I know I can - but still I don't do it.

Golf is simple at a driving range. I know I can swing. We all make perfect warm up swings and good second shots.

I just do not understand why I can't make a relaxed swing in a competition. (OK I can after few terrible holes and when the score is bad enough.)

I try to relax before first tee off and I feel calm - but I'm not. And I try to play easy shots - but still it's too much. Maybe it's just lack of training. Training could develop more confidence - but there must be other ways to speed things up. I want some steal nerves. I want to play in a flow. (As we all do:-)

How does one get in a zen state of concentration - just relaxed awareness and nothing extra?

By practicing under pressure. Desensitize your brain to pressure. I talk about some ways to do it here:
Golf Lessons - GregJWillis

Hi Hannu,

hope you are well sir, it's a while since we spoke.

Your e-mail breeds frustration, you know the problem thats 90% there, you need some good key swing thoughts at set up only, I bet you play your best when you have focused on the same thing all day. i.e. one swing thought, of course the next day that doesn't work.....thats golf accept it.

You should try the clear your mind golf for a while, just as you take your set-up, for which you may think of as many things as possible to aid alinement etc, but the most importantly,

JUST STARE AT THE BALL WITH NO THOUGHTS AT ALL.

After a few shots you may be suprised how well you can hit the ball without thinking about anything, it feels almost like your not involved but it works.

I do hope you give it a try and it helps

Ian.

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

Hi Ian and Greg,

Thanks for your fast replies.

yep - I've been writing in Finnish - and also doing some research -and playing golf with out pressure - just for fun. By playing just relaxed rounds I started to score about my hcp (13). But I did not see any development.

So two weeks ago a decided to start to play in club competitions. I've played to my buffer in two competitions ( even though it was raining).

BUT I really feel frustrated because my swing is terrible under pressure. (I seem to have a lot of good luck and save my game with short game or putting.)

I'll try to empty my mind tomorrow during a practice round - and I could also try to build up some pressure during a round by promising to buy coffee at the clubhouse if I miss a green or don't make a 3 footer put. (This would be a challenging contradiction - not thinking and building pressure -> just like a competition situation?)

(Ian and Greg - I did not do exactly what you suggested, but thinking of your comments helped me to try something - like videotaping my swing. So even I did not do what you wrote, your suggestions were triggers for me to start looking for solutions. - I think I found something, but that's just first step - and might lead to bigger trouble:-)

I had an interesting round today. I tried not thinking and make a 12 on a par 5. I did not expect to top or pull any shots, but I did.

I returned to my own routine and I started to find my swing.

I did videotape my swing and after looking at it, I think I can fix some parts. My head goes up in the end of my back swing, because I take my hands a little to much behind my back. (Hands are not lined up whit my heal, but 10 cm back. - I don't have "room" to get my club up - so I lift my upper body. This is an extra movement that might case more variation to my swing.)

Under stress I might lift my head more than otherwise ... and this might be one explanation. OK - I need to practice under pressure.

And a I think my pre swing routine is more about feeling my body and getting it relaxed than not thinking about anything.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques may help you. If you don't have a background in NLP or the like, one method that has worked for others is clearkeygolf.com

From you previous post, I know that you have martial arts training (I have none). When you practice your "forms" (not sure if this is the correct term) you are trying to do it with a "clear mind" (not thinking about the current punch or the following punch). This can be thought of as a variant of NLP!

The "clear mind" can be achieved through many different techniques.

For me this "clear mind" is what I try to strive for in the golf swing. In this there should be no ups or downs in emotion - there just is what is. This directly results in no adrenaline surge, hence no fight or flight response. From your initial post it appears that your adrenaline is up for the first few holes causing "blow ups" but once you calm down (less adrenaline) you are able to play more "steady" golf.

I am not suggesting you become the "Kung Fu Golfer" by practicing a form before each swing. But try practicing holding onto the "clear mind" after you finish a form and try to remember the "feeling" of holding the "clear mind".

What clearkeygolf does is try to attach the "clear mind" to a particular thing - in their case it is a song or phrase that has nothing to do with golf that is repleated during the swing. But it can be attached to almost anything - martial arts forms - looking at a golf ball (previously mentioned) - mine is looking at the tree tops.

Charles

Thanks Charles,

I have read books like "Inner golf" and "Zen golf". I like them and in a way of the idea of "clear/empty" mind. I think I am at first steps on clearing my mind, too. First step for me is to be aware of my thoughts and state of mind. Well, it's clear that I'm not doing a good Job for first 2 - 3 holes:-)

I'll check clearkeygolf.

I karate clear mind "happened" after years of training. (And I have only practiced golf for 2 years - karate more than 20:-) All techniques were automated. It's easier to react on fight situations than in golf. Golf ball does not give you any stimulus to trigger your motion. (OK - thats why we have a swing routine - to prepare are mind to locate the correct program for upcoming swing.)

