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"Think" Your Way to a Better Golf Game
Philip Nicosia
There's more to a good game of golf than practicing your swing,
buying the latest and state-of-the-art equipment, or even
devoting your entire weekends to practicing on the greens.
Golf is also about mental preparation -- what experts call
"Being in the Zone". The best golf players are very skilled
at concentration and focus, enough to stay calm under pressure,
and make calm decisions even when millions of dollars are
at stake.
Mental preparation isn't just a trick of the pros. Even casual
golfers, the ones who like to use it for business networking,
have to be able to play a good game while keeping track of
their business objectives. Exactly how do you "seal the deal"
on an important account, chatting casually without looking
too desperate for the contract, while deciding what kind of
swing and golf club you need for that particular moment? This
is especially true when you are playing with particularly
talkative people, who could be joking around or asking you
all sorts of questions just when you're about to make a crucial
move.
There are several books written on the mental game of golf.
Most of them are based on actual research on sports psychology,
by experts who have studied the styles and moves of golfing
champions. After all, all of these people are understood to
be good at the game: they would never have made it to the
playoffs without that. However, all things being equal, what
sets apart a great golfer from a golfing champion? Here are
some of their findings.
The first trait is the ability to concentrate, tune out the
voices of other players and other background sounds, like
the plane flying overhead, the sound of the lawn mower. Concentration
lets you focus on your swing whatever your environmental conditions
might be. It prevents you from making that age-old excuse
for a bad move: "I was distracted!"
Another ability is to tune out internal distractions, meaning
the thoughts and emotions which may prevent your ability to
really focus on the shot. This includes the insecurity, the
fear, the negative thinking. The energy you spend on telling
yourself why you can't win the game is taking away from the
energy you need to actually win it.
Which brings us to another important trait: stress management.
This doesn't just include the sense of pressure and how everything's
riding on this one shot -- it's also reining in the rush of
adrenalin and excitement. Many players will "blow" a good
game in the last few holes, because of the "winner's jitters".
Some tricks to manage this include deep breathing.
Another important winning trait is confidence. This isn't
arrogance: you have to know what your weaknesses are, and
develop your game accordingly. In fact, many pros will tape
themselves as they practice their swing, to detect the problem
areas. By honestly assessing your game, and working to improve
it, you can go to the actual game with real confidence--that
you are truly at your best playing level, and that you have
what it takes to handle the pressure.
Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of Resources.eu.com
- an online resource centre covering many topics including
golf.
Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com
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