The mental game is such a huge part of golf - whether you're an amateur trying to break 100 for the first time, a tour player on the 72nd hole trying to win a tournament - having confidence & a solid mental game is like a 15th club. Just like a doctor might recommend a patient to a specialist, I want to recommend you all to a mental specialist! I was talking with a good friend of mine today & invited him to join the forum, and I'd like to use this thread to introduce him, should he join (he said he would check it out!). I told him about so many players here who really want to improve - players of all levels, and I thought his expertise could add to the forum. He is one of the biggest golf specific sports psychologists in the business today - I've worked with him on my own game (he's done wonders with a head-case like me!), and I've sent students of all levels to him. I'm going to leave it up to him if he would like to share his name (he's pretty low-key & private, although his name got out last year by a player who dropped 59 on the field on a Sunday), and he probably won't throw any of the several PGA/Champions/LPGA Tour players he works with out here (he takes the Doctor/patient privilege very seriously, and doesn't "name-drop"), but I will tell you that several of last years Ryder Cup team works with him, and some of his students are referred to by first name only (hint, hint).

His advice is simple and it works! BTW, he's also had 2 books on the NY Times bestseller list (not golf related books), so I'm sure his posts will be very well written. I'm sending him a link to this thread in hopes that he joins & can provide assistance to any of you wanting help with your mental game! I'm hoping we'll see him join the forum & please give him a welcome & ask away!

You coming here to the 2+2 forums was really the first in a series of strategic steps to get 2+2 to publish your up and coming golf book, isn't it?

(joking of course. keep 'em coming!)

Reid!!! You weren't supposed to tell!! LOL! In all seriousness, I really hope my friend joins in here - he's an amazing talent who has a true passion for helping others enjoy the game, plus he's got some great stories!

This post reminds me that I need to finish reading zen golf ...hope your friend joins and appreciate your posts doc

Definately need help in this aspect! How to treat tournament rounds like regular rounds - putting way too much pressure on myself.

Looking forward to it

First tee box on a busy golf course absolutely mangles my already weak mental routine. I just can't block all that stagefright! It doesn't help when my slice heads into the parking lot on some courses.

Need a cure for my first tee jitters!!

I for one would love a mental guy to read some of my threads and tell me if I am way off base or right on and just need to apply it better....

Just saw my friend at the club & he said he is going to post on here tonight. I think he could provide a lot of great information & some help for anyone interested. Look for a post from him this evening!

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum and blushing a bit at my friend's introduction. Over the years I've received a number of requests for help with the mental side of the game. Perhaps I can help a few of you out. Playing better golf is really quite simple once you understand a few basics regarding how the mind works and how it can effect the body.

It appears a number of poker enthusiasts also enjoy the game of golf. I'm sure there's a deep seeded psychological connection for this, but we can go into it later.

Just to return the favor, I'd like to add dlgolfdoc is an extremely talented teacher who has worked with a number of students and tour players with great success. No, I'm not being paid to say this. And by the way, I didn't notice the similarity in our screen names until I selected my own.

That said, I'm going to scroll down the list and see if I can tackle some of the questions posted here.

Wishing you all the best,

Mitchell

Hey Mitchell,

Welcome and great to have you on the forum. I know since Rob has come onto the forum he has been giving excellent advice on all aspects of the game, it sounds like you come highly recommended from him so I feel we will be in for a real treat here.

As far as the mental game is concerned, I know when I'm playing my best I'm really not thinking about much at all besides just hitting the ball and getting it into the hole. I'm assuming the pro's you work with probably have the same feeling, just alot more often than amateurs do. What sorts of recommendations do you have for someone to keep the game simple?

Also a couple of side notes, Rob mentioned you have some great books out, what are they called?

Aswell, as ship---this mentioned above, he has some great posts on the mental game on this forum, if you get a chance to read them let us know what you think. I know I have personally taken alot from his experiences at Q-school and just high level golf in general.

all for now, welcome to the forums once again and thanks in advance.

Justin

First Tee Jitters:

This is something we all get and it comes from the way we interpret what the golf course architect has put in front of us. When you look out onto the course you see--traps. If you miss them, it's hazzards. Miss those and you're looking at out of bounds. If you get lucky enough to get into a playoff--sudden death. Jeez.

The bottom line is everything in golf is designed to pressure you. There is a fine line between being psyched up and psyched out. In the end, we create most of the problems for ourselves. In other words, we create our own pressure. It come from fear of making a mistake and being embarrassed. Fear of not doing well in the round. Fear of missing a cut, or if you're a professional, fear of not making a check or keeping your status.

Dwelling on any of these will take a golfer out of the moment. It will unquestionably increase muscle tension, increase swing tempo and get you away from the two most important things out there--a) making the best swing you can, and; b) picking out your target.

You can't eliminate tension, but you CAN control it. You can actually make it work for you. Once you learn to narrow your focus and eliminate in large part the distractions the architect has put in your way, the game becomes a whole lot easier.

I'll go into more later.

Mitch

Thanks for joining!! We def. appreciate you taking the time to help us out, what great resources!

Hi Justin:

Thanks for the welcome. You're absolutely right, the game is best played on a subconscious level, where the most important thing is getting the ball in the hole.

Have you ever been to a basketball game? Most of us have. During the warm up players loosen up and engage in something called a shoot around. Ball after ball is launched up at the basket.

I promise you not one of them is thinking about mechanics. Let's see . . . I need to keep my weight evenly distributed, let the ball roll off my fingertips, and I have to push with the big muscles. It's just them and the target.

This is the most effective way to play the game. There are dozens of psychological studies to support this.

