Getting Rid of the "Demons"
Mental Golf Tidbit: The road to meltdowns is usually filled with mental "demons," and the road to hard-fought success is usually filled with the battles of conquering these demons.
It was great to see Phil pull through and win the Northern Trust Open at Riviera over the weekend. More than one report pointed out that he had to "bury some demons" along the way in order to achieve his success. One of these demons was, of course, the meltdown two years ago when he had a one-shot lead until making a sloppy bogey on 18 and then losing in a playoff. There have been other demons along the way as well, including other unfortunate scenarios and some powerful mental golf challenges like self-doubt that eroded his mindset and his physical game.
It's really motivating to see a pro like Phil, or any player for that matter, achieve success after sticking with it and working through their "mental stuff." I was fortunate to be at the 2004 Masters, right there on the approach to 18 when Phil sunk his putt and leaped into the air in absolute relief and joy at burying some long-time demons and making the way for the thoughts, feelings, and actions that took him to the pinnacle of the success of winning the Masters.
Every player has "demons," and every player can overcome them. In either case, you don't have to be a player on the Tour. Phil is a great example but not an exception that shows it only happens with the elite players. Every player reading this post (and the one writing it) has one (usually more) "demons" that interfere with the effective mental and physical flow that supports your game. There is no doubt - "demons" interfere with your game - they distract you, they hold you back, and they keep you from playing your best. The "demons" may be a chronic negative mental habit or a negative golf experience you can't let go of. Below is a list of some common "demons." Look it over and see if anything sounds familiar or reminds you of something else not on the list. Then, go "tackle" this demon with a new awareness and clear it out of your mind. Be persistent and stick with it, and you too can be smiling like Phil at moving past some "stuff" and enjoying some great positive golf experiences.
Some "Demons" That Interfere With Your Game:
1. Hanging on to (dwelling on) previous poor shots.
2. Hanging on to (dwelling on) previous meltdowns/collapses/bad rounds.
3. Habitual and persistent self-doubt.
4. Freezing up on the first tee out of fear others are watching and judging you and you might hit a poor shot.
5. Freezing up on pressure shots out of fear others are watching and judging you and your might miss it.
6. Getting angry at poor shots and holding on to that anger for additional holes or even throughout your rounds.
7. Habitually comparing yourself to others and how your game measures up to theirs.
8. Habitually trying to hard and using "overeffort" to hit better and play better.
9. Habitually distracted with judgement - judging how you are playing and/or wondering how others are judging your playing.
10. Habitually thinking you are too old, too inflexible, too..., etc. to play a decent game.
For some more tips on identifying and conquering these "demons" that intefere with your game, check out the soon-to-be-released Positive Golf Handbook. It will help you "clear out the clutter" in your mind and play the game more effectively. Here's to getting rid of those "demons" and having a lot more positive golf experiences!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
It was great to see Phil pull through and win the Northern Trust Open at Riviera over the weekend. More than one report pointed out that he had to "bury some demons" along the way in order to achieve his success. One of these demons was, of course, the meltdown two years ago when he had a one-shot lead until making a sloppy bogey on 18 and then losing in a playoff. There have been other demons along the way as well, including other unfortunate scenarios and some powerful mental golf challenges like self-doubt that eroded his mindset and his physical game.
It's really motivating to see a pro like Phil, or any player for that matter, achieve success after sticking with it and working through their "mental stuff." I was fortunate to be at the 2004 Masters, right there on the approach to 18 when Phil sunk his putt and leaped into the air in absolute relief and joy at burying some long-time demons and making the way for the thoughts, feelings, and actions that took him to the pinnacle of the success of winning the Masters.
Every player has "demons," and every player can overcome them. In either case, you don't have to be a player on the Tour. Phil is a great example but not an exception that shows it only happens with the elite players. Every player reading this post (and the one writing it) has one (usually more) "demons" that interfere with the effective mental and physical flow that supports your game. There is no doubt - "demons" interfere with your game - they distract you, they hold you back, and they keep you from playing your best. The "demons" may be a chronic negative mental habit or a negative golf experience you can't let go of. Below is a list of some common "demons." Look it over and see if anything sounds familiar or reminds you of something else not on the list. Then, go "tackle" this demon with a new awareness and clear it out of your mind. Be persistent and stick with it, and you too can be smiling like Phil at moving past some "stuff" and enjoying some great positive golf experiences.
Some "Demons" That Interfere With Your Game:
1. Hanging on to (dwelling on) previous poor shots.
2. Hanging on to (dwelling on) previous meltdowns/collapses/bad rounds.
3. Habitual and persistent self-doubt.
4. Freezing up on the first tee out of fear others are watching and judging you and you might hit a poor shot.
5. Freezing up on pressure shots out of fear others are watching and judging you and your might miss it.
6. Getting angry at poor shots and holding on to that anger for additional holes or even throughout your rounds.
7. Habitually comparing yourself to others and how your game measures up to theirs.
8. Habitually trying to hard and using "overeffort" to hit better and play better.
9. Habitually distracted with judgement - judging how you are playing and/or wondering how others are judging your playing.
10. Habitually thinking you are too old, too inflexible, too..., etc. to play a decent game.
For some more tips on identifying and conquering these "demons" that intefere with your game, check out the soon-to-be-released Positive Golf Handbook. It will help you "clear out the clutter" in your mind and play the game more effectively. Here's to getting rid of those "demons" and having a lot more positive golf experiences!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
Labels: golf improvement, mental golf
posted by Rick Semple at 7:31 PM
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