Mental Game Advice

Snelly said:
Homer - I am not making fun of you. Below, I am talking about the product you have referred to.

Pre? Shot? Academy? What a total and utter crock of unmentionable. At first I thought it was a comedic parody and then was stunned as I realised that these guys are genuinely peddling this as a marketable item. Words fail me.
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So you don't think it will help somebody get down to single figures then Snelly?
:eek:
 
No I don't. I think it is absolute nonsense.

I am sorry but "putting your Logical Brain in control of the impulse and not your Monkey Brain" is unadulterated tripe. Ridiculous, laughable and I can barely type it with a straight face. :)

Pre Shot Routines with complexity are good for one thing - causing slow play. There isn't much to think about when you hit a golf shot really. Just walk to the ball. Pick a club that suits lie, yardage, weather and desired result (call that a shot plan if you want but it is not rocket science). Pick a point a few inches in front of the ball to align your stance with. Swing club. Hit ball.
 
Snelly said:
Just walk to the ball. Pick a club that suits lie, yardage, weather and desired result (call that a shot plan if you want but it is not rocket science). Pick a point a few inches in front of the ball to align your stance with. Swing club. Hit ball.
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You make it sound so easy Snelly.
Have you ever thought of teaching???
 
Smiffy said:
You make it sound so easy Snelly.
Have you ever thought of teaching???
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:) :) :)

Yes I have but was informed that the banning of the cane in schools also applied to golf tuition so sadly, it was a career path that was closed to me. :)
 
ChrisWelsh said:
For me the biggest issues with the mental aspect of game are :
- Recovering from an error (bad shot, bad hole etc)
- Selecting the right shot for the circumstances (mostly when it means playing more conservatively)
- Dealing with being in a good position and not blowing it
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I started eagle, birdie, par, yesterday... then made a 9 on the 4th, do I need mental advice?
 
Snelly said:
No I don't. I think it is absolute nonsense.

I am sorry but "putting your Logical Brain in control of the impulse and not your Monkey Brain" is unadulterated tripe. Ridiculous, laughable and I can barely type it with a straight face. :)

Pre Shot Routines with complexity are good for one thing - causing slow play. There isn't much to think about when you hit a golf shot really. Just walk to the ball. Pick a club that suits lie, yardage, weather and desired result (call that a shot plan if you want but it is not rocket science). Pick a point a few inches in front of the ball to align your stance with. Swing club. Hit ball.
Click to expand...

As much as I agree with you about the website and the idea of buying a PSR, I do believe they're important just so that you set up the same every time.

I can't imagine anyone putting the club behind the ball with their right hand one time, their left the next and then on the next tee they've already taken their grip with both hands when they address the ball.

Just as an example, I put the club behind the ball with both hands and only my right foot forward, then take my stance, then square the face and take my grip.
I don't burn a line in the sky with my laser eyes like Keegan Bradley or fall into a trance like Jason Day, but it's how I address the ball, and I do it all the time, so I guess it's my pre-shot routine.
 
uberam said:
Hello all,

I'm pretty new to the game of golf and have a background in psychology. I suppose I'm pre-empting issues but I wanted to know what areas of the mental side of golf inhibits folk the most?

I've only played the game since May and get frustrated and down sometimes. With my background, it'd probably be an asset for me to 'get my head right' - am I thinking about that too much whilst learning technicalities of the swing?

I guess I want a complete golf game, if such a thing exists.

Any advice would be most helpful!
A.
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Hello

Not sure if I am the golf psychologist to whom you were referring but there can't be that many of us lurking about :)

There are usually as many mental issues with the game as there are golfers owing to the way these problems manifest and develop over time for each individual. They usually fall into fairly broad categories however. Some of the most common are a general lack of confidence in themselves or a lack of shot specific confidence towards putting, chipping, driving etc. Often developing over time having been reinforced by poor shots and negative memories. The next shot will be taken while thinking of the last and expecting to miss in the same way or at least worried about it "please don't race another putt 6 feet past" please don't duff another chip" you get the picture.

In this case you would have to do several things to break this cycle from positive self talk through to imagery, visualisation, and positive reinforcement. Lack of confidence is important as it usually leads to various other problems in turn such as; anxiety, pressure, loss of focus, motivation, anger, frustration, aggression and on and on.

For a beginner however, your confidence should be fairly neutral. You have not yet hit a nice straight shot as you mentioned but also you have not sliced one oob when competing for the monthly medal or club championship. You will not have built up negative memories of past shots as you are not yet expecting anything but bad ones at the moment. As you are a clean slate the best couple of pieces of advice I can give you are these.

Shop around and find a coach that is right for you and work together to devise a practice regime that will suit our time and financial commitment.

Golf is not about how far you hit it or how pretty your swing looks it is about getting the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots so practice your wedges, chipping and putting more than irons or driver.

make a conscious effort to remember your best shots especially when you are about to hit the ball, do not hit a shot if you don't think you can't make it or have doubts about the outcome (pick another club and another shot)

Get out there and enjoy playing golf, love the challenge of taking on the course, sometimes winning sometimes losing, but always smiling and enjoying yourself.

Sorry it was a bit of a ramble but I do get excited when someone posts about psychology :)

Greg
 
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