Even though I've played golf only for two years, I feel relaxed and balanced at a driving range, short game practice area and lately on practice rounds. (For me this tells that I have a lack of self confidence or I do not recognize my mental tension.)

I would not compare golf to a "form" a.c.a "kata". In a form technique is always the same. I would compare it to fight a.c.a "kumite", were you apply the technique to different kinds of situations. In golf you practice technique in range and situation is always relatively staple. When playing a round all shots are different: ball lay, down hill, up hill - shorter than full swing etc. (And on one round I did not hit the fairway with any shot before 8 hole - so there was a lot of variation.)

(Today I'm playing a round again and I'll ask my golf buddy to shoot my swing on the golf course. I have a Nokia N92 phone that has a nice video-cam in it. previously I have not used it for shooting my golf swing. I hope this will show me, if my swing changes much from range to golf course.)

Started2k3,

I love your post, one thing I did mention is the clear mind is for the split second it takes to hit the ball, when you are a child you learn how to walk, climb etc simply by making mistakes now you do all these things daily without concious thought.

I have a thought for Hannu.

Take a 4 inch wide beem placed along the ground, you could walk it's length with no problems at all, I bet you could do it carring a pint of beer and even drink it half way.

Now lift the beem 10 ft in the air, all over sudden you stop trusting your instincs and start looking at your feet, looking at the beem, stretching your arms out, worrying etc etc etc as for the pint no chance..........!!!

Food for thought.

Ian.

You must let go to play.

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

Thanks Ian for feeding my brain:-)

If one would walk the 4 inc bean eyes closed, for coordination it would be similar - on the ground or 10 feet high. But eyes open it's easier, when the ground is closer. You get more exact feedback. (But I get your meaning.)

After todays round I feel that it's just a question of hitting enough balls - at the range and more important on a regular round.

I was thinking too much during todays round. Thinking about not to think or not to move my head.

Mostly I think I was trying to hard. (Did not let go...)

Ian,

I noticed your reference, but I thought I would expand on it in my own way. Your "JUST STARE AT THE BALL WITH NO THOUGHTS AT ALL." is yet another variant of NLP.

A living person cannot stop thinking. So the mind cannot have "no thoughts", but you can improve one's ability to not focus on any single thought and let them all be fleeting. In this way, IMO, a person can improve their ability to achieve a clear mind more easily. Certain NLP techniques can achieve this goal.

Charles

Wow,

We are getting deep now, I simply mean a state of emptiness, I almost day dream for a split second before hitting the ball, like when you are driving your car and then suddenly think, "wow where did last 2 miles go".

Ian.

Hannu,

A statement like "aware of my thoughts" for me would have to be followed by "but I let them go".

"Golf ball does not give you any stimulus to trigger your motion." Depending on the NLP technique that you use ANYTHING can be a trigger - note Ian's method of staring at the golf ball, which is a trigger.

A preshot routine if done correctly can be used as a trigger, which leads into ....

IMO, just about anything can become a "form" (not a kata because this is specific to karate). In your words, "In a form technique is always the same." So if you want you could turn many things in life into a "form", and it only really requires that the action can be repeatable and hence "practicable" (i.e. pouring a glass of water, sweeping, raking, mowing your lawn, etc). I believe that some of these are actually used in some martial arts training.

In golf (like karate) there are many forms:
fairway lie form,
rough lie form,
uphill lie form,
downhill lie form,
sidehill lie form,
bunker form, ...

Once these forms become instinctive then you can deal with the slight variants (uphill bunker lie) during an actual round, which would be more like a kumite like you said.

Another thing that struck me was your "karate clear mind "happened" after years of training" comment. The clear mind "happened" but was the clear mind what you were trying to achieve when doing the forms for all those years, or where you trying to "do" the form correctly? I would guess the latter.

If your goal is to achieve a clear mind which method would be preferred:
Practicing a specific activity (form) to the point where a clear mind will happen.
OR
Practice achieving a clear mind with the aid of a specific activity.

I will leave it up to you to answer.

Charles

IMO with practice you can hold onto that "state of emptiness" longer. Try holding it then next time it happens to you when you are driving. If you do this often enough it should become easier and easier.

Charles

I agree with the IMO,

For Golf in my opinion you cannot perform to your best while you are mind of body controlling, Take Hannu's Karate he would no doubt loose a fight if he tried to perform each punch or kick, like we do when we are learning the golf swing, no doubt the technic required to perform a kick is the same or even more complicated than the swing.

Practice the swing as much as you can even on your pre-shot, but then switch off the split second before takeaway then back on after ball is in the air.

I wouldn't want to hold this state any longer or you would look like a zombie.


Ian.

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

I actually like the idea ... a zombie has no ups or downs in emotion but can perform the task required.

Zombie Golf ... 2-3 weeks and it will be on the Golf Channel.

Charles