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Guest Post by Mental Golf Coach Wade Pearse
Dr. Bob Rotella said, “Your physical game determines how “high” you can shoot, while your mental game determines how “low” you’ll shoot.” For example, Tiger Woods will never shoot 80 (unless you made him play standing on one leg and with only one hand…and even then he’d probably have a hard time), his physical game is too good. He just can’t make that many bogies in a row. His skills won’t allow it.
How low he goes is the result of his mental game. His ability to channel his mind, harness his inner resources and stay focused and committed to each shot is what determines how low he’ll shoot. Every player on tour competes in the world of mental toughness. It is the inner battle that determines the outcome of the 4 day grind.
How low you go depends on your inner game. As you get closer to your comfort zone many interesting things happen. Your inner thermostat gets triggered. It is these subconscious settings that pre-determine your outer game. Remember, your physical skills keep you from shooting too high, so when your score moves outside this comfort zone your thermostat kicks in and you do what it takes to bring your scores back in line.
The Invisible Wall
When you approach your personal best score this thermostat really becomes evident. For most players this setting is extremely sensitive. What is your personal comfort zone? Staying inside it is easy. Breaking out of it, or to put it another way, expanding it, is your goal.
How do we do this? By mental rehearsal. You need to develop a new, more powerful self-image as a golfer. You want to see, hear & feel what it is like to shoot your personal low score. Notice I said “what it IS like”, not “what it will be like.” This is THE critical distinction in all mental imagery and mental rehearsal processes: you must act as if it is already happening.
It is not some future wish. Your subconscious will absorb these mental rehearsals as reality and begin to draw into your game lower scores that more accurately reflect this “new” self-image. Just practice them daily for a mere few minutes and the payoffs will be evident in your game.
These mental movies have enormous impact on your performance if you play competitively. In my own experience I have hit my best shots when competing. Although my personal low score was reached during a casual round, I have had 3 Aces and 2 of them happened when competing. I saw this happening hundreds of times in my mental movies before it happened on the course. In other words I believed it before I saw it…
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect – Practice Makes Permanent
By spending just a few minutes before falling asleep seeing yourself shoot really low scores you are creating new settings on your inner thermostat. New settings that will only kick in when you approach the edges of your new comfort zone. You are literally expanding your comfort zone and telling your thermostat not to kick on until you pass your old personal low score.
People tend to hit bad shots whenever they’re near their personal “low score” comfort zone. Like clockwork the negative self-talk and other non-resourceful thoughts begin to happen inside. Johnny Miller talks about comfort zones and how there are players on tour who just can’t take it really low even though they’re phenomenal players. Then there are certain players who have absolutely no fear of shooting ridiculously low scores.
And don’t assume that it’s the “best” players who shoot the lowest scores, as this isn’t necessarily true. After all the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour, Corey Pavin, shot the lowest 9 hole score in the history of the PGA tour in 2006. He went 9 under for 9 holes! So now you can’t use lack of length as an excuse to justify higher scores…I’ll admit, I’ve had this voice in my head at times as I’m a shortish hitter. Yet that voice has been exorcised thanks to Corey.
To go low, really low, your comfort zone must expand to include a belief that you are comfortable with going past your current low score. This belief is built by doing mental rehearsals. Simple, focused self-image exercises done in the comfort of your bed before sleep. It doesn’t get much easier than this…
If you’re looking for a mental program to “go low”, I strongly recommend Wade Pearse’s Mental Golf Program.
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What do you think? 9 Comments »
December 12th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
I have hit my head too many times on the invisible wall. I find I hit the wall when I do not play one shot at a time. Start thinking ahead and my score increases accordingly.
In the late 80’s early 90’s Corey Pavin was one of the best players in the world. Watching him play and knowing his friends called him Bulldog it is no surprise to me he shot -9 in 9 holes even though it may ot have been in his prime.
December 12th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Man…I’ve been there more times than I can count
December 12th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Ah, the invisible wall. Been there done that! I finally broke that invisible wall last year in Myrtle Beach. I had shot even part numerous times for 18 holes but had never shot under part for nine or eighteen. Last year at our annual trip to Myrtle I ended up -1 on the back nine. Finally through that invisible wall. So, with the motivation from that score last year I worked tremendously hard on my game this year and had a couple personal bests this year with -3 for nine holes which I did three times and -2 for eighteen holes (last round of the year before winter YAY!)
