Dwelling
On Past Shots Can Help
Your Game!
Most
often, when a golfer dwells
on a past shot they've
hit sometime during the
round, invariably it
is a particularly bad shot
(rather than a good one)
which is focused upon. Previous great shots
are often completely
forgotten when the annoyance
of missing an easy shot
continues to dwell in
your mind.
This
habit is highly self-destructive,
as it simultaneously affects
concentration and morale
whilst programming the
subconscious for more disaster
in future. It is perfectly
natural to get upset when
you miss an easy shot,
but the essential thing
is to contain the
damage by not allowing
yourself to dwell on this
shot for more than 10 seconds.
This
is a very important damage-control principle
of golf psychology, as
otherwise the emotions
from this shot will slowly
unravel the remainder of
your round. Never
allow the effects of a
bad shot to continue for
more than 10 seconds -
that is its time-limit,
and not a second longer.
After that you must move
your thoughts back into
the realm of positivity
so that the remainder
of your round remains (relatively)
unaffected by this one
bad shot.
One
way to ensure your mind
remains focused on the
positive is, during the
time whilst you are walking
towards your next shot, to
'recall and mentally visualize' your
current best shot from
the existing round.
This
is as simple as remembering
your best shot of
the round - until
(of course) you better that
shot, and then you use
this new 'personal best'
shot as your new mental
image you think of in
between strokes. This
is all done mentally
(and needless to say,
with your eyes open!)
whilst you are in transit
towards your next shot.
By
recalling your current
best shot of the day, you
are doing several positive
things for your game; first
of all, you are ensuring
that you do not allow your
mind to run out of control
with negative thoughts,
which invariably affects
morale and hence concentration
later during the back nine. Secondly,
it keeps your mind focused
upon the positive and helps
to program your strokes
for a good solid, consistent
round.
So
begin limiting the damaging
'fallout' from bad shots
to only 10 seconds,
and then immediately
begin focusing upon the
positive (between
all shots) by using the
art of visualization
to recall the best shot
of your round. You will
be surprised at the results.
"The
Mind controls the body,
and the mind is unlimited".
The best of success, Craig Townsend
