Go the "Extra Degree" for Your Golf Improvement

Recently, I have been writing about ideas related to choosing and practicing positive habits to help your golf improvement. I am always on the lookout for great examples and resources that inspire me and fuel my desire and dedication to practice discipline and consistency, like the example of Mike Weir in my previous posting. I encourage others to keep their eyes and ears open for great examples of positive mental golf practices by players on the Tour and players in their own "backyard." (This goes beyond watching and listening for the latest swing tip - it's watching and listening to learn what successful players are thinking and feeling to keep them focused, disciplined, calm, and confident, which lays the groundwork for better, more consistent swings and all-around playing.) Great examples of Positive Golf thinking and playing and other resources that support this approach are all around us. By staying tuned-in and aware, each and every day we can get great mental tidbits that will help our game (and our life!).

A friend recently shared the following motivational resource with me, and I thought it had some great points that support the Positive Golf approach. It's all about the "extra degree" that makes a difference. It gave me a motivational charge for sticking with my positive habits and Positive Golf Improvement Project I have chosen to practice this year. Here are some ideas that lit a spark in me:

- At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. One extra degree makes all the difference.
- And the one extra degree of effort in business and in life separates the good from the great!
- The average margin of victory for the last 25 years in all major golf tournaments combined was less than three strokes.
- To get what we never had, we must do what we've never done.
- Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. (Walter Elliot)

For more ideas in a super, really short video format, go to http://www.212movie.com/. I can guarantee you'll want to watch it a couple of times.

Here's to perseverance for Positive Habits and Positive Golf!

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

Positive Golf Tip - Practice Discipline and Consistency to Help Develop New Habits and Lasting Improvement

While watching the coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship over the weekend, I listened with particular interest to some remarks the commentators were making about Mike Weir on Saturday. They repeatedly pointed out that he is "incredibly disciplined" in his practice, his routine, and his fitness program. It is often Tiger's discipline that we hear more comments about, and it is Tiger who commonly comes to mind when there is talk of a disciplined approach to the game. But discipline is an essential aspect of the approach - and the success - of so many other tour players as well, including Mike Weir. This discipline isn't reserved only for the "upper eschelon" of players, however. It can be practiced by players of any level, including beginners who are starting at square one. If you want to make positive changes and improvements to your swing and your game, you too can not only practice discipline to help create change - you must practice it if you want the change to last!

By "discipline," I mean the focused, consistent practice of new ideas, new attitudes, new swing thoughts, and new swing techniques. It is the consistent practice of these things that leads to the establishment of new habits and permanent change. The discipline is what gets you to not only "just do it," but to keep on just doing it - day after day, week after week, month after month. This is what gets results. So, in choosing new mental and physical habits to develop in 2008 (see the previous post for what I chose), keep in mind the stick-to-itivenes that it takes to "habitualize" these new habits that will make a difference in your game, and stick to it! That's what works for Tiger, Annika, Mike Weir, and other disciplined players, and they are great examples and inspiration. They can do it, so can I, and so can you! We all have the potential for discipline and consistent, ongoing practice - we just need to call it up inside ourselves. Along those lines, here are a couple of great quotes from great people who accomplished great things:

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing. - Abraham Lincoln

If you want some tools to help you with discpline and consistency, CLICK HERE for a great website with a bunch of articles and recordings that will help you stick-to-it for success, including the MP3 recording, "Persevere to Succeed."

Here's to your success!

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

Positive Golf Tip for Introducing Kids to Golf ---

If you are introducing a child to golf this holiday season with a gift of clubs or other golf gear, think about these wise words from Fred Shoemaker in his classic book, EXTRAORDINARY GOLF: The best way for you to teach your child is by example...If you want to make a difference in your child's golf game, make a difference in your own...If you want your child to view the game in a certain way and be a certain kind of person on the course, work on being that kind of person yourself. If you want your child to play courageously, play that way yourself. If you want your child to keep his or her chin up when things aren't going well, keep yours up...Be the kind of person that you want your child to be, and that person will show up in your child.

