Practical mental tips please

Has anyone got any tips on blocking out negative thoughts that are firmly rooted in past experience?

"Just play your own game" - I know the theory and mostly I do.

Scragger has his "Old Mate", the Dog has his bro Mike.

I no longer crack up when I play MY bro, I've been given advice on here that worked on dealing with the starter at posh clubs and my game is gradually coming together. But I have a bogey (sorry) man and we are playing on Sunday and even though I shouldn't I fear the worst.

My bogey man is a good player but I play with better with no problem, he's laid back and tolerant of poorer golfers so there should no pressure in that respect, and when he joins us on a Sunday it's just for the company, the chat and a beer afterwards.

But every time I've played with him in the past my game has gone out of the window to the extent that breaking 120 let alone 90 can be an achievement.

Hence the question: Has anyone got any tips on blocking out negative thoughts that are firmly rooted in past experience?

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Soundtracks! Imagine you're in a movie, and the soundtrack swells up...sometimes, it's the theme from "The Natural", sometimes, it's an old Stones song, or "Shaft"...hear the music in your head during your pre-shot routine, and as you set up. Helps me focus on the shot in a positive way, and blocks out all the heebie-jeebies.

Hence the question: Has anyone got any tips on blocking out negative thoughts that are firmly rooted in past experience?[/quote]

As a last resort, alcohol may be an option. On a serious note, I took a page from the actor Jack Lemmon's book. Prior to doing an important scene, he would say to himself "it's magic time". Importantly, this set the stage for a mindset that was more easy-going and productive and released some of the tension.

Good luck!

Possibly teeing off a tad early for that - but a nice idea.

In the end I just have to believe that I am a much better player now than I was the last time we played (which tbh I think I am) and get on with it.

One of those easier said than done things though.

On the mental side, doubt is what makes us fail.

The opposite of doubt is trust. Trust your skill. If you don't trust your skill, then it's time to develop skill that you can trust. When you trust your skill, this skill becomes the foundation of confidence.

I am confident that I can pull off that shot because I trust my skill. My trust is not blind because I've proven my skill time and time again in practice.

Robin,

When I am losing focus or getting nervous I always ask myself "What do I have to do now."

Nicole

Thanks Nicole

The game OI was worried about has come and gone without disaster (there's a post somewhere about my return to Wentworth); not only did he push his first tee shot high wide and not very handsome which took the self inflicted pressure off but also I realised that its nearly a year since I played with the guy and yes I am better now than I was then.

It also helps that these days when nervous I recall Stillhackens advice (wise words) to me:

"I would venture to say that starter has seen it all off the first tee. You wont do anything that hasnt been done. I would swing easy and put the ball in play then enjoy my free round of golf."

Bllody obvious really but I'd never thought of it like that before and for me at least it certainly helps.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

hi
if I'm playing an important match and i feel I'm getting excited i start saying things over and over as i take my practice swing and set up to my real swing. if using a drive i say over and over "rhythm- rhythm!!!" i say it as i breath in every time, if taking a pitch or chip i say "soft-hands" over and over, when putting i say "pace and line" over and over as i breath in and out, i find that if focuses the mind and its as if you can only think of one thing at a time, helps you relax too. i also try and see the shot in my mind before i set up to the ball, if i cant see it then i walk away and keep saying one of my thoughts till i feel relaxed and i can imagine the shot i want to hit, i also find i tend to speed up when playing really well and have to think about slowing my walk down to stop me getting excited and tense.
it does work.
bill

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I just read an interesting concept that I've already failed to put into practice.

We'd all agree that we have an "A game" where we can do no wrong, and a new PB is surely incoming, a "B game" which is our normal game, resulting in our normal score, and a "C game" which is the polar opposite of the A game, where nothing goes right and a new PW was reached with 6 holes left to play.

The idea is that each game has a different strategy. You can be very aggressive with the A game, but need to play very conservative with the C game. Hence, we start out the round with C game conservation, playing this way two or three holes until we see where we're at for the round. If we're doing fine, we can step up the risk to the B game, or, if we're already on fire, jump right to the A game (if it seems like an A game day).

Maybe tee off with your C game (ultra conservative, 98% guaranteed safe shot), and move from there.

I took the idea right to the parking lot last time out, but lost it somewhere between the parking lot and the first tee.

