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An entire industry
has grown in the last 30 years; sport psychology. Many
players on tour have a mental coach- (my good friend Dr. Joe
Parent, named one of the top 10 Mental Coaches on the PGA
Tour, has helped many people through his private sessions
and 2 best selling books in the Zen Golf series).
Like the swing itself, it’s best to make it simple. I have
trimmed the mind game into 6 words: three good and three
bad.
The three negative words: If your mental game is shabby,
it’s probably because you THINK TOO MUCH. So, what exactly
is thinking? According to neuro scientists (brain
researchers), the brain is composed of cells, called
neurons. These look a bit like trees, and these cells
communicate with each other, sending electrical and chemical
messages to each other. When groups of these get together
they create thoughts.
The interesting finding is that only 20% of brain activity
comes from our five senses, getting information from the
world. The other 80% is from these `trees’ taking the
information and making sense of it. In other words, we are
inventing and commenting in our minds. You basically are
creating your world in your mind.
When you get angry, that amount of mental chit-chat goes up
to 90%! Anger shuts down your senses, and gets you trapped
in your mind. My point is, the more you can `come to your
senses’, the less you will be in the mental gossip state of
mind. Sensory awareness reduces THINKING TOO MUCH.
The three positive words: When people play well, usually
they are not trying too hard. They are relaxed, and the game
seems easy. The three magic words are JUST LET GO. Give up
trying to make something happen, to force it. Give up any
thought of what will happen next, and instead just put one
foot in front of the other. Let go of how others will think
about you. Let go of thinking. Just hit the damn ball, go
find it, and hit it again. It’s that simple. |
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