I don’t believe in golfing secrets, quick fixes or miracles cures. But what I’m about to share with you could be the next best thing.
If you learn to master the following lesson (it takes practice, discipline and never ending commitment) you will experience the best golf of your life;
- A consistent golf game
- The ability to play under pressure
- A strategy to deal with first tee nerves
- How to pull off the great shot when you need it most
- An uncanny skill to make those tricky and pressure filled short putts time after time
- Ensure that you keep improving and getting better over time
- How to cure the yips and swing (or putt) with confidence
- Play to your full potential
Sound good?
Let me share with you the strategy that has transformed my game. I play more consistently and have reached a level of play that I didn’t think possible. Better still, I have done this with virtually no practice. This technique will help you find your own inner game, the game you know you posses, but can’t find on a consistent basis.
The best golf lesson
If you’ve been playing for any length of time you’ll know the frustration of trying to play good golf. One day you can have ‘it’, the next day the game can seem almost impossible. It’s frustrating, confusing and isn’t much fun.
But there is a way to maximise your chances of playing good golf.
The secret to doing so is understanding how we should perform motor skills. A motor skill can be any such task like riding a bike, brushing your teeth or playing golf.
Most skills we perform on a daily basis have reached a level of unconscious competence. This means that you can perform the skill without giving it too much thought. The skill has become second nature and requires little concentration.
It’s incredibly important that we reach the level of unconscious competence with motor skills. Doing so ensures that we use a minimal amount of effort throughout the day. Imagine having to consciously control every action? It would be hard work and we’d be left exhausted.
Better still, the unconscious competence level of learning ensures the skill is performed to the highest level. If you want to disrupt a skill that has become automatic just think too much about it. Try and consciously control your signature, tying shoelaces or throwing a ball – and you’ll see what I mean.
This is where much of modern golf instruction has got it wrong.
It’s all about fixing your technique and thinking about what you’re doing. This can be alright some of the time, but continually analysing your swing is a recipe for disaster. You don’t give yourself a chance to learn a golf game to the unconscious competence level.
And this is not a good thing.
Spending all of your time in fixing mode will never allow you to become the best golfer you can be. This means if you’re always using swing thoughts, analysing your swing and trying to control each shot you’re in big trouble. Chances are your game lets you down, you play erratically and you’re never too sure what kind of game you’re going to get. Sound familiar?
If you want to play your best golf you have to think less and play more.
But there is a problem
Your brain is not that easy to control. It likes to think, analyse and evaluate. So ‘not thinking’ isn’t that easy to do. Try thinking of nothing and you’ll know where I’m coming from.
This is where golfers get themselves into trouble. They step up to the ball and they’re thinking about their grip, stance, back swing and down swing all at the same time. Throw in some first tee nerves, sand, water and a difficult golf course and the game becomes almost impossible to play.
If you want to play better golf the secret isn’t about perfecting your technique. You’ve probably been playing for a year or two, and believe it or not your skill level is probably good enough to play better golf. In other words, your technique will be ok. Maybe not perfect, but I guarantee it will be good enough.
The trick is to learn to control your mind so you have a chance of reaching the level of unconscious competence.
I’m sure you’ve heard this type of thinking before. That golf is all mental and you need to have a strong mind to play golf. Nothing new here.
But. And this is a big but….
…I want to show you the strategy (read method, skill or process) for actually controlling your mind so you can play golf like you drive a car, ride a bike or throw a ball.
The secret of playing your best golf
If you’re still with me and you understand the importance of playing golf automatically then here’s how to do it.
You have to consciously control your mind for the duration of every shot.
Let me repeat that.
You have to consciously control your mind for the duration of every shot.
Let me explain this in more detail.
Because it’s not possible to ‘stop thinking’ you need to occupy your conscious mind for the duration of each shot you play. This doesn’t mean you can think about your swing. That’s cheating and not going to work. You have to think about something that’s not related to playing golf. You need something that’s neutral.
I know this is probably sounding a bit weird and mystical but bear with me. If you can fill your mind with a neutral thought while you play, your subconscious is free to perform the swing. And this is exactly how you do most other skills. Think about it for a second. When you brush your teeth are you thinking about brushing your teeth or about something else? What about when you drive a car, are you focused on turning the wheel, hitting the brake or are you listening to the radio and driving subconsciously?
I think the answer is clear – you’re not thinking!
How to take your golf to the next level
What can you think about and what is the process?
The easiest method is to count in your head while you’re taking your shot.
One, two, three, four … you get the idea.
Does this sound easy?
It is easy to do but it’s also easy not to do. The pressure of the golf course, playing partners and wanting to shoot a good score is enough for many golfers to go into their shell and go back to trying to consciously control the motion.
This is the hard part. Are you prepared to change your approach even if it will initially feel uncomfortable?
Only the brave and patient will see any improvement. This is not a quick fix. It will take some time to get used to this approach. If you’ve been over thinking and trying too hard for a long time you can’t expect miracles in the first five minutes. Give it a chance to work.
Learning to count while you swing can transform your game. It’s one thing to read about it. If you want to experience the benefits of unconscious competence you have to get your hands dirty and give it a go.
I have spoken about the magic of automatic learning throughout this blog. It’s something that I believe to be a critical aspect of successful golf. Occupying your conscious mind while your swinging is the secret to better play. Counting in your head allows you to play instinctively, automatically and reach that magical stage of unconscious competence.
For more information on playing golf automatically please visit this website that is devoted to helping you master your golf game.