Positive Golf Improvement Project Update

On January 1, 2008, I made a posting regarding my primary positive mental golf habit for practice in 2008. The one I chose was to improve my golf self-image. Even after many years of playing, with a lot of great rounds, a decent handicap, and several winning championships, I still don't have a consistently strong self golf-self image (how I see myself as a golfer). This heightens other negative mental habits, like self-doubt, self-comparison, and putting pressure on myself, and it also has a negative impact on my game. The negative golf self-image and its "cousins" tend to show up in my mind early in the season, just before a competition, particularly when I have been watching other golfers who are playing really well and comparing myself to them.

Last weekend was the Spring Medal event, which opens the season at the Club where I play. It was a good opportunity for me to give some focused attention to improving my golf self-image. I had noticed my old negative golf self-image tendency cropping up, and I was saying things to myself like, I'm a lousy putter, I'm not playing as well as I should, I'll never play as good as that guy, and I'm not good enough to win the championship again. And sure enough, this was all showing up in my practice and my playing, with tension and errant shots. The day before the event, I caught myself in this old habit and made a focused effort to practice the positive. I started by reminding myself that I do have good putting ability, which I have demonstrated before and I know I can do again. I went to the putting green with the conscious intention of having a positive putting practice (not with the dread of, I will probably putt badly again). I focused on the positive putting idea about myself (I have putted well before and I know I can do it again) and focused on getting in tune with some key putting feelings in my arms and hands that led to a smooth, relaxed stroke and accurate shots. It was a good practice, and I got myself in a good mindset to prepare me for the next day.

Here are some mental golf ideas that I practiced focusing on the day of the championship to keep me on the track of a positive golf self-image and a positive game:

1. I focused on my own game - my own abilities, my own targets, my own strategies - rather than focusing on others and how I was playing compared to them.

2. I focused on the things I can do, and I was doing well, rather than dwelling on weaknesses and mistakes that would erode my confidence.

3. I focused on playing the game to the best of my ability, rather than putting the pressure on myself of thinking, "You've won this before and people are expecting you to win this again."

These mental practices helped me to be more relaxed and confident than I had been so far this season, and I played better than I had so far. I was pleased with my putting too. Did I win the Spring Medal? No, I didn't, although I did tie for second in low gross, and I made sure to focus on the positivity of that (rather than dwelling on what I had not accomplished).

I am glad to be off to a good start this season, and with more practice on my positive golf self-image, blended with my repeatable swing drills, I am looking forward to a summer of great golf.

Here's to great golf for you too!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com


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