Golf Journey shares new scientific evidence that we've already swung the golf club 6 seconds before we take our shot!

"What sports psychologists and pioneering quantum science is telling us is that visualisation and thoughts are a major percentage of all sports, and some say it is 100% of the golf game. Well this science proves this to be true... What this is tells us is that we should walk on to the tee prepared for a brilliant swing, being focused and in our mind swinging free and easy; your best swing! Positivity here is key to the shot your conscience won’t play for another 6 seconds. When you stand over the ball it's too late, your swing choice has already been made; amazing!"

Labels: Articles, Body Mind Mastery, Golf Blogs

Enjoy and be inspired by this ESPN feature on DJ Gregory and his dream to walk every hole of every golf tournament!


Walk On - ESPN Video

I liked Kenny Perry's comments. DJ didn't just inspire Kenny, he changed him.

Labels: Articles, DJ Gregory, ESPN

In a recent article at Golf Today Magazine, Bob Fagan contemplates the influence of Golf's Higher Plane. Fagan maintains that although the mental and physical sides of your game are necessary to excel at golf, they are not the only keys to success - you also need a solid spiritual side.


Photo by lesleemitchell at flickr

Fagan believes we continually attract either positive or negative energy to us. Those who truly excel in any endeavor somehow attract the positive energy more often. He goes on to define this Law of Nature as The Law of Attraction. Simply stated, you attract everything into your life - eagles, double bogeys, friends, accidents, teachers, life lessons, money, health, you name it... We are all nothing more than energy, and our thoughts create feelings, which emanate energy into the universe. That energy attracts like energy back to us.

Michael Murphy in his 1972 classic, "Golf in the Kingdom" writes glowingly about the joys of playing golf through the spirit and the effects of doing so. Fagan states that the secret to Shivas Irons' and Tiger Woods' success is The Law of Attraction.

Printer Bowler studies these laws in depth in his book, The Cosmic Laws of Golf. As Bowler began to observe life through the lens of these laws, he could see how their use or abuse determines the relationships we have with ideas, each other, and all the games we play. Outside the law, golf becomes a renegade that steals our dreams and buries them in the wilderness of anxiety. Within the law, it's a fascinating course that can lead to self-realization - as it turns us inside out, it reveals what we really believe about ourselves and shows us where we need to make peace in our world.

Bowler proposes for your consideration and discovery some proven and useful answers on how to apply the fruits of Self-discovery to the playing fields of golf. He shares, "the journey to self-mastery is mysterious, rampant with the hazards and bunkers of our own demons - a thrilling challenge to the sincere seeker, a confounding maze of obstacles and torment for the idly curious... Trust that you are creating your experiences - as a way your soul has chosen to teach you about your choices and beliefs. If you aren't getting the results you expect, take a gut-check to see if you truly want it because: You always get what you accept and believe you are."

Bowler states, "If you really want to get better, accept your present golf game for what it is here and now, then consider what you want to do about it and make a serious commitment, stop reacting and start creating the game you're dreaming about." He advises that, "all we need to do is trust the quiet, powerful voice of our own heart over all others. And be willing to act it out without doubt or hesitation. This willingness triggers an immense array of abilities that have been waiting ages for the call - that is, trust and believe in oneself - to come forth."

Fagan closes by saying, "we have only been scratching the surface of human performance and golfing excellence. Those who specialize in swing mechanics and mental coaching will continue to be integral to our success and enjoyment of golf. Add to that, however, a third area, the platform that enhances the first two, the spiritual side through The Law of Attraction, and you will find your life and your golf elevated to a position you may have never realized possible."

Labels: Articles, Attraction, Bob Fagan, Books, Cosmic Laws of Golf, Golf in the Kingdom, Printer Bowler

After getting fitted for new clubs, taking lessons from GOLF Magazine Top 100 teachers on both coasts, hitting range balls with a stronger left-hand grip, about 10 sessions with a personal trainer, a nutritional analysis, and a session with a renowned sports psychologist, GOLF Magazine writer Cameron Morfit admits defeat in his quest to lower his handicap from 6 to scratch in 6 months. Final results - his handicap went up to 6.1.


