6 Steps to Bring Your Golf Goals to Fruition

In the world of golf instruction there are so many platforms that can lead you to a path of how to improve your game.  But which are the correct ones for you?  Do you go about seeking change in your golf game with a plan of action, or do you go with the flow or worse yet, just act upon a whim?

Golf instruction includes books, lessons, video analysis, club fitting, body fitness, mental acuity and the list goes on and on.  There is never a shortage of information on how you might improve your golf game.
As I state in my book, Awakening to Golf you must have an intention for what you are doing in practice or with any shot you face in front of you.  Basically this states you must have a vision of what you are going to create.  If you are a business professional you know the new start up you may want to begin has to have a vision first in order to make the first step towards that goal.

Your golf game needs to start with the Vision of what you want to create?  What kind of performance or scoring do you wish to see when you play?  What type of golfer will you be? A bomber or a methodical golfer working around the course hitting fairways and greens in regulation.  Using your imagination here is vital because all things start with a thought then the vision (imagination).  How low you want to go simply starts with what you can imagine yourself creating?

Next is the ‘self image’ you portray about yourself now in regards to your golf game and would that self image be different after you achieve your vision or goals?  Here it becomes a bit sticky because at first you must identify who you are now.  That takes some reflection on your part and in my Alchemy Series I coach players on, this is one of the most challenging parts because they must become self aware of who they  project themselves to be to others.

The results you see now when you play are a reflection of who you currently are. Golfers have goals and they take lessons but they never really dig deep to find out what their inner beliefs are.  Are they helping their  cause of their goal or are they the victim of self destructive thoughts about themselves?  So many golfers I coach never look down this rabbit hole, they assume they have successful based thoughts and are not really detrimental in their thoughts, actions on the course or words or expressions they say while playing or practicing.  If you go to the range or course this next weekend, take an inventory of what you are telling yourself, thinking about a shot in front of you.  Do past fears creep in? Do you sabotage a shot about to be made with the phrase “don't hit it in the bunker”?  Ok you get the point…. Check out what your self image currently is today about your golf game and you as the golfer.

In order to reach your goals for golf you must have a harmony or matching of thoughts and actions that are similar to your goals.  Your current values you place on the process of getting to where you wish to be in golf needs to be examined.  The beliefs about  yourself now needs to be established and so will the beliefs you will have to change to in order to reach the level of play you want.  Better golfers have strong beliefs in their ability, they have a strong will to succeed, win, shape shots and overcome adversity….no matter what the challenge is.

Assessing whether your past actions and beliefs have helped or hindered you is essential to discover.  This is what I coach players to do. Discovering the level of thoughts and beliefs you have is scary as you ‘self assess’ who you are.  But this is a must.  You have to break down what is not working and discover what past trends you have had since a young age that still affect you today.  In coaching players for 15 years on the mental game, very few feel past thoughts and beliefs you were subject to when you were younger would still influence you today.  They certainly do, every day!

Evolving your identity of who you are and who you want to be takes time, and commitment.  However it is the first major stepping stone that must be looked under and then stepped past to reach your goals in golf.  Too many players take lessons, buy clubs and assume their game will improve.  However the outer world they see in golf is a reflection of the inner world they think and act when playing today.

Obviously the capability a golfer has with their golf game speaks to why they take lessons.  They pay for golf instruction to improve their physical capability to play better.  Sure this will and should help your cause.  Proper instruction with guided good practice routines should help you.  The more your skill level improves the better you should play, right?  Perhaps.

In golf you have a series of subconscious programs that are running for the driver you will hit, the iron shot to the green and the putt you need to make for birdie to win the match.  As you start golf, your subconscious creates these habit patterns.  Just like the habit you have as you wake up and go about your day to get dressed, shower, eat breakfast and take the same route to work each day.

Changing your golf swing or game overall takes a conscious intention and conscious action.  95% of what you do each day is a subconscious program so you always do.  Thus to change things you are using the last 5% and it is best to use it as efficiently as possible.

