Your Golf Score is determined by how you feel

By: Craig Sigl

I want to write to you about the word "feel" and how it applies to golf. This is one of the most abused words in the entire vocabulary of golf. The June 05 Golf Digest has a whole 29 page section devoted to it. In it, one instructor uses it to describe the sense of touch in the hands from striking a ball. A top pro refers to his whole body while taking a practice swing. And still another instructor talks about how it relates to rhythm and tempo. Unbelievably there is a whole article equating sound to feel. How can that be? It was all very confusing to me.

There are many good tips and techniques given in the articles that are solid and can be helpful I won't deny that. But it was stretching things a bit to put them in the "feel" category. Many good swing instruction systems are based on paying attention to how one little part of your swing feels at a given point on our body and then requires you to make adjustments one at a time until it becomes habit so that you no longer need think of it and then can go onto the next part.

This "feel it" framework for golf improvement works,however, this methodology takes major time, effort, and expense something that many of us have little of. So, it's my mission in life to find other ways of improving and if you do have the time for lessons and practice, you'll just be arming yourself with more improvement weapons.

There is no greater influence in how we strike a ball for any given shot than how we "feel." It's not the swing thought, it's not the club, it's not the ground or lie, it's not whatever our partner is doing. Those factors and others have influence for sure, but for our time efficient improvement, controlling our emotions/thoughts/biology will return efforts in lower score to us faster and easier than anything else we can do in the short term. Not convinced? Has anybody noticed playing better on vacation? After getting a raise? After closing a deal? After receiving any good news right before or even on the course from a cell phone call?

How about the opposite when you play right after hearing bad news? It's not a hard and fast rule as there are exceptions to everything in this world. But, our mind is nothing but a mix of chemicals and electrical impulses and if we can find the switches to program it for optimum performance, we can play at our highest potential.

How can we do this? Very simple. It all begins before you even get out on the course. Even before you arrive at the course, you can begin to create a good overall feeling about yourself and your potential by using cues such as music that you really love. Or how about taking a look at some photos of your family and remembering some really good times you've had with them?

If you don't have those props, just take a few moments before teeing off to really put yourself back into a memory of the last time you remember FEELING powerful, confident, and in control. Those are all optimal playing states that
you can recreate at will. And, don't stop doing it through the round, keep that feel-good chemical cocktail going in your body and your mind will reward you with your highest potential.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

Craig Sigl - The golf Anti-practice Expert - is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of Hypnosis, NLP, and Timeline techniques. Visit his website: Break80golf.com for a free ebook "How You Can Play Better Golf Using Self-hypnosis" and free ecourse "Without Practice" to discover what he teaches golfers worldwide.

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