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Train to be Clutch – Tips for Becoming a Clutch Golfer

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Tips for becoming a clutch golfer - GolficityAnyone who has ever played the game of golf will tell you it is a very mental sport. However, even though golfers routinely say golf is over 90% mental, I have found they rarely spend time training mentally.  So, I have put together five simple mental training tips for you.

  1. Before every shot, close your eyes and see the exact shot you want to hit, including flight and final destination of the ball.  In a study done on collegiate golfers, those who positively visualized their put rolling into the hole improved their putting by 30% in one week.  In comparison, those who were instructed to visualize just missing before every putt, got worse by 20% at the end of the week.  Both groups did the same putting exercises.
  2. After you make a mistake, immediately direct your focus to the next opportunity with your self-talk.  Say out loud as many times as necessary, “The next opportunity I get, I am going to ________________” Fill in the blank with the desired behavior.  Beating yourself with your self-talk only increases the likelihood of future mistakes.  Here is one test you can use to determine if your self-talk is detracting from your performance.  If you wouldn’t hangout with someone for very long who talks to you the way you talk to yourself, then it needs to change.  Start to become your own best coach.
  3. Anytime you have a “pressure” situation, make sure you pay attention to your breathing before you step up to the ball.  Many times when we feel pressure it is because our breathing is very shallow, so make sure you take some deep breathes.  Your brain can’t send the correct signals to your muscles without oxygen and your muscles tighten up.  The other thing you want to do in these “pressure’ moments is keep your focus directed on the shot at hand and stay completely engaged in the present moment.  You will also feel pressure if you think about past mistakes and the possibility of creating one in your next shot. You wouldn’t make a very good driver if you were trying to drive while looking in the rear view mirror, and you won’t make a clutch golfer either.  If your focus does wonder to the past, make sure you remember times when you have hit a great shot.  Most of the time we have hit that shot hundreds of times before and we need to just breathe, stay in the moment, and execute the simple shot.
  4. One of the most beneficial tools for mental training is guided imagery, and this is why I created the app, “Mental Training for Golf.”  The guided imagery on the app is great to listen to as you go to sleep and it helps guide you through a visualization exercise. You can literally get better with guided imagery as you sleep, because the track is directing your subconscious brain on what to picture, and studies have shown the exact same area of our brain is activated during vivid visualization and physical activity.
  5. Create a what went well journal.  After your practice session, or round of golf, take a few minutes and remember what you did well.  Make sure you write down at least 3 things.  This is a great way of directing your focus to the positives and it helps you keep track of your progress.  After doing this for a couple months it can literally rewire your brain to search for the positive things in your life and this has beneficial implications on memory, identity, and future performance.

These are some simple tips to put in your golf repertoire, which will allow you to tap into the clutch abilities inside of you.


 

Joshua Medcalf is the founder of Train to be CLUTCH, and serves as the director of mental training for multiple programs across the country. He trains athletes and performers at all different levels from all over the world on the psychology of peak performance. You can see a keynote he gave on mental training at Pepperdine here https://vimeo.com/38603628. You can also learn more at www.traintobeclutch.com.

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