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hi lowpost
that makes sense, think thats why the pros go to the range before starting to see what game they have and to judge how much fade or draw there getting on that day. by the time they get to the first tee there body's have played 4 or 5 holes on the range. i have said i would try doing the same but like you when i get to the car park i seem to forget and end up on the tee swing two clubs to warm up.
cheers
bill

Hi, I've just started to learn about "mindfullness". You asked about tips to deal with negative thoughts. Well, one tip might be "not to try to prevent them". Just be aware - notice them. Often negative thought are about future or past - not about what you are going at the moment.

So about negative thought - let them come and go :-)

Hi Robin,

In my opinion there are three types of golfer:

1) Scratch to 12 h/capp...........he/she is only off 12 due to work commitment, hence no time to improve or would be lower.

2) 12 - 18 he/she is getting there now, reasonable mechanics, usual short game failer and a few duffs per round.

3) 18 - 28 sometimes not always built for golf, not had lessons and sometimes just casual golfers or complete novices.


Ask yourself to put in order who gets more nervous in front of the starter? My answer:3,2,1........why, ability plays a major part in confidence, if you are in section one you are probably better than the starter anyway, hence more confidence, more confidence equals straight forward thinking, you know you are going to nail it. If you in 2, then you are not entirely comfortable with the shot coming up but you are confident if you do happen to catch the odd duffer like you do every week then you are confident you can laugh it off with "well first shot of the day" quitely thinking to yourself my next shot is usally a good one..........this is why he falls into cat 2. Number 3 guy is a bag of nerves or just doesn't give a monkies what happens, the starter has nothing to do with it, he doesn't hit enough good shots, so the law of averages is against him.

I assume you want to fall in to cat1, first of all as mentioned you ability needs to be at a level where you are comfortable with yourself, no-one is entirely comfortable with their ability not even Tiger......!!!
If you can nail 8 shots out of every ten you hit and at least catch the other two slightly thin or fat your there. All you need to do is give yourself the best chance to play better: This is done by directing you focus on the following:

Get to your ball and focus on the lie first, where the target is, distance, wind direction, can you play short and run up to the green, do you need to go for the pin, is there a safer side of the green...........once you have in your mind what you going to do don't change your mind.....................next set-up get everything perfect......as you stand behind the ball in your pre-shot look where to line your feet up not just the club, are you looking to fade the ball in a bit.....set up will give you the best chance of making a good swing.

On my course we have a loop of three holes from 15 which is by the clubhouse then we set off in a loop....16 par 5 and two par 4s the last being SI 3......I sometimes practice these three holes in summer at night, instead of doing the front 9, I start on 16 and play them three first, if no-one is there when I get to 18 I go again....................the reson for this is I used to blow up on the last few holes, I have been 2 over par on the 16th and finished with bogeys..........unfortunately this comes with experiance and no-one can tell you how to finish a round off..........it's like the imaginary drive you have over the trees for years you can't get over, then after more lessons and a new driver you catch one out of the middle and it just clears, next week you do it again, then all over sudden it's easy, like reaching a par 5 in two, once you get over the "I can never just hit a good three wood after a good driver" once you get up there you over the hurdle.........

The answer: Just focus on what you and I are capable of: setting up properly after we know all the information, switch off and let it go.

Hope this helps

Ian.

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Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Some useful points there Ian, in the same vein as Martin.

I think at the moment I am moving into your Category 2 from Category 3 - albeit a little like the hokey cokey - and it is fair to say that, as in the round that prompted the OP, that my first tee nerves are decreasing as my skill level increases.

The other side of this is that it is a bit like a virtuous circle, the less nervous you are the more likely it is that you'll hit a decent shot, which reduces your nerves....

At the moment I'm getting towards your "8 out 10 rule" across most of my game - or at least I now take my "range game" to the course for most shots for most of the time.

The exception* is the driver and luckily, because I think its easier for me at least to solve than a mental issue, the problem there is technical; I have a couple of swing flaws that I am working on - so at least one of the people at the range hitting his driver is doing it for a valid reason .

Thanks to all for the advice on this one.

Robin

* Actually to be fair I do take my range game to the course with the driver its just that its not very good - well awful in fact, hence the work I'm doing at the moment.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.