Cameron Morfit getting instruction video

Cameron wrote a series of articles beginning in August that chronicle his attempt to erase his handicap. The idea was to give an occasionally brilliant, mostly erratic 38-year-old, 6-handicap every advantage of a pampered Tour pro; wait six months; see if he improves or not. If so, by how many strokes? What exactly were the breakthroughs? If there's little or no improvement, why not? What are the limits of great technology and brilliant teaching?

In his last article, he informs his readers he's not going to make it from 6 to Scratch by New Year's Eve.

The story is quite interesting, and because Morfit takes an honest look back to share what he learned from the experience, I'd consider his failure quite a success. Instead of blaming his failure simply on having to take on this challenge while also juggling family and career, Morfit instead shares the insightful lessons he learned - which are shared below.

1) Golf has no bathing-suit competition, unless you're Natalie Gulbis

I'd never had a trainer before and I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. I should have. I'm not saying I shouldn't have done anything, but sweating and stretching isn't as important as putting and chipping. My Idaho friend Scott Masingill, who just got through the Champions tour Q school, says he doesn't do much working out in golf season. If it's good enough for him...

2) Take your strengths for granted and they'll break your heart

I got so focused on the full swing I didn't work on my short game. That's what happened to Phil Mickelson when, still in the honeymoon phase with Butch Harmon, his putting stroke temporarily went AWOL. Working out also can hinder touch around the greens. Whatever the case, I used to be deadly around the greens with a sand wedge. Not anymore.

3) Lose the joy of playing and watch your score go up, up, up

Golf became a numbers game and only a numbers game, and that's no way to play. I learned that my angry guy can't play golf, and still I got angry. I lost track of the number of times I blew it after keeping it together for most of the round. I'd scratch and claw and hang around at 3- or 4-over by the middle of the back nine. From there you can make a birdie or two coming in and card a nice score, or lose focus and shoot 80 or worse. I specialized in the latter.

4) Never underestimate the primacy effect

Localized swing changes can be so profound as to affect everything else. A grip change impacts alignment, swing path, position at impact, the way your hips fire, the way your hands feel through the ball. The whole deal. It was nuts for me to expect to radically strengthen my left hand grip and immediately go low. I've had to break too many bad habits. Psychologists call it the primacy effect: The tendency under pressure to revert to what you first learned, even if it's dead wrong.

5) Even the experts have limitations

At a certain point you've got to stop asking how your swing looks and just go figure it out for yourself. I never did that, partly because I didn't make the time for it, partly because I didn't have the time for it.

Although I never had any confidence that Morfit's approach would succeed in erasing his handicap, especially given limited practice time and such a short time period, the fact that he learned how important it is to improve by at least figuring some of it out yourself instead of relying only on others, and to continue to play for the joy of the game instead of focusing only on results, made this a rewarding and successful endeavor.

Getting to scratch is much more about how you think than how you swing. In my opinion, changing who you are on the course during a 6 month period will provide better results than changing how and what you swing.

During the six months after I got down to a 6 handicap, I experienced my first rounds in the low 70's and got down to a 3.5. Now, six months after that, I haven't made much progress and never broke through an index of 3.0.

What I just realized, is that even though I've started stretching daily and purchased new clubs in the past 6 months, I haven't continued to change myself - and my game hasn't changed either. It appears I've learned something from Cameron's story too!

Series: [Aug 28] [Sep 3] [Sep 13] [Sep 26] [Oct 3] [Nov 11] [Nov 19]

Labels: Articles, Failure

Lorne Rubenstein wrote an article this month for SCOREGolf, A Zone Worth Finding, about a book by Former PGA Tour winner Bobby Clampett, The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf's Moment of Truth. It's the one book Rubenstein read this year, or in many years, for that matter, that says very little about the swing itself, and plenty about the moment of truth - impact.


Golf Impact Shot by photomudger at flickr.com

Rubenstein introduces Clampett's own introduction in his book. "You’ve probably heard that the most important six inches in golf is between the ears. Though the mind unquestionably plays a key role in the game, the most important six inches in the swing truly take place through the Impact Zone - meaning the two inches before impact through the four inches after it. After all, they don't call impact the golf swing's Moment of Truth for no reason."

