"The
Zone"
There
is a rare mental state
which produces the absolute peak
performance on
the golf course - and
it is called 'the Zone' (probably
something Tiger Woods
would know about pretty
well).
The
Zone happens when your
subconscious mind begins
running your performance
on automatic
pilot, and
basically you are hitting
and putting out
of your mind (your
conscious mind, that is).
When
your conscious mind goes
relatively quiet on the
course (which doesn't normally
occur often) it allows
your subconscious mind
- which controls all movement
- to co-ordinate
your shots in a way that
you may have only been
able to produce at rare
times in practice. This
is called the zone, a term
which is regarded in most
sports worldwide as the
ultimate in human performance.
The
weird part about being
in the zone is
that it doesn't feel like
you are actually responsible
for the amazing shots you
are hitting! Everything
feels effortless, smooth,
easy, relaxed and like absolutely
nothing can wrong for you.
It is an amazing feeling
being in the zone, regardless
of the sport being played.
The
main reason why it feels
like you are 'not responsible'
for your shots is because,
in a way strange way,
you aren't -
you are relinquishing
your conscious mind's
control over your body
and allowing your body
to access its instructions
from the near-perfect
golfing 'blueprint' within
your subconscious.
This
is not an easy thing to
do, as your conscious mind
hates giving up its control. The
Zone usually occurs when
you least expect it, sometimes
even when you are playing
whilst feeling tired or
distracted by other events
in your life, which
keep your conscious mind
distracted and allow your
subconscious to work on
your golf.
This
is one of the causes of
the rather mystical nature
of the Zone, which often disappears
as quickly as it came -
usually at the precise
moment we begin to consciously
analyze why
we are playing so well!
As soon as we do this,
the subconscious is overridden
by the dominant conscious
mind, which unfortunately
has no idea how to play
good golf!
The
Zone is almost a Zen principle
in action - less
is more, the less conscious
effort you put in, the more increased
results you derive from
your game. Better results
through less effort - that
is the way it works with
the Zone. But beware, as
soon as you begin to think
about it or analyze it,
it will disappear quicker
than a one inch putt.
So
know that deep within you,
you have the capacity to
play a perfect shot. It's
just a matter of allowing
your body to get its instructions
from a different place
- the source of all movement
and the memory-bank containing
all your past golfing experience,
your subconscious.
