Hypnosis for Proper Swings

[GolfLug]

1 hour ago, Patch said:

As for hypnotherapy for golf, that is "iffy" at best. He can plant good golf thoughts in one's subconscious, but the golfer has to have the physical/mental abilities to use those good thoughts.  He said that hypnosis in layman terms, is just planting ideas, for mental reenforcement.

I don't call out professionals too often but this is interesting. A good range session plants good ideas that actually manifest in reality as well (hence a 'good range session' or that you have a physically demonstrated level of play in the bag..).

If you ALREADY have the physical/mental abilities to harness those good thoughts then what does hypnosis do for you? Isn't the purpose of hypnosis to help you precisely because you DON'T have the ability to harness them or that the opposite self-defeating thoughts are stronger?  

I don't buy that hypnosis plants ideas that you don't already have. A good hypnotist, if he can get you to a level of complete self-surrender, can take down curtains that get in the way of these beliefs/ideas from manifesting. 

Hope you didn't pick up the tab...

[DrvFrShow]

You can't buy a swing.

* start at age 9 or younger

* receive proper instruction

* practice 4 hours a day or longer.

* if you are good enough and someone offers you a multi-million dollar sponsorship before college, take the money.

[iacas]

On June 23, 2016 at 10:47 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

I believe it was none other than Jack Nicklaus who said that if have just one swing thought in your mind when you head out on the course, that's one too many!

 

[gregsandiego]

On 6/23/2016 at 10:16 AM, Covert said:

Does anyone have experience with hypnosis for golf performance?

As I have mentioned, I started playing less than three years ago, at 72, compromised with severe osteoarthritis, requiring all four shoulder and hip total replacements. My degenerated discs can’t be replaced.

My shoulder surgeon told me not to practice at a driving range or take practice swings, because every cycle of the synthetic and metal parts causes a little wear. He said I should just play like a Sunday duffer and enjoy the fresh air, scenery, and camaraderie. I’m too competitive for that, but I realized that without the benefit of 10,000 swings, which a pro told me were necessary for muscle memory, I probably couldn’t expect to be very good.

I have identified eight most fundamental required elements of the golf swing; a couple, for example, being rotating the hips and following through up, not around. My wife caddies for me (does everything except carry the clubs, which I do) and ticks off the eight elements before every swing. Still, I usually forget one, or more, and often suffer a bad shot. But just as often I pretty much observe them and hit a great shot. On average, the alternating mixture keeps me at bogie level.

I read that Tiger played under hypnosis when he was great. I wondered if through hypnosis the eight factors might be programmed into my subconscious mind, substituting for the benefit of endless repetition for muscle memory. So I decided to give it a try and I have my first hypnosis session scheduled for later today. It will be easy to evaluate results because I am pretty consistent where I am. I’ll report back if anything comes of it.

Seems far fetched to me. Self hypnosis is not much different than meditation so for focus and concentration I suppose it would help a little.

But wouldn't it be cool to hear....."when I snap my fingers, you  will wake up and you will be Jordan Spieth" 

[nevets88]

On 6/23/2016 at 8:29 PM, dennyjones said:

I looked several places online and even in several local libraries.  $150 to purchase and not available to loan...

It's in my local library, although it'll take it a little longer to retrieve, assuming they find it. I could take photos of it, pdf it, put it on Pirate Bay and other torrents and drive that price down just for the fun of it. Better Golf without Practice my ass. 

 

[Buckeyebowman]

21 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

Interesting thoughts! Pun intended! Although I don't know if Jordan Spieth is the best example to offer for "thoughtless" golf, not after some of the extensive discussions I've heard him and his caddie have planning a shot. There's no way I could stuff all that in my head and then try to hit the ball!

I suppose hypnosis might be helpful in what might be called "target focus". What's the usual "skull job" a buddy will pull on the tee. "Look at all that water!" Or "all those bunkers", or "all those trees"! All comments designed to get you looking at the trouble instead of the target.

I also do archery, and when I am shooting my bow, I'm not concentrating on anything but the bullseye and my form. Form being basically, grip, stance and alignment. Thinking about it, I'm a much better archer than I am a golfer. I don't hit the bullseye every time, but I never miss it by much. If I could do that when golfing my scores would be much lower! Hmmmm, maybe there a clue here!

[Covert]

I think sometimes just committing to some kind of therapy, if you will, has an effect even before one commences. I signed up and paid, but haven’t yet scheduled my first session.

