Need some Mental tips..

[kekoa]

Hey all. Just curious if you are able to channel anger into positive energy on the course. For me personally, if I have one blow up hole, my whole round is shot. If you remember one of my posts where the group ahead allegedly stole my ball, I instantly fell apart. I got so angry that I didn't even say a word to buddies in my group for 3 or 4 holes.

How do you cope.?

[americanfighter]

  kekoa said:

Hey all. Just curious if you are able to channel anger into positive energy on the course. For me personally, if I have one blow up hole, my whole round is shot. If you remember one of my posts where the group ahead allegedly stole my ball, I instantly fell apart. I got so angry that I didn't even say a word to buddies in my group for 3 or 4 holes.

The best words I have ever heard about this is something Bruce lee said when he said something of the extent don't think about the past or the future only the the activity now. He also said something like don't worry if you have practiced you have all the tools just trust yourself and let nature take its natural corse.

basically for me when I bad shots that although anger gets the best of me sometimes like it does all of us just blow it off and concentrate on the present. Think of every shot as a opportunity to rebound and hit a good shot.

[americanfighter]

an extremely good book about this is Zen golf

Buy it read it apply it. You will play allot better. No matter what your handicap is everyone could benefit from reading this book.

[toogood]

Zen Golf is a great book, so is The 15th Club by Bob Rotella.

If you think about your situation on the course, where one bad shot or a bad hole ruins your round. So you hit a bad shot, then what? What does that have to do with your next shot? Can you do anything about the previous bad shot/hole?

Think about it this way, the only thing you have absolute control of is your reaction to the shot that you hit, and the shot that you're about to hit. That's it. Wasting energy thinking about the shot you messed up, or the last hole is just that. A waste. They don't serve you in the present moment for the shot you're hitting.

[zeg]

I tend to get pretty frustrated on my blow-up holes, and I can count on 3-4 per 18 holes, so I have had to develop some mental tricks for damage control. The one that works best for me is to start by reminding myself that an "occasional" blow-up shouldn't be a big surprise, and then laugh at myself for getting upset at a game. It helps me remember that even a frustrating time golfing is more enjoyable than some of the other things I could be doing with the time...

It might be a little easier to do this when you're closer to a 39 handicap than a 3.9, but I think the principle is a good one.

[sk71]

This works for me MOST of the time.
No matter what, I do not look at the score card for atleast 5 or 6 holes. I have someone else keep score.
Then I take a deep breath and set a goal for the next 3 holes and try only to concentrate on that goal.
I guess whatever to get my mind off that incident or penalty strokes.
I usually ride so sometimes I walk to the next hole.

[GolferDot]

When my blood pressure rises on the golf course I focus on making net par's for the next 4 holes. I used to try to recover shots putting added pressure and increasing my frustration. I have now learned that it is much butter to carry on and wait for the opportunity to present itself rather than trying to actively create the opportunity. I also give myself a simple swing thought of back-through to make sure my sub-concious does not equate the previous score with a mechanical fault.
People say just forget about it, but for me that is bloody hard to do, so I use these tricks to get around it.

[julie_m]

I naturally lean towards losing my temper, but I've tamed it...

I think about what my anger will accomplish. I've found it makes me anxious and tense, makes me screw up more, which leads towards me doing even worse. (If people are the source of anger, the "stick it to them" doesn't work, because when it's me someone's angry at, I totally write them off as dumb/ignorant/raving loon/etc.) So, to be totally selfish, I let anger go, for my sake and no one else's. At first it feels a bit unsatisfying (With the people, yeah, it doesn't teach them a lesson, but the world will catch up to them and do that.) Ultimately I've found there's no better solution and for my own sake and performance, I need to let these things go.

[Wisconsin Golfer]

I am reading the book YOUR 15TH CLUB by DR.BOB ROTTELLA and it is very good. I highly recommend it.

[Borf]

Only focus on the things you can control.

Getting mad only accomplishes one thing: it gets you mad.

Start any round with goals in mind and try to accomplish those withing the round. thats about all one can do....

[Lemay427]

I have chosen to put a sacrificial club in my bag that I can pull out and destroy over my knee!!!!


Just kidding.


I have been getting really into self meditation and hypnosis. I have seen a HUGE improvement in my long putts made. I firmly beleive its because I have been self meditating before the putt. Some people reading this might laugh, but its the truth. Even after a bad shot I simply try and clear out everything but that one simple thought. This is coming from a guy who probably has broken 20 clubs in his golfing career .

I have been trying to incorporate this into my preshot routine for an iron or driver golf shot as well.


I know Tiger meditates and he definetely uses it in his rounds.