In order to play better golf you will need to improve your capabilities.  This will include not only better swing mechanics but also mental discipline of shots on the course, good club selection for the shot at hand and an empowered mind that is ready for any challenge it faces.  If your golf game lacks good performance, one of the key areas to examine is what thoughts and beliefs are you using?  Are they hurting your capabilities or not?

Where most golfers stop at cultivating the total golfer they strive to be is with only the swing or the next new club.  They never examine internally what they are thinking and believing.  This could be a generational thing, could be a reflection of past programming you were subject to from those around you.  Even your current playing buddies have an affect on how you approach the game and perceive you could play.  The vision you have of yourself for your successful golf game must be first determined what that is.  Then you must see where you currently stand in relation to that?  Then what steps need to be taken to reach the vision.
Behaviors about yourself steps in next.  What behavior do you exude now about your golf game?  Do you act like a winner or a loser? Behaviors are internal mental programs that run and drive the narrative of you who show others you believe yourself to be.  Great golfers behave in certain assertive, confident ways.  Not many golfers I coach behave like they think they do.  They tend to be extremely negative in what they tell themselves about their golf game.

Basically the behaviors you reflect or exude on the course or practice range are in alignment with your current capabilities.  This makes sense if you think about it, and it is why so many golfers become stagnant in their improvement.  They literally lose sight of the goal or vision and behave around the current capability.    Successful golfers many times will have a stone face, not showing any emotion.  They are resilient in their view of the top level of performance they seek to achieve with their golf game.  They have been coached to behave like a champion.  ‘Play like a champion today’ is the phrase players see going down the steps at Notre Dame Stadium.  I used to play golf with Lou Holtz, the then head coach of Notre Dame football.  He always coached his players to exude confidence, imagine themselves winning.  When playing golf with him he always could visualize a successful outcome and if he found adversity, he threw it aside and strove to make his next shot the best one of the day.  That takes tremendous discipline to constantly adhere to that behavior.

Lastly your environment that surrounds you determines many times the identity you have.  Private club golfers generally have a great environment around them to practice, play, socialize and relax.  Here in San Diego public golf is challenging to practice around due to very poor ranges and lack of them.  So golfers here have to adapt even more efficiently than those in AZ for example.  Arizona has ample green grass ranges, and really promotes better practice techniques.

Your environment of who you play with affects you.  Golf is social and many people get caught up in that and have a hard time focusing for 18 holes.  Environments like this make it challenging and if your playing buddy is having a bad day and bitching about everything that is going to wear on you too probably.

So the environment you surround yourself with is very important.  How much time do you have to practice?  Is that a priority?  Are you stressed in the practice environment? Does your home or work environment help or hinder your golf progress?  I love to ask players what is the perfect golf environment they could have to reach their goals.  If they do not give me a solid picture of that, they really are not committed as they think to their goals.

So picking the ideal environment to work from in practice or play is a good place to help you to strive in order to reach their goals.  When I was an apprentice with the Leadbetter Academy I would watch tour professionals on the back of the range at Lake Nona CC in Orlando.  Nick Faldo would practice hitting balls from 7:30am to 9:30am.  Play nine holes, eat lunch. Practice Short game for an hour at 1pm, putting for 30 min.  Play nine holes, come back and either fine tune the swing or putt for another 45 min before leaving the course at 5:30.  He certainly had an environment conducive to assist him reach his goals on tour.  That is why he won 6 major championships.

The environment around you will help support your aspirations or they can reduce your chances of success.  As you can see all of these 6 areas take time to review and pinpoint what parts are strong in supporting your vision and which parts need your attention today.  Vision, Self Image, Harmony to reach your goal, Capabilities (physical or mental), Behaviors and Environment.
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Take the time to assess where you are and then create a new road map for success.  If you need assistance in how to achieve this, reach out to me for a free consultation.