And I know that one game doesn’t constitute a trend, but I played better the last time out, and the first time after signing up, than perhaps ever before – after over the first three holes shaking off a bit of a hangover from a dinner party.

One-hundred-and-fifty-yardish approach shots on the last two of the nine holes I played felt automatic and landed within three feet of the pins for tap-ins. And I didn’t miss a single “makeable” putt – no three putts.

With fingers crossed, I am heading out for another round this morning.

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I also do archery, and when I am shooting my bow, I'm not concentrating on anything but the bullseye and my form. Form being basically, grip, stance and alignment. Thinking about it, I'm a much better archer than I am a golfer. I don't hit the bullseye every time, but I never miss it by much. If I could do that when golfing my scores would be much lower! Hmmmm, maybe there a clue here!

I also shoot bows, but only competed FITA style. There are a lot of factors like wind and temperature. It's very technical as well. To shoot a 360 at 90m takes a lot of luck, even at 70m there's some luck involved. There are a many thoughts going on, but none of them have to do with drawing the bow and release those are automatic.

 

54 minutes ago, Covert said:

I think sometimes just committing to some kind of therapy, if you will, has an effect even before one commences. I signed up and paid, but haven’t yet scheduled my first session.

And I know that one game doesn’t constitute a trend, but I played better the last time out, and the first time after signing up, than perhaps ever before – after over the first three holes shaking off a bit of a hangover from a dinner party.

One-hundred-and-fifty-yardish approach shots on the last two of the nine holes I played felt automatic and landed within three feet of the pins for tap-ins. And I didn’t miss a single “makeable” putt – no three putts.

With fingers crossed, I am heading out for another round this morning.

Regardless of what you actually did, it sounds like the mental issue is more important to you. So, I suppose hypnosis could potentially help.

Don't expect too much from it, though.

[Covert]

This isn’t the ideal place to blather on about obliquely related topics, but it’s my thread, and I don’t want to scattershot around this forum. Hands down, pun intended, the most frustrating thing I do is hit a long drive perfectly in the center of a par-four fairway, leaving an unobstructed sand-wedge path to the pin. But then I chunk the ball short and left into a trap or the rough. It blows my mind and I end up with a double bogey.

I had chunkitis yesterday; and, uncharacteristically, against my surgeon’s caution, went to a driving range this morning to try to figure out what the heck I was doing to cause it. I thought probably not rotating my body through enough ahead of my hands, but it turned out that I wasn’t keeping my head looking down behind the ball when I hit it. I don’t know why messing that factor up causes chunking, but when I kept my head in place behind the ball it stopped.

As I said, I have identified eight factors; which, if I pretty much remember to execute them, my shots are very good. There is probably no other way than practice to incorporate them into automation, but I am so hoping the hypnosis will do it.

Not that anyone here cares, but tomorrow my wife and I are driving from Albany, NY to Ogunquit, Maine, and we will play the beautiful Ledges course just south of there on Thursday. Lynn, whose torn rotator cuff prevents her from playing, forecaddies, tends the flags, rakes the traps, finds errant balls, and helps read greens for me. She loves the golf course walks and camaraderie with players we meet along the links. Embracing golf courses as focal points for travel, combined with nice restaurants, makes retirement very pleasant.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Covert

[iacas]

On June 28, 2016 at 10:16 AM, Covert said:

This isn’t the ideal place to blather on about obliquely related topics, but it’s my thread, and I don’t want to scattershot around this forum.

Please do. We prefer to keep things on topic.

 

[Covert]

iacas, what do you mean, "Please do?" Do you mean instead "don't" (blather...)?

 

[iacas]

Please do post in different threads. Stay on topic, please.

[Covert]

The first hypnotist, a woman, could not put me under. I went again and tried one of the male hypnotists, and he couldn’t hypnotize me either. In my initial interview they had told me that very few people couldn’t be hypnotized, usually only people with low IQs. I figured this asseveration was partially a marketing ploy. After the second staff member conceded defeat, he mentioned that in addition to near-retarded people he had had trouble with CEOs. Luckily for my ego in this instance I had been a CEO.

My goal is to improve without practice, as I mentioned, because I have only a limited number of cycles on my two artificial shoulders before they wear out. I am trying watching videos of beautiful swings, such as In Gee Chun’s, and then at home replicating them in very slow motion. This is practice of sorts, of course, and so is playing golf, and the slo-mo drill seems to have had a positive effect.