How to reduce tension in the golf swing

Tip #19  from my book, “Break 80! 52 Ways To Lower Your Golf Score Without Practice” is about overcoming all of the nervousness, tension and tightness golfers face on the course that destroys their swing and putting stroke. Simply put, it comes from fear.  Fear of missing to be precise. Sometimes it’s a strong feeling and you can literally shake or tremble but most of the time, it’s very subtle and IS THE CAUSE of not being able to bring your relaxed practice swing to a round that matters.

Typical sport psychology mental game advice to deal with that is the golfer is told to “play in the present moment.”  This is good advice, however, most golfers have no idea HOW to play in the present…and the tension and tightness continues no matter how many times you tell yourself to “play in the present.”  

No, you need stronger medicine. You need a quick thought that can trigger a different emotion to get you out of the emotion of FEAR that is causing the tension.  This mental shift tactic has the potential to do that for you.  You’re welcome!

Greens and fairways,  

Craig

 

19.  Instant cure for the fear of missing

…You’re on your home course at the 12th hole with that out-of-bounds fence line on the right.

…You long ago lost track of how many balls have sailed over that fence and cost you a balloon score.

…Every time you get up on the tee box for this hole you find that you get a pit in your stomach feeling or a twinge in your arms that works it’s way to freezing up your muscles.

…You make it worse by allowing the thought that “I hate this hole” or “I’m not going to hit this one out of bounds.”

…You might even voice it out loud as if you are telling God or The Universe that that is exactly what you want to have happen…    

Sam Snead used to say that he was more afraid of a 4-foot putt than a charging elephant on his hunting safaris.

Fear sets in and you feel it.

Boy do you feel it, and you know what usually happens next- right?

I’ve got the shortcut for how to deal with fear when you haven’t learned my emotional mastery process.

The antidote to fear is CURIOSITY and it is now and forever your best friend on the golf course.

Any time you feel any sort of overblown fear going into some unknown situation (like “will I make this putt or not”), you want to tell yourself in the most playful, cheery tone you can muster: “I wonder what this will be like?”

You see, if you go into things for the main reason of satisfying your CURIOSITY, then you will always be successful at that and you will have no fear.

Changing your outcome and then knowing it will happen can rearrange your emotional chemistry in seconds.