The fact is no one can concentrate for 4 1/2 hours. But you can concentrate for 30 seconds at a time. This is all I want.

Imagine an invisible line ten feet behind your ball. Once you penetrate that line, the only thing that matters is picking out a target (one within your capabilities) and making the best swing you're capable of that day (yes, it does vary on a day by day basis).

Science tells us it takes approximately twenty-one days to form a habit, so the mental side of the game does take a little effort. But it's not like digging in a coal mine with a canary.

Once you're over the ball, I want you to make a deliberate effort to relax your facial muscles, the ones under your eyes, along with your neck and forearm muscles. The reason for this is tension in these muscles will communicate with a little structure in the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala senses tension and fear 100 times faster than we are consciously aware of.

Have you ever touched something hot? You didn't stand there and say, "Boy, if I don't move my hand, I'm going to get a blister or worse." No, your hand flew back, seemingly on it's own. This is your parasympathetic nervous system at work and your amygdala is a part of that.

I work with about 62 tour players from all five tours. This is the exact advice I give them.

Once you focus on target, the game become a whole lot easier. So go through the relaxation process each time you're over the ball the next round you play and hone in on a specific target. Anything that takes you out of that process is the kiss of death.

As to your other questions, my pen name is Mitchell Graham. The first three books I wrote were a science fiction/fantasy trilogy (The Fifth Ring, The Emerald Cavern, and The Ancient Legacy). The next three are legal thriller/murder mysteries called, "Majestic Descending," "Dead Docket," and "Circle of Lies," under my other pen name of Douglas Alan. I've also contributed one short story to "These Guns for Hire." My website is www.mitchellgraham.net.

Hope this helps,

Mitch

Hi Justin:

I tried to post a quick reply to your questions, but it didn't seem to take. I did however post it generally.

All the best,

Mitch

This may come as a shock, but there are about a billion people in China that won't be upset if you sail a ball into the parking lot.

Tension arises because we place too great an emphasis on consequences instead of the target and making a fluid swing. I've post a few suggestions here. Let me know if they make sense to you. I'll expand on them as necessary.

Fixing the first tee jitters is far easier than you think.

Mitch

GolfDoc,

I used to be a decent player and am in the process of getting my amateur status back. I hope to play at the national level again once my status is restored. My biggest mental hurdle (on the golf course) is when I play the first 3-6 holes in even par, but feel like I should be a couple under par. I find that I really start to push my lines in and end up making silly mistakes trying to kick start my round. On the flip side, making an early bogey or getting off to a fast start doesn't bother me a bit. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have been advised by several people to play 6, 3 hole rounds but I guess that has never sunk in or had any positive nor negative impact.

After just reading this topic I feel like my game improved a lot

great stuff
ty

Thanks Ty. Glad to be of help.

Mitch

getitfixed,

It sounds like you're still a decent player. I don't mind when a player's reach exceeds their grasp, nor do I mind taking an aggressive line on a hole if you think you can shoot a lower score. Some players are gamblers and some are methodical. It depends on your personal makeup. I have a number of tour pros, men and women, who would fall on either side of the line.

The problem with making silly mistakes is that you are focusing on consequences rather than swing and target. I would rather you pick your target, swing, and add the strokes up at the end of the round. This takes work, and by work I mean mental discipline.

The only modification as to which target(s) you should shoot at is made on the range before you tee off. By this, I mean a player should assess whether they are finding the center of the club face that day, what the course and weather conditions are like, and if their tempo is on.

There are times when everything is clicking and there are times when you simply have to rely on your go-to shot and wait for the right opportunities. The best players in the world all have one thing in common--patience. Trust me on this. I've worked with twelve of the top twenty players on the planet, so I'm not just spouting clichés.

Jack Nicklaus said, "There were any number of guys out there who could knock it by me. There were a few who could roll the ball better than I could. If I had to pick one thing that separated me from the rest, I would have to say it was my ability to manage myself.

"I always knew how I was swinging on a given day and I didn't try to take more than the course was giving me. Sure, there are times when you have to take a chance. If I did and it didn't work out, I was fine with that. But it was a calculated decision. Basically, I felt if I could stay patient and keep putting a good move on the ball, things would fall into place.

I see amateurs and pros today trying to force their way to pins that no one in their right mind would go after and I think to myself, boy a little self-discipline there would go a long way."

Hope this helps,

Mitch

Mitch,

Thanks for joining & posting - there's a lot of guys on here who are wanting to improve their games - I think you'll be a big help!

Thanks again for coming on board - I'll see ya next week!
rob

Mitch,

I would like to hear your thoughts about why par-par-par-par starts are more difficult mentally for me than bogey-par-bogey-par or birdie-par-birdie-par starts. A bumpy start seems to motivate me in some weird way. I've never been scared of going low, so a fast start is just ubber fun. I freak out if say I hit it inside ten feet a couple times early and miss and feel like I should be a couple under. That is the start that leads to my mental issues.

As for style, I'm more of the methodical, conservative type player.

Excellent advice Mitch, really need to apply some of this stuff to my game.

Mitch & Rob, thanks so much for being here. Everything you two have posted so far has been gold and I'm sure has already done a lot to help a number of people to improve.

Mitch,

What are your thoughts on the fear of going low? I'm a scratch player, and everytime I start rolling around 3 or 4 under I get tight and uncomfortable, like I just want to steer pars home instead of keep rolling in the birdies. It's pretty rare that I'll actually string together 2 under par rounds of 9 holes back to back, but it's perfectly normal to have multiple under par 9 hole rounds in a week that I am playing regularly.

Thanks a lot!!