MIND GAMES HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GAME WITHOUT PICKING UP A CLUB
Better golf begins in the mind , not on the course or range
This magazine is created for today ’ s golfer , but the sad fact is today ’ s golfer isn ’ t playing much golf . As true lovers of the game , we all carry golf with us wherever we go ; but with golf courses and driving ranges closed for the unforeseeable future under current lockdown regulations , keeping the fires burning becomes an increasingly frustrating pursuit . But in this article I want to share with you three ways you can do just that . Not only will they stoke your enthusiasm for the game ; they also have the potential to make you a happier , better and more fulfilled golfer , better equipped to suck the marrow out of the game when the fairways do eventually reopen . Let ’ s take them in turn .
1 . Read There is some incredible golfing literature out there , and lockdown presents the perfect opportunity to take advantage of it . Here are four books I heartily – and objectively – recommend :
Extraordinary Golf by Fred Shoemaker . A genuinely groundbreaking work , this book goes beyond the superficial , technical layers of performance to address the deeper elements that influence it . You will be asked at times uncomfortable questions about your relationship with the game – why you play , what motivates you . You will learn how Performance , Enjoyment and Learning form a triangle that becomes unbalanced when we are struggling with the game . And you will also discover how to bring out the instinctive knowledge and ability that gets buried by the golfer ’ s culture of constantly trying to fix technical flaws .
Wherever You Go , There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn . An insightful introduction to the world of mindfulness , this is not a golf-specific book but it does address one of the keys of golf performance – staying in the present . Kabat-Zinn demonstrates how bringing your awareness to your body , which resides in the present , can help you achieve that . As we so often see in this column , there is so much of golf that is not actually hitting a
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ball . This is a book that will tell you how to fill that other time effectively .
Be a Player by Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson . The latest work from this respected duo , Be a Player cogently makes the case that if you want to improve , you need to spend less time on the range and more time on the course itself . If you have been a range rat but not seen the benefits of your labour , or are simply someone who habitually searches for answers to their poor play on the range , this book will give you a different and , quite possibly , more useful perspective .
Redirect by Timothy Wilson . This influential work explains how we live according to the narratives we use to explain ourselves – narratives that can imprison us , or set us free . Again this is not a golf book as such , but its principles
YOUR COACH
KARL MORRIS www . themindfactor . com Karl has worked with multiple Major winners . Check out his BrainBooster Podcasts for free on iTunes
absolutely relate . What are you … a poor putter ? Good at matchplay but rubbish at strokeplay ? Streaky ? A solid 15-handicapper ? Redirect will help you become aware of your own narratives , evaluate them , and adapt them into something more useful to you .
2 . Seek inspiration You can ’ t play golf , and there is precious little to watch . But the internet is full of incredible moments you can relive , and be inspired by . Why not search out your top five ? I ’ ll spot two of mine for starters – Seve ’ s chip between the bunkers on the 72nd hole of the 1976 Open ( below ) – a shot Henry Longhurst described as impossible – and Tiger ’ s “ In your life ” chip from the back of the 16th at the 2005 Masters . Watch this clip carefully and you can see Tiger creating the shot ; even his lips move , as if describing it to himself . Both clips are inspirational , but also educational .
3 . Develop gratitude In these difficult times it ’ s so easy to dwell on what we haven ’ t got , but this is not a useful place to have your attention . At the end of each day for the next two weeks , spend five minutes writing down things you are grateful for . They could be as banal as the fact the boiler is still working , to more profound things like loved ones , or health . The idea here is to break that habit of having to wait for something good to happen before you can feel good . And that ’ s totally relevant to golf . We tend to think that if we play great golf , we will feel good ; but if you can feel good before you start , you ’ ll have created a mindset that actually promotes that great play .