So, for the new young golfer in your life, there is more that you can do to get them off to a great start than giving them clubs or lessons. You can also give them the gift of a great golf mindset by setting a great example in yourself. You can inspire the child to be a positive golfer by being a positive golfer yourself, with an approach that is filled with belief in your abilities and potential, positive expectations, supportive self-talk, focus on golf-enhancing ideas (not past mistakes), and a can-do attitude. This is a gift that can truly "keep on giving" and make a positive impact on the child's game that can last a lifetime. We are happy to help you through the ideas and tips in our blog and our website, and we welcome feedback on your experiences.

Best wishes for great golf to you and the new little golfers in your life!

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

Positive Golf Kudos ---

Lorena Ochoa has certainly had an impressive year with eight victories, including the outstanding win at the ADT Championship where she hit "the shot of her life" on the final hole. But there is even more to Ochoa than her athleticism and her "multidimensional game." Supporting all of that is her super mental game that is quite worthy of Positive Golf Kudos. An article in a recent issue of Golf World pointed out some of her positive attitudes, skills, and practices. For one thing, she is devoted to improvement, focused on the process, and cheerful in her demeanor. Former U.S. Women's Open champion Catherine Lacoste said this of Ochoa: "I always sense that Lorena is smiling at the ball." She is positive to the core, and this filters into her approach and her actions, and even her reactions to unfortunate outcomes. Her work with sport psychologists has helped her to "take the long view of her 11th-hour failures." Here is some of her wisdom in relation to letting go of mistakes and not letting them linger and hold her back: "You just have to take the bad moments and take them as a good thing, as part of the process...I'm a simple girl in a way that I just put things in the trash and move forward." This is the kind of thinking that has taken her to the top and can inspire other golfers in developing a success-oriented mindset. It is Ochoa's positive mental attitude, in addition to her positive generosity of giving a portion of the $1 million for winning the ADT Championship to a relief fund for flood victims in Mexico, that inspires our Positive Golf Kudos.

Here's to a great golf mindset!

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

A Resource for Developing Positive Habits to Boost Your Golf Improvement ---



The effective practice of mental golf is all about developing and using positive mental habits. This is the foundation that helps to optimize your physical game and your overall golf improvement and leads to the enjoyment of many more positive golf experiences. Learning about positive mental skills, like focus and self-belief, is one thing but actually turning them into habits is another thing. It can really help to have some tips, guidance, and tools to help you get started and stick with it. In the course of improving this practice for myself, I have found out about this really great program that can help you get into the "swing" of practicing positive habits. It's called "The Power of Positive Habits" and what it is is a really practical, easy-to-use, interactive personal development program that helps you learn to identify negative thoughts, habits, and routines and replace them with positive, thoughts, habits, and routines. This will help you get the hang of developing mental skills and habits that can make a huge difference in your success with golf improvement and other aspects of life. The program includes an e-book, an audio program, and an interactive PC software program, all for a very reasonable price and lots of really impressive bonuses. While some of the personal development products can be impractical, this one really is practical and real-life. I am including it as a Positive Golf resource because I know it can really make a difference to have help in getting over that "hump" of identifying and making changes. And remember - a lot of the positive mental skills that are considered helpful for life in general are really helpful to learn and master in your progress toward positive change in your golf game. So, see what you think about "The Power of Positive Habits"...



Here's to great golf!



Rick Semple

Positive Golfer

Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com

http://www.theheartofgolf.com/

Positive Golf Kudos ---

I read the interview with Hunter Mahan in the November 2007 issue of GOLF DIGEST and thought it was a great example of positive mental golf ideas in action. Mahan indicates that the big positive change that has occurred for him goes back to the second round of sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. In the first round, his attitude was about "just waiting for bad things to happen." He shot a 73. With some guidance from his sport psychologist and some work on his mental game, Mahan came back and shot 63 in the second round and qualified, and he's been playing pretty well ever since. This is what Mahan said about his attitude and approach: "I was so concerned with how I looked and how I swung, I forgot how to play and get the ball in the hole. I was able to let myself go out there and play and not criticize myself on the course as much." It is amazing the impact it can have on our game to change our "inner conversation" and stop criticizing ourselves. Reducing the pressure on ourselves and just letting ourselves "go out there and play" has a major impact as well, as illustrated by Mahan. Often, we don't even realize we're doing these things to limit ourselves and our game, and we keep blaming it on the equipment or something else. If we don't have a sport psychologist to point it out to us, we may keep on doing these things. But there is a new resource coming out that can change all of that and help you get out of your own way and "let yourself go out there and play," just like Hunter Mahan. Watch for the Positive Golf Handbook coming soon!

