Do Your Confidence and Consistency Disappear on Competition Day? Do You Lose Concentration After a Bad Shot, and it Affects Your Score? Are You a Better Golfer Than Your Current Results Show? Don't worry!  Most golfers go through these problems. The good news is that these can all be overcome - because if your mind can create these problems, it can just as easily solve them as well. Bringing in some mental training techniques are one of the best ways to overcome problems, take your game to the next level, and lower your handicap even without changing a shot in your repetoire.  This means simply training your mind to deal more effectively with the pressure, while at the same time, programming it for the result you want, rather than the results you are getting - yes, just like a computer.   (In fact, the very first computer ever invented was modelled on the human mind - and we can use it very much the same way as our PC).  Your mind controls your body - not the other way around, which means most problems in golf are due to the mind simply being un-trained to give the body the correct instructions it needs to perform the way you want.   Self-sabotage is also a common problem in golf, as the pressure of competition often brings out problems which may not exist in practice.  Basically your mind is either working for you, or against you, just depending upon how it is "programmed" to perform, especially under pressure. Most golfers can dramatically improve their scores using mental training techiques, which consist of using particular strategies on the course during the heat of competition (such as using visualization, self talk, and getting into the optimum mental state they call 'The Zone' - more on that later), whilst also using some various methods off the course as well.   Consistency, concentration and confidence are all best achieved through a regular mental training program, which only takes about 10 minutes of your time off the course, and used at strategic times on the course - usually at the times when you are under the most pressure. These are some of the benefits of mental training: Common Golf Problems Which Can Be Overcome With Mental Training Do you experience any of these? 1st tee nerves / lack of belief in yourself Slumps in form Regularly recurring problems on the course Playing a much worse, or better, back nine Concentration and technical problems Practicing hard but getting no payback Doubts, fears, worries and anxiety Inconsistency in competition Great in practice, but not performing in competition Overly worrying about the "obstacles" such as the bunkers and trees Injuries or illness occurring just before competitions These are classic situations that mental training routinely deals with and can overcome without too much problem, usually in much quicker time than it took to develop the problem in the first place.   Apart from overcoming problems, mental training is also fabulous for simply taking your game to the next level, and achieving a powerful, serene mindset during your game.   It is quite evident when you are watching a golfer who is mentally tough - they often display some of these characteristics: Classic Signs Of Mental Training Improving your scores without practicing any harder Improved long and short-term concentration Overcoming debilitating nervousness Longer and more focused concentration Playing relaxed and well - on cruise-control A calm, clear and focused mind A deep inner belief in yourself and your abilities More consistent performances in competitions Vibrant health, overcoming injuries quicker, and a positive outlook on life Playing 'in the zone' more often (read on for an explanation of this) Discover Your Mental Golfing 'Zone' Apart from helping you overcome problems, mental training can help you reach the absolute peak of your capabilities. The mental state known as 'the zone' produces these all-time best performances - where your swing feels flowing, easy and effortless, and you feel you simply cannot do a thing wrong. This is the mental state which produces super-human performances in all sports, including on the golf course. Any golfer who is in this state is virtually unbeatable at their respective level of competition - and at the elite level, you often witness course records being well and truly smashed. A golfer who is in the zone experiences an unusual feeling of effortless power, guile and control in their shots - and the strange part about this is that the performance does not feel as if it is being controlled by the actual golfer!   In fact, they often report feeling as if they weren't responsible for the shots at all - almost as if their body was being guided and directed by a more powerful force (and this is exactly what is happening). Almost every golfer at some stage in their career has experienced this feeling to some extent, and then wondered afterwards "how did I do that?" This is the mystery that surrounds the zone - why does it appear so fleetingly, and then disappear just as quickly as it came? And most of all - why can't we access it all the time? The answer is the sleeping giant that resides inside all human beings - the subconscious mind, the source of all bodily movement which also stores all past golfing memories and experience. When a golfer is 'zoning', their conscious mind becomes quiet (the normally busy, chattering mind we use all the time), and this allows their more powerful subconscious to run their performance on 'automatic pilot', in the way a computer runs software. This allows their strokes to flow much easier, effortlessly accessing power and control in a way that could never be matched by conscious thought.  