Golf is such a mental game it’s crazy. I’ve always had the physical ability to go low, but every time my physical ability brought me close to a personal best, my mental kicked in and said “no, you’re not good enough to be here” and I ended up flopping. The more I put myself in position to go low the more comfortable I felt and the better I dealt with it mentally and controlled my emotions.
I’m excited about the coming golf year to say the least. Once you’ve done it once, I think it’s easier to do again. I finally broke 80 at the age of 15 and from then on out it seemed much easier to do as I got that monkey off my back. So, now the under par monkey is off my back I can focus on going forward and hopefully go real low….we’ll see.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Excellent post Deron. And congratulations on breaking par. Our inner thermostat works so well it’s scary, isn’t it. Keeping us inside our comfort zone. Yet I’ve worked with players of various skill levels, even those who routinely shoot high eighties, and helped them map out a plan to gradually move toward and through 80.
If I asked you, or anyone reading this, if they “believed” they could shave 1 stroke off their round, what would the response be?
Most everyone would feel they could do this. Needless to say shaving a stroke off a round for a scratch player is tougher than for an 18 handicapper, but you get the point. Now the player is filled with confidence and a goal that is for all intents and purposes completely within their reach. This simple approach makes moving into the 70’s from the high 80’s a fairly inevitable process. And with this approach the “new” comfort zone becomes more consistent. I tis done incrementally and with full belief.
I have a friend whom I compete with and overt time I’ve had his number, so to speak. Yet I kept coaching him along the way, even when we were competing. What happened? He ended up passing me in his ball striking and scoring ability. One stroke at a time he eventually started taking my money! I’m not too proud to admit he is very tough for me to beat now. He took to heart the simple idea of just gaining one stroke a round on me. Over time he passed me and now with his confidence at an all time high I have to grinf like Corey Pavin just to keep it close.
Whether you shoot high 80’s or break par regularly, there’s a number that for you is the invisible wall. Here’s a great mental exercise: take a few moments each night looking at a scorecard that shows your desired score. Make the score just a bit past your low score to date. Actually write the score on a scorecard and sign it. Then visualize a friend or playing partner signing your scorecard after shooting your personal low round. Notice the look on their face and how you feel inside having shot your best score…
For those of you who take this seriously you’ll notice some amazing things happen in your game. Couple this with solid practice and going really low is inevitable…
December 13th, 2007 at 7:00 am
That’s so true. Once you lower you game on average, your invisible wall becomes lower as well.
Although I’ve never tried your mental exercise for taking time each night to look at a scorecard showing my desired score, I have no doubt that it will work. It’s no difference than a basketball player visualizing a foul shot. Visualizing a positive outcome really does work. It’s like you trick your mind into thinking you’ve already been there done that and it no longer is such a big deal to be in the situation when it actually happens.
Thanks for the comments
August 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I believe that you are correct inwhat you say. My problem is that I always “try” too much. I play to 7/8 Handicap on a Championship course wher the front 9 is particularly difficult. The other evening I went out with my friend for 9 holes & started well & on the 8th hole stood at level Par. I said I am going to shoot Par/Par & play level for the first time. I went “lost drive” Par with second ball, “lost Drive” par with second ball. It’s got to be mental but I cannot control it.
December 14th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
[...] motion because your ball striking is solid or you are putting well. As a player you may have hit an invisible mental wall. If you have hit the mental wall, I think of it a ceiling, or if your like me and you constantly [...]
October 13th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Right on Mike.
Every time a make a less then desirable golf shot I can attribute it to concentration. My game has not progressed to the total muscle memory stage yet. SO when I fail to concentrate fully on any given shot, I have problem.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:34 am
I am currently working through Mike’s Fitness programme & Wade Pearce’s Mental programme & am amazed at what I am seeing. During the week I shot a Round of 3 over Gross, with ease, & couldn’t wait to play in the Competition on Saturday. However, when I went out I heard there was a Net 66 in, so I decided to make sure that I played to my Handicap at least i.e.80 Gross. Needless to say, I lost my ball on the 17th but got up & down for a Bogey & missed a 5ft Birdie Putt on the 18th – and shot an 80! I need more Mental work!