Here's to great golf!

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

Positive Golf Kudos---A Can Do Positive Attidude

One of the main characteristics of Positive Golfers is a "can do" positive attitude. The Positive Golf mindset is about being a "possibilitarian" and believing that you CAN achieve the goals that you choose for yourself. Here is a great example of someone who epitomizes these characteristics. He is a 48 year old man who was born without arms. Twenty-five years ago he decided to learn how to play golf and you will see that he has indeed mastered the game. He didn't focus on his limitation, but instead on the power of possibility. In his own words, "You never know what you can do unless you try." CLICK HERE to view more and you'll see why he deserves Positive Golf Kudos!

Here's to great golf!

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

Positive Golf Kudos ---

I read about the 15-under-par 56 recorded at Cattails GC in Alamosa, Colo. on September 5 by Jay Osmon, an assistant pro at the club. Osmon made five birdies and two eagles on the front nine and shot 26. His comment about the back nine was this: "On the back nine, I wasn't trying to think a whole lot. I knew I was playing well. I just wanted to stay out of my own way." Kudos to Jay for his accomplishment and his positive wisdom! "Staying out of your own way" is a key mental golf principle that helps lead to positive experiences on the course. The idea is to stay focused and on track and not let fears, doubts, distractions, frustrations, what-ifs, and other negative thoughts and feelings get in the way. It's great to see examples like Jay Osmon showing us how to put this into practice.

By the way, we have a new Positive Golf Workbook coming out soon that will provide tips, techniques, and exercises to help you develop this positive mental approach and "stay out of your own way" on the course so your great swing and great golf potential will really shine through. More news coming soon. Stay tuned...

Here's to great golf!

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

A New Positive Golf Inspiring Story ---

We thought that mid-August was a great time to share this story before the main character goes back to school. She has been a source of pleasantry and positivity throughout the summer at the golf club where she works. We think she is an excellent example of a confident, joyful, and satisfied golfer who consistently practices and plays with a Positive Golf approach that leads to a total enjoyment of the game for her and those around her. She leaves the course well-pleased that she gave it her best, regardless of the outcome, and that is a true sign of self-respect and golf success. You too can find that her ideas and attitudes can be helpful both on and off the course...

Davana Kessler is studying professional golf management at Methodist University. This summer, she is an intern in the Pro Shop at a country club in southwestern Pennsylvania. In previous summers, she interned at golf clubs in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Davana began playing golf as a youngster and started taking it seriously around age 12. Along the way, she received a lot of support and encouragement from her father who helped to nurture a sense of confidence. She was also encouraged by her grandfather who started playing golf when he was 60 and continued into his 70s. His can-do attitude inspired Davana, and she has adopted it in her own approach to golf. Her bright, cheerful and positive demeanor is also an integral part of her approach to golf (and life) as well, and we think she is a marvelous example of a Positive Golfer. Not surprisingly, she is more than happy to pass along tips and attitudes to help others enjoy positive golfing experiences.

One of Davana's positive practices on the course is to always remember the joy of the game, even when she hits errant shots. To help with this, Davana always tells herself to "have fun." "I take it shot by shot," she says. "When I hit a bad shot, I have learned to not get frustrated and hang on to it. I smile and let it go and move on. I have worked to consistently use this approach and it really makes a difference." Davana also encourages herself to "relax" as part of her positive game approach. This helps to minimize tension and keep her motion smooth. Another practice she consistently follows is to focus on one thing when she plays, like one swing thought or feeling. This prevents a sense of being overwhelmed and the negative thoughts that can go with that, and it helps her concentration. "I recognize the tendency for my mind to wander," she says, "so I have made it a habit to focus on one key thing in each round."

Davana is an excellent putter, and she attributes that to her positive mental practices. "I really believe in my putting ability," she says. "I feel confident, and I go for the hole. I don't hold back." Along with that, she makes a point to relax and allow her stroke to flow. She actually looks forward to putts and doesn't dread them like some players.

