechanics than the mind.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I don't disagree with you, however golf for me is purely for 'fun', sometimes I play ok sometimes not, sometimes things are weighing heavy on my mind and I don't play at all well, however what I was trying to say was that however much I thought about my gameplan, shot selection et al, I simply do not have the required mechanical skills to execute the shot each and every time, therefore I would rather try and improve the mechanics than the mind.

Fair point. I'm the same. If I had endless pots of cash I might do both but since I don't mechanics have to come first. I can read about psychology and work it out for myself

 

[mikee247]

I spoke to my missus last night about this (she is looking into doing a sports Psychology conversion) and she then proceeded ( over a Gin and tonic I may add ) to throw some interesting questions ( she doesn't know to much about golf apart from it takes 6 hours to get round! ) and I have to say after an hours long discussion she felt like she had some good idea of what mentally was restricting or effecting me on the course.
Now I know I'm only an average level amateur golfer at best but I can honestly say that purely by discussing it with her openly and via some well put questions I think she might be on to something...... I already feel more confident about things...
Apparently Im having a second round with her tonight....oo: which will involve some action plans... Its the club champs at the weekend and I fancy a pop at the net plate....

Having been a bit of cynic in the past but totally convinced I "get in my own way" out there on the course Im starting to think this might be something I could follow through..... If nothing else it might make me relax, accept bad shots and enjoy a round more even if I dont nail a scratch score every week. We'll see .....

 

[TheClaw]

I was thinking about this too. These are the 3 best tips I could give:

1) A better swing gives you confidence. Fewer bad shots and much fewer bad rounds gives me a level of confidence that I can't get from reading a psychology book.

2) The intro of Karl Morris Mind Factor app. Karl talks about why we can't have a repeatable swing all the time. Now when I 'lose' my swing I don't get frustrated and I've stopped saying "I had it yesterday, what's happened?!"

3) This article- http://www.golfwrx.com/82327/golfers-have-ridiculous-expectations/
I don't get annoyed with myself anymore for missing the green from 150 or 'wasting' a good drive.

Also, the GM Justin Rose interview is excellent this month. Two answers he gives on page 26 (Qs from Concetta and Phil) will help loads of golfers out there.

 

[Bratty]

I have a degree in Psychology, so I guess I'm biased.

However, I'd never really thought about applying it to golf until last year, when a guy at work (we work for an oil major, so nothing psychological there!) told me he was also a sports psychologist and wanted my thoughts on it applying to golf.

We had a chat about positive imagery and staying in the moment, which I have to admit helped on the course. Not as much as lessons are doing, obviously, but I think there's a place for reflection, contemplation and correction that everyone could find some benefit from. I've also read a couple of the Rotella books, and has changed the way I approach certain things.

Have you or would you consider a golf psychologist?
Once I have my swing sorted, it's something I will be considering, as my experiences of it were positive.

How much would you expect to pay for an hour long session?
£40 would be acceptable at a top rate.

How often do you take golf lessons and how much do they cost?
I have purchased 24 hours of lessons for £550, so £23 per hour.

Do you change clubs to help fix a problem such as slice or yips?
Nope, as its the tool using it not the tool!

 

[harpo_72]

There is a place for the psychologist, as there is a place for religion, chocolate, sex etc.. If this gives you comfort and builds your confidence then look at it. If you can self diagnose, or think you can then try to and if that fails go see a professional. I know my success is based on my temperament and who I am with. Some people make you feel uncomfortable, I like that, my game focuses, some people make you feel comfortable, I like that as well, as mistakes are not causing temper eruptions. What I do know is I cannot concentrate for 3 hours on one thing... But I can think about something intensely for 1 minute, make a decision based on all the factors and attempt to carry it out. I can also think for 30 seconds afterwards why it went well or wrong... Apply a solution for next time and then get back to the discussion in hand. For example by the time I have completed the first hole I can tell whether the wind is 1 club or 2 club wind, the pace of the greens, their hardness and whether I am swinging happily or restricted. Plus whether I am grumpy or happy go lucky - grumpy being a short fuse.