My curiosity with this topic stems from how I believe the average golfer interprets the idea of “improving his/her mental state.” We read about it all the time these days and are told how important it is when we play golf. Therefore, I think it is essential we get to the bottom of this statement and hopefully challenge your ideas around this issue.
Golf instruction, as we know it, is solely directed towards the elite golfer – the young, athletic, single figure player. So when it comes to talking about the mental game, (and interference) then things like confidence, visualisation and how to manage one´s state on the golf course are important.
But what about the average golfer, who has a handicap of 16 and is over 50 years old? Are these topics and techniques so relevant for them and their game? I am not disputing that they would not be of benefit to some degree, but rather to what degree they actually benefit most amateur golfers.
I estimate that if the average golfer works with an expert in Sports Psychology, whether it is Dr. Bob Rotella or Dr. Karl Morris, then his/her golf will only improve by 10% at the very most! And I know most of you will think this is not a bad result and would be willing to part with very large sums of cash to make this happen.
However, in my opinion most average golfers could be playing up to 50% better golf a lot more of the time if they were supported by a coach to delve deeper into their unconscious beliefs about the golf swing. And this is the kind of interference I am talking about.
To get a better understanding of what I mean, please answer the following questions:
- What do you think the head should be doing in the backswing?
- What should the left heel (for right handed golfers) do in the backswing?
- What should the arms do in the golf swing?
My guess is that your answers for question 1 were “keep the head down and still and keep the eyes on the ball”. For question 2, “left heel should be planted on the ground.” And for number 3, “left arm straight”.
Am I right? Of course I am! I know because it is what you are told to do by every golf coach and instruction manual in the world. The important point I want to make is, is it beneficial to you? And the answer is, it is most likely doing you more harm than you can imagine. Why? Because golf instruction is geared towards the elite golfer and not the average player. An average golfer like you who is over 50 years old and a bit more stiff in his/her joints and can`t move as well as they used to.
Good golfers move well with coordination, balance and rhythm and with proper turn of the body and weight shift. However, so often when an average golfer hits a bad shot it is put down to `moving too much´. This belief leads to golfers all around the world who tighten up and are afraid to move. Golfers who are told to keep their left heel on the ground to stop them from moving and who, ultimately, end up fixated on watching the ball so as not to mishit it. Sadly, this results in most average players on every golf course around the world who don´t turn enough on the backswing and through swing and who do not shift their weight to the left and ride side.
It is this unconscious belief that you have to move less to hit the ball more consistently that is the biggest interference to your natural physical ability to move better and hit a golf ball like you should be able to. The unconscious mind is much more intelligent that any of us give it credit for and it knows how to get back to that little white ball that, by the way, doesn´t move. Unlike in most other sports with a moving ball where it is essential to watch the ball, this is not so in golf and we golfers do not need to fixate our eyes on the ball.
This core unconscious belief is part and parcel of our mental state. No matter how confident you may be standing over the ball, or how practised your pre-shot routine is, or how good your visualisation, lurking underneath is the belief that you should not move more. Golfers have been so indoctrinated in golf that no matter how clear they think their mind is and free from technical instruction and self talk, still lies deep down in the unconscious mind the belief that they must keep the head still, left heel planted and left arm straight. And this is what is at the bottom of what is really holding average golfers back from playing more consistent and better golf. In other words, this is essentially at the core of most amateur golfers mental state.
Why don´t you try challenging your core beliefs about the golf swing? You could be very surprised by the results. Please feel free to send me your comments and feedback.