When asked what advice she would like to pass along to help others cultivate a positive game, Davana offers this: "People need to believe in themselves and their abilities. Don't have doubt in the back of your mind - it's going to show up in some way in your game." These are the kind of positive thoughts and habits that Davana practices regularly, and it shows up in her game in many positive ways. Above all, she thoroughly enjoys herself on the course, she plays with confidence and enthusiasm, and her positivity catches on as an enjoyable experience for those playing with her as well. Now that is great golf!

Thanks to Davana for her great example. Here's to great golf for all!

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

Positive Golf Tip - Don't Limit Yourself With Limiting Beliefs!

Thanks to our Positive Golf friend David for sharing this with us. David tells us he has been playing "better than ever" using tips he has learned from our books and our blog. When playing recently, someone in the foursome remarked to David that he was "feeling old" and his game was "really suffering" due to his age. "You are playing so much better than me because you are so much younger," he said to David. David asked him, "How old are you?" "66," the fella told him. When David respond that his age was actually 67, the guy's jaw dropped. David doesn't focus on the limiting belief that he is "getting old," you see, and it shows in his appearance and his golf game. His focus is on visualizing great shots, feeling a smooth swing motion, and enjoying the game. He believes in his ability and potential to play great golf and that is what fuels his game, rather than thinking and talking about "being old." It is an inspired approach to golf (and to life) and a good example of the importance and power of our thoughts.

Here's to great thoughts and great golf!

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

More comments on the US Open ---

Angel Cabrera's victory was a great achievement. The guy showed a lot of moxie coming down the stretch to win his first major. I first saw him in person a few years ago on the practice tee at The Masters. I was so impressed with his golf swing that I ended up watching him hit balls for 45 minutes. Aside from the tournament highlights, this was the most memorable part of my Masters weekend.

The main subject of this post concerns the two runners up, Tiger and Jim Furyk. From watching these players intently for four days - some in person, mostly on television - I got the sense more than ever before of why they rise to the top in major championships. Pure talent, especially in Tiger's case, is certainly a factor, but it's their mental attitude which makes the difference. This is solely my opinion, but I sensed that these two players were, perhaps more so than everyone else, completely "into the game." That is, their sole focus was on playing every shot to the best of their ability, irrespective of the other actions around them. They seem to be able to take the energy of the event and channel it into their own performance. I could see it in their eyes, in their mannerisms, and how they spoke. Yes, they both came up just short and were most disappointed, but they also left Oakmont knowing that they had given it their best shot, and therefore had no regrets. Both Jim and Tiger said as much in their post game interviews, and this sense of accomplishment reflected on their faces as Cabrera accepted the trophy.

Winning is important, but what's most important is a winning attitude. Both Woods and Furyk understand that they have no control over the action of others. This thinking has penetrated to the core of their belief system. They spend their time riveted on what they alone can do - being the best they can be day in and day out - which to me is the real definition of a "winner."

Here's to great golf!

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

Positive Golf Tip for Kids Golf ---

When teaching kids about the mechanics of playing golf, it's a great time to pass along tips about attitude too. I was really fortunate that my parents did that with me. They taught me the "can-do attitude" and encouraged me to think and say, "I can," at a young age when I was learning the game. This was such a valuable lesson that it inspired the development of the Can-Do Golf Program we offer at TheHeartofGolf.com. In the Can-Do Book that is part of the program, we list some Can-Do Golf Activities to help kids develop the can-do attitude while practicing golf skills. A couple of these activities are listed below. These are great to do with the kids during a family golf outing or as part of a golf camp. With a large group, you can put the kids into smaller groups to do Can-Do Putting Practice, Chipping Practice, and Full Swing Practice. The positive Can-Do theme helps develop confidence and inspires a feeling of fun. Let us know how it goes for you and the kids!

Can-Do Putting Practice: Put some golf balls in a circle one foot from the hole. Look at the hole and imagine the balls rolling right in when you tap them. Then say, I CAN DO THAT! before you putt. After putting these balls, move them a little farther away from the hole and putt them again, repeating the Can-Do Affirmation before you putt. Keep repeating this activity as you move the balls farther and farther from the hole.

Can-Do Full Swing Practice: Put a line of balls on the tee or the fairway. Pick an area or target to shoot for. Imagine your ball flying in the air right to the spot. Then say, I CAN DO THAT! before you swing. After hitting these balls, choose a different club or a different spot, repeating the Can-Do affirmation before swinging. Repeat the process as many times as you want.

Here's to great golf!

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