This means that when you are in the zone, you have virtually no thought going through your mind whatsoever, your body is just playing on automatic-pilot, powered directly by your subconscious mind. This is not to say that your body is playing without instruction, on the contrary, it is simply getting its instructions from a more powerful and reliable source.  The Zone is brought about by learning to allow your powerful subconscious to do your hitting for you, rather than allowing the busy, chattering mind to take charge, which it so often it does. The good news is that most players have no idea how to get into this mental state, which creates a secret weapon for you over your competitors!   So how do we get into the zone? The fact is, apart from a few particular elements which are common for everyone, it seems that all golfers have their own individual way of getting into the Zone, and the golfer who understands and knows themselves best is the one who discovers how to access the Zone more often, and put in a strong performance almost every time they play. The Zone is a very powerful state, and can help you reach beyond your limitations to achievements you may have never realized were possible.   So where is your mind currently directing you? Your recent results in competition will give you the answer every time. Regardless, mental toughness can improve your results and get you into the winners circle more often - even without changing a single stroke in your game. Troubleshooting and 'Damage Control' During Your Round Some of the toughest times for a golfer (which most affect their scores) are the times where they have to cope with their own negative thoughts and emotions directly after hitting a bad shot - as well as stemming their nerves on the first tee, or when their confidence deserts them whilst preparing to hit over water or bunkers. This is where positive self talk and affirmations are a very important component to bring in, to combat the bombardment of negative thoughts which can flow from the conscious mind during these stressful times.  These methods 'contain the fallout' from a bad shot so that it doesn't spill over into the rest of your round, effectively controlling the negative emotions and channelling them positively into the following shots and holes. However, as well as effectively dealing with overcoming mindset and concentration problems, it's also essential to ensure your mind is programmed positively to achieve what you truly desire on the golf course. Visualization, and The One Essential Component Which Most Golfers Cannot Achieve Visualization, combined with hypnosis, is the most powerful method available for programming yourself for success on the golf course, as well as for transforming chronic bad habits into positive new ones.  For optimum results, it's best to use a combination of these techniques both on, and also off, the course.  Using visualization at home helps to program your optimum performance (and the shots that you wish to achieve) into your subconscious, whilst using the method on the course allows you to tap into that very mental program you created at home, while you are getting ready to play a shot. The problem is that, for the vital mental work that needs to be done at home, a common problem for most golfers is that its essential ingredient is to quieten your thoughts and relax your mind to a specific level - which is crucial while you are visualizing (or "running movies through your mind" as Jack NIcklaus once put it), and very few people seem to be able to do this effectively.  This occurs mainly because their mind simply won't quieten down, or they don't know exactly what to visualize, or for how long, etc. When golfers came to me for mental training, I would show them exactly what to do, but found that they would go home and struggle with the exercise for the weeks ahead - so finally, I created an audio exercise which took care of all their mental training needs. Apart from outlining the complete step-by-step mental training routine for both on and off the course, it contained a powerful visualization exercise with hypnotic suggestions which I encouraged the golfers to use as regularly as possible, to bring about positive and automatic mental changes.  The visualization exercise relaxed the golfer down to the perfect level of relaxation, before repeating several minutes of powerful hypnotic suggestions to their subconscious mind, before mentally guiding them step-by-step through the golfing visualization - imagining themselves playing the perfect round of golf.  As soon as I brought this new tool into my work, it made the world of difference - because teaching someone how to visualize is far more difficult (in terms of ensuring they are doing it properly) rather than being able to guide them through the entire process yourself, which is exactly what the visualization did for me.  Consequently, I now have far fewer consultations - as most people find the step-by-step program easier to do from home rather than try to find the time to talk to me in a consultation. The visualization exercise covers virtually every typical golf situation, before returning the listerner back to the normal awakened state all in around 20 minutes.  The visualization is easily tailored by the listener to work own their own particular needs (eg. for overcoming 1st tee nerves), and the exercise has a cumulative effect where it increases in effectiveness the longer you use it. Effective