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Golf Mental Game - Why Is That Important?
John Davenport
Like other high visibility games, Golf too has its share of
stress. Therefore, the mental side of golf becomes very important.
In the absence of golf mental toughness you come across instances
of golfers literally choking at crucial positions. Greg Norman
for instance blew a six shot lead in the final round of the
1996 Masters. In golf, choking occurs when golfers stop enjoying
the game and take the tension to heart especially in the final
rounds. Physiologically, choking is associated with tightening
of muscles, shallow breathing and frequently results in below
par performances.
In a mental golf study in Australia, 10 amateur golfers were
asked to hit twenty 2.5 meter straight putts on a flat green.
Then pressure was progressively increased by throwing in prize
money for the achievers. Almost all the golfers showed similar
increase in brain activity as the stress levels increased.
However, analysis of the five top performers showed that their
brain activity was evenly distributed throughout both sides
of the brain. Those who scored low had the left side of the
brain doing most of the work. This would suggest that involving
the more creative right side of the brain is crucial in getting
a good result when coping with stress. Mental golf experts
suggest some golf mental game tips for engaging both hemispheres
of brain like visualizing the target, humming your favorite
song or picturing being finished with the job. These cues
engage both hemispheres of the brain and enhance performance.
In another study of the mental aspect of golf, it was found
that the players were most distracting during the initiation
of the downswing. The athletes were not easily distracted
during the pre shot phase which indicated they were concentrating
more on their golf. Mental Golf experts opine that during
the downswing there isn't much need to focus, which creates
an empty space in the mind and allows distractions to get
in.
To succeed in the golf mental game, golfers must develop a
set of skills to sidestep or crowd out distractions. It is
much better for example to concentrate on the immediate target
and not on possible mistakes like hitting the ball into the
lake. As an antidote to this tussle in your mind, mental golf
experts suggest filling up the vacant space in your mind with
something relevant like picturing the shape of the shot and
trying to experience the feel of a smooth shot. After all,
distraction is all in the mind.
To discover special tips to improve your golf mental game,
click this link: Golf
Mental Game Tips.
John Davenport loves golf and writes extensively about
how to help players to improve their game. To read his review
about Golf Training Ebooks and Programs, click here: The
Golf Ebooks Each Player Should Know About.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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