| Have you noticed how good some of the leading | | | | what could you do to avoid the same trap? Well, |
| professionals are at grinding out a good score, | | | | if I started out the round playing well and scoring |
| even if they are swinging the club below their | | | | badly, I used to interpret that as bad luck or |
| best or downright badly. It's interesting to note | | | | blame the condition of the course for my |
| that the real greats like Tiger Woods and Jack | | | | dropping shots. I also tended to feel that my |
| Nicklaus always seem to be able to do this, | | | | normally excellent short game had deserted me |
| however they're playing, and whatever the "rub | | | | and try to find out what I was doing wrong. |
| of the green" throws at them when they get to | | | | These thoughts rapidly become self-fulfilling |
| the last nine holes of a championship. | | | | prophecies as I found more and more external |
| If I look back to my early years in golf, before I | | | | reasons for my poor scores. I was probably not |
| had any thoughts about golf hypnosis or golf | | | | a nice person to be with! |
| psychology in general, I was lucky to have a fair | | | | On the days when I started playing poorly but |
| amount of natural ability. At the same time, I was | | | | was scoring reasonably well, I used to marvel at |
| rather too inconsistent for my liking. It seemed | | | | how well I was scrambling. I just seemed to |
| that if I started out a round playing really well, but | | | | know that if I hit a bad shot, I could scramble a |
| not scoring that brilliantly, then my golf would | | | | par and move on. As a result, the pressure to hit |
| gradually go from good to bad to worse and I'd | | | | the ball well went away and I started swinging |
| have a frustratingly high score. On the other hand, | | | | much more freely and naturally - today I'd call |
| if I started off playing relatively badly, but scoring | | | | that trusting my unconscious golf mind. |
| ok, then my golf would often improve as the | | | | There are many golf psychology, NLP and self |
| round went on and I'd have a bewilderingly good | | | | hypnosis techniques that can help you if you have |
| score. What was really odd was that my score | | | | a similar problem. One of the best would be to |
| after 6 to 9 holes in these two types of round | | | | use self-hypnosis or pre-record a golf hypnosis |
| was often similar. | | | | programme. Other golf mind techniques you can |
| Back in those days, I was a member at | | | | use for this include: |
| Brookmans Park Golf Club and there was a fairly | | | | - Perceiving your bad luck as being good luck. So |
| long and secluded walk around a small lake | | | | next time you get a bad lie on the golf course, |
| between the fifth green and the sixth tee. It was | | | | remember to reframe it positively. Think how |
| also quite common for there to be a bit of a | | | | much worse it could have been and the shot you |
| delay on that tee, so all in all there was plenty of | | | | have to play won't seem so difficult. You may |
| time to think. Over a couple of years I began to | | | | find you enjoy your golf more as well |
| notice that I could predict my final score when I | | | | - Using an NLP resource anchor to help you |
| got to that sixth tee. If I was two over par or | | | | manage your state. NLP anchoring provides a |
| better and playing badly, I'd break 80 easily. If I | | | | very effective method for stacking and anchoring |
| was over par, even by just one shot, and playing | | | | our past resources and positive experiences. We |
| really well, then I'd really struggle to break 80. | | | | can call upon these resources whenever we need |
| So what did I think I was doing back then and | | | | them for golfing excellence. |