Changing Your Scorecard

I coach many golfers just the swing currently and I also coach golfers much more on the mental game; because they see their swing performing better in practice and on the course.  Old habits of the swing are basically Subconscious mental programs that run on auto pilot.  To change a players swing in a faster efficient time frame, their mind will have a lot to say about when and where the changes desired take place.

With any of the advanced players I coach who are ready for the more mental aspects of the game (not just strategy, club selection, etc) I suggest to them one book to read.  In my coaching the swing for 30 years now I have read hundreds of books on how the mind works, how spiritual new age thought blends in and how the reality you see each day in front of your eyes starts with what your mind expects to see.  Even your daily things you do at certain times of the day, such as when you wake up, what route you take to work and what favorite lunch place you go to are habits you have.  

So your habits are in your every day life and in your golf game.  There is a really good book I suggest to all golfers who want to get a grasp on the mental part of golf and accelerate in their game.  The book is called 
Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza.  As I mentioned, I have read hundreds of books on how the mind and body work to create your every day life, and this is the one book I suggest you read!  Even if you are not a golfer, this is a tremendous book to assist you manifest things in your life.

On the golf course golfers react to different challenges, shot situations, lies in a bunker, long distance tee shots and water to the right ( and you slice the ball).  All of these reactions have an electrical charge to them.  Dr. Joe Dispenza's book explains all of this; so the point here is these charges you feel or basically emotions that are accompanying the thoughts you had when facing any situation.

Yesterday I gave a playing lesson to a 6 handicap golfer and though I never dove into the subjects in that book I did guide the player to control his thoughts.  As he settled into his round after 2 holes ( it is nerve racking when your golf coach is playing with you for the first time) we began to simply work on what he is intending to do?  As  a 6 handicap he has many good holes but as he mentioned to me on the first tee; 'By the back nine I get tired, and if I hit a bad shot I tend to spiral out of control, especially if I hit a few poor shots in a row."

When I heard this then my job was simple; make the player play with simple intent of what will happen for each shot.  As we approached the 3rd tee, a par 5, he was one under par and he wanted to bomb a few shots down the hole  and birdie again.  He hit a poor drive to the right ( he was aimed right ; which he did not know until I showed him the video of the tee shot) and in his mind; out of position for the hole and already telling himself par will be hard.  

I coached him to hit a 5 iron back to the fairway leaving him about 130 yards out.  He puts it on, two putts and he as par. The next hole, good drive, and the pin for the second shot was back left.  He was between clubs and as I mentioned, he should be able to hit the same distance shot with either the 9 or 8 iron.  He went for the hard 9 and flew it past the pin left, chipped past the cup and bogeyed the hole.  Back to even par.  Our goal for the round was 72 (not that we were talking about it much but I suggested to him on the first tee he is certainly capable of 72.

As his emotions rose from the bogey I told him he and all golfers have habits when they play.  If they see a poor shot, many will begin to think and assume the good string of shots they had going is now gonna run out and scores will begin to spiral away from a players desire.

These habits of thought also have habits of emotions accompanying the thoughts.  So in small ways a player gets used to seeing the bad shot pop up, and they get used to the emotional reaction with it.  Golfers are creatures of habit, and just like you wake up and shower and have breakfast about the same way in the same routine, this habit is there.  

My point here is that when the bogey appeared he immediately asked me about this hands on the club, his grip.  Did that cause the bogey?  As a golfer I am SURE you react to different situations with thoughts about your swing, etc.  That is a habit I guarantee you have in some way , shape or form.

I told him, we are not even going to approach that question.  We are going to the next tee, decide the best club for the tee shot, to leave us the best 2nd shot to this short par 4 with a pin tucked front near a false front.  This is no time for swing theory, this is a time for action, belief and focus. In short, small situations came up on the course just like this every 2-3rd hole.  Every time it did , I put the focus back on the shot needed.

His habit was to wander away from the course in his mind since that has an emotion with it.  The emotion of lack and expecting to do something wrong.  I simply kept him focused on what each shot needs and even if he gets off course he can still recover and play well.

We approached the last 3 holes, the temperature had dropped from 63 degrees at 12:30 to 54 degrees at 4pm. The ball was not flying as far, he was tired and mentally exhausted too.  Did I change tactics mentally? NO.  16 hole is a par 4 dogleg left calling for a drive from his tee of 240 yards leaving him 120 up hill to a back left blind pin location.  Drive hits the fairway , we determine the club with the up hill shot and temp change and we commit to the shot.  He hit is just to the left fringe, chips and one putts. Par.

Same thing on the par 3 17th , but now into the setting sun.  Pick the correct club, long will not hurt you.  He hits it only pin high even with the longer club chosen, was tired and had a 'good miss' as you hear tour players comment.  2 putt , par.

Par 5 18th, good drive, tired 2nd shot which was weak and hooking too much, third shot was a long distance, uphill, he swings hard and out of balance but misses hole high left fringe.  All the time I am telling him, use the strategy we have and do not fall back to your old needs of swing thoughts or reactions to bad shots.
He chips up, pars the hole with another great 10 foot saving putt.

We get in the cart and he says; " I am amazed at how I played today.  Every time I wanted to freak out, you would not let me.  Every time I waned to swing excuse or swing question, you would shut me up.  Every time I had a bad shot, you gave me simple focus on what to do.  I was so calm".

​He added that it was like he had changed score cards at the start of the round and there were no multiple bogey holes.  He reflected that if he actually visioned for himself different outcomes, and change his reactions on the course he knew he would play better.

The picture above is a picture of my student Larry, putting for par 5 on the 18th at sunset; cold, and a challenging fast putt on a slippery hard green.  He made the putt, and shot 73.  1 over par for a 6 handicap player.  If you create a different picture in your mind of what your score card could look like and did not react negatively on the course when shots go sideways, then you to will begin to lower your score.

Change your thoughts, change your habits of emotional reaction you have and your scorecard will change to. By the way.....get that book!