A Mantra for Your Mental Golf
At first, a mantra doesn't sound like something that could be helpful to your golf game, but the more I study and practice mental golf the more I realize the value of tools like this. In its basic form, a mantra is a sentence or phrase that is repeated verbally or mentally to help focus the mind on an idea. This concept can easily be applied to your golf game and can in fact be quite helpful to your mental golf mindset in a number of ways. For one, it's a good way to develop the skill of being focused rather than having "scattered" thinking that is prone to distraction. Using a mantra can help to get you in the habit of consistently staying on track in productive mental golf thinking rather than frequently "switching gears" back and forth from productive, helpful thinking to distracting, unproductive thinking. Overall, using a mantra gives you some good practice in using a mental tool, which is a great way to get started with or expand on the use of mental golf practices.
I want to point out that the idea of using a mantra in your mental golf practice is something different than having swing thoughts. The concept of the mantra in this particular application os to help change a mental habit, like fear, and establish a better way of thinking, whereas swing thoughts are generally related to the physical mechanics of your swing. Also, when it comes to using a mantra for your mental golf, I'm not talking about "mindless" or rote repetition of a phrase, but thoughtful or "mindful" repetition with awareness and sincerity.
A couple of examples of this concept in practice will help it make more sense. One example is a mantra that my wife has used to help her game. As a beginning golfer, a challenge she was facing was a lot of tension, which led to a lot of problems with her swing. This tension was rooted in her over-concern for what people were thinking regarding her swing and her abilities. It would almost paralyze her on certain holes and in certain situations. To address the problem and help her focus on more helpful thoughts, she used the phrase from a popular quote, "what other people think of me is none of my business" as a mantra, repeating it to herself frequently throughout a round. Here again, it wasn't mindless or forced repetition but thoughtful repetition done with sincerity and focus. It proved to be very helpful in re-orienting her thoughts and diffusing her concerns and ultimately reducing the tension that wreaked havoc with her swing. Another example of an area where I know this mantra tool has been used with success is in helping to change the habit of hanging on to thoughts of poor shots and other mistakes and developing the habit of letting go and staying in the present. A mantra that has worked for other golfers in this situation is, "It's all about this shot and this moment," repeated in the mind over and over with increasing belief and conviction.
A mantra is another tool that I recommend adding to your mental golf "bag of tricks." It's something you can get started with right away. You have to be sure to stick with it though. Just like any of the mental golf tools, being persistent and consistent pays off. Here are some other areas where using a mantra can help get you on the road to making some changes in your mind and your game:
- changing the habit of frequent anger about your game
- changing the habit of ongoing self-doubt about your abilities
- changing the habit of using over-effort and trying too hard
- changing the habit of putting pressure on yourself
- changing the habit of regularly using "what if" thinking and dwelling on worst-case scenarios while playing
One more tip: When choosing a mantra to use, pick something that is succinct, has good flow, and makes good sense to you about the issue at hand. It may even be a popular quote or a catch phrase. Avoid using "not" phrases, such as "I am not angry. I am not angry..." as this actually puts more focus on the problem at hand rather than away from it.
This idea of a mantra can be put to use right away to change and strengthen your mental golf mindset. Try it out, and give it a chance to "sink in" and work (practice it in multiple rounds, not just one time). I welcome comments about your experience.
Here's to great golf!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer and
Co-Founder
TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
I want to point out that the idea of using a mantra in your mental golf practice is something different than having swing thoughts. The concept of the mantra in this particular application os to help change a mental habit, like fear, and establish a better way of thinking, whereas swing thoughts are generally related to the physical mechanics of your swing. Also, when it comes to using a mantra for your mental golf, I'm not talking about "mindless" or rote repetition of a phrase, but thoughtful or "mindful" repetition with awareness and sincerity.
A couple of examples of this concept in practice will help it make more sense. One example is a mantra that my wife has used to help her game. As a beginning golfer, a challenge she was facing was a lot of tension, which led to a lot of problems with her swing. This tension was rooted in her over-concern for what people were thinking regarding her swing and her abilities. It would almost paralyze her on certain holes and in certain situations. To address the problem and help her focus on more helpful thoughts, she used the phrase from a popular quote, "what other people think of me is none of my business" as a mantra, repeating it to herself frequently throughout a round. Here again, it wasn't mindless or forced repetition but thoughtful repetition done with sincerity and focus. It proved to be very helpful in re-orienting her thoughts and diffusing her concerns and ultimately reducing the tension that wreaked havoc with her swing. Another example of an area where I know this mantra tool has been used with success is in helping to change the habit of hanging on to thoughts of poor shots and other mistakes and developing the habit of letting go and staying in the present. A mantra that has worked for other golfers in this situation is, "It's all about this shot and this moment," repeated in the mind over and over with increasing belief and conviction.
A mantra is another tool that I recommend adding to your mental golf "bag of tricks." It's something you can get started with right away. You have to be sure to stick with it though. Just like any of the mental golf tools, being persistent and consistent pays off. Here are some other areas where using a mantra can help get you on the road to making some changes in your mind and your game:
- changing the habit of frequent anger about your game
- changing the habit of ongoing self-doubt about your abilities
- changing the habit of using over-effort and trying too hard
- changing the habit of putting pressure on yourself
- changing the habit of regularly using "what if" thinking and dwelling on worst-case scenarios while playing
One more tip: When choosing a mantra to use, pick something that is succinct, has good flow, and makes good sense to you about the issue at hand. It may even be a popular quote or a catch phrase. Avoid using "not" phrases, such as "I am not angry. I am not angry..." as this actually puts more focus on the problem at hand rather than away from it.
This idea of a mantra can be put to use right away to change and strengthen your mental golf mindset. Try it out, and give it a chance to "sink in" and work (practice it in multiple rounds, not just one time). I welcome comments about your experience.
Here's to great golf!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer and
Co-Founder
TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
Labels: golf improvement, golf mental game, mental golf, positive mental attitude
posted by Rick Semple at 7:53 PM
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