Mindfulness or mindlessness?

[stefanovic]

A Buddhist/Qigong practice would be to take 3 deep breaths between shots while thinking of waves lapping on the shore.
That's about as long as you can take to stop the mind from wandering!
The problem with the mind is that it too has a mind of its own.
We are all living in a cage within a cage, and meditation or mindfulness will hope to give us temporary relief.
Relax not only the mind but also the muscles.

 

[RichA]

A Buddhist/Qigong practice would be to take 3 deep breaths between shots while thinking of waves lapping on the shore.
That's about as long as you can take to stop the mind from wandering!
The problem with the mind is that it too has a mind of its own.
We are all living in a cage within a cage, and meditation or mindfulness will hope to give us temporary relief.
Relax not only the mind but also the muscles.

I try very hard not to think about water when I'm about to take my shot.

 

[harpo_72]

I have covered mindfulness at work .. all very good but you come out thinking oh that’s good .. and the phone rings and it’s some senior twit ..

But golf is my escape, I used to get immersed in it, my problems or issues would be put on the back burner.. solutions would come during a round sometimes.. it wasn’t forced it’s just the back of the head doing it’s thing.

My golf however is cluttered, my swing thoughts pervade every stroke, they make me adjust and react to perceived worries about strike, obstructions etc ..
The pro said he could see me adjusting- I am really good at it I can do it in milliseconds and control or change the face before the strike … but in the end it’s unsustainable and ruining my rounds.

I now try to get back to my simple state, the obstacles, and strike are not considered.. just swing the club, let it touch the ground here and go… is it yielding success .. time will tell , is it mindlessness dunno .. all it is, is simplifying what has become overly complex because of YouTube/ media/ forums etc .. before that it was just oh the ball can do that when I do this.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I think the way people play and practice golf makes a huge difference to our ability to shoot a good score.

I read time and time again on here, and on the course people refer to having a card in their hand. Or its a medal, comp round, off the whites and so on.

You're immediately putting pressure on yourself to perform differently. Or expecting to have a bad round or blow up hole. You've almost talked yourself into it before starting. Then you take risky miracle shots that you have a tiny % of pulling off. And when you do cock it up it becomes affirmation for the 'I can't play a medal/off the whites'

There is a school of thought in psychology that suggests many people subconsciously (and in some cases consciously) self destruct so they have an excuse for not performing well or winning. Its something that is particularly evident with some of my young football team.

My FiL will shoot an easy 85 on a random Tuesday afternoon playing a Stableford. But, come Saturday in the monthly medal. He'll struggle to break 100.

Having played a sport where if you didn't practice with the same focus and intensity as you would use playing a match. I've learned to take that into golf.

I give every shot the same respect, whether out on my own with 5 clubs or playing in the club championship. And try to shoot the best score I can. I try to pick shots that allow me to be aggressive with my swing, but will minimise the consequences of a bad swing. Of course this doesn't always work. But it's about being positive and accepting the outcome, whatever that might be.

Another key thing it to be able to block out distractions and switch on and off when needed.

100% with all the above. And one reason I am taking to WHS is that I have stopped obsessing about my handicap and so during a round I no longer think about the impact my score will have on my handicap. I am finding that very liberating...as if my handicap was controlling my golf. No longer - I just play my best, enjoy it - and have stopped fretting about what my eventual score for the round will do to my handicap. The prospect of +0.1 cast a huge shadow over my golf - but no longer.

 

[stefanovic]

My golf however is cluttered, my swing thoughts pervade every stroke...

As you get older your brain becomes more scrambled and your muscles get weaker.

So what you need is Zen Golf and Nirvana (apparent state of bliss attained by the extinction of the self).
Visualise the swing and take 3 deep breaths before every shot.
Bogey at worst!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zen-Golf-Mastering-Mental-Game-ebook/dp/B005EM2NI6
Works for 3 holes, just like anything else!