Each of us, including the tour pros, have different looking swings, a unique style, a signature swing. But when we hit quality shots, we all look the same at impact. If you want to make an impact in this game, think impact.

Clampett shares that, "if we could somehow change the way the game is taught, and begin working from the ground up with a focus on the golfer's swing dynamics, and with the goal of moving their swing bottoms four inches in front of the ball, we could begin to make some real progress - progress that would both grow the game and make it immeasurably more enjoyable for those already hooked on playing it."

Read that carefully. Clampett encourages a swing that bottoms four inches in front of the ball, not at the back of the ball. This is exactly what Fred Shoemaker told our group during an impromptu clinic at Bandon Dunes last month. Assuming our swing bottom occurs naturally near the center of our chest (on an even lie), this indicates that a well struck ball should be placed behind our center (back in our stance). Try experimenting with this and notice where your divot starts - well in front of where the ball was.

Looks like a book I might consider taking a look at!

Labels: Articles, Bobby Clampett, Fred Shoemaker, Impact, Instruction, Lorne Rubenstein

I ran across an article about Lorena Ochoa in the San Francisco Chronicle by Scott Ostler that suggests there is something at least semi-mystical about the world's most dominant female golfer. The mystical issue was initially raised recently by Christina Kim, who told a writer, "I've known Lorena for almost a decade and there was always something sort of mystical about her. There was something different about her that a lot of people can't even grasp."


Lorena Ochoa by pgamexico at flickr.com

Ostler shares, "Ochoa is not large (5-foot-6 and 130 pounds), she's soft-spoken, she has delicate features and no bulging muscles, yet in the last year, she has reached a mystical place in athletics that is familiar only to people such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and, not so long ago, Annika Sorenstam."

Lorena's response to this so-called mystical aura was, "I'm very good at just leaving things behind. I think that's very important, just in the mental side. A lot of players, you know, just in different ways, they regret too much or get upset or angry or waste maybe one or two days or weeks being down. In a way, I'm easy with me. I do get really mad and disappointed, but I just kind of move on and leave things behind and put them in the trash can, and I keep going."

"Here I am," Ochoa said of her No. 1 spot, "and I like to be here."

Labels: Articles, Golfers, Lorena Ochoa

Trip Kuehne, after winning the U.S. Mid-Am in Bandon Dunes last week, 13 years after loosing to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur final, shared the following comment regarding amateur golf in an interview with the USGA.

"Golf is a game, and you play games. My golf game was a heck of a lot better after I decided to do that, just play golf and play the game, and that's what I'm trying to do. It's been a great run. I'm thrilled. I want people to realize that you don't have to turn professional if you're an All-American. There are other things out there. You can get a good-paying job, you can enjoy the game of golf and play because you love the game of golf, and hopefully some people have done that, or will do that in the future. I know that the USGA is proud of it, and I'll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I don't like the fact that almost 100 people in this event are reinstated amateurs. I would love to see more guys that are 35 years old that have always been amateurs who play because they truly love the game of golf. That's why I play the game, because I truly love the game of golf. I think it's watered down a bit with the prize money."


Trip Kuehne holding the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy after winning the 2007 U.S. Mid-Am at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Trip Kuehne, 35 from Irving, Texas, is the older brother of LPGA Tour player Kelli Kuehne and PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne - both USGA champions. Kelli Kuehne won the 1995 and 1996 U.S. Women's Amateur titles, and Hank Kuehne won the 1998 U.S. Amateur.

Sandy Tatum, another strong advocate for amateur golf and past USGA President, writes in his book, "A Love Affair with the Game", that "The word amateur derives from the Greek words meaning, as a verb, to love and, as a noun, lover. That word, therefore, puts amateur golfers in the right frame of reference, because they are the lovers of it whose love provides the heart, and indeed the soul, of the game of golf."

Both Sandy and Trip simply ask talented young golfers to consider an alternative to turning professional, one that preserves their love of the game, instead of taking them down a likely path of frustration, lack of income, and eventual failure. At the least, Sandy Tatum encourages these youngsters to take full advantage of the education available to them in college, instead of focusing solely on their golf game. He even tried to persuade Tiger to finish his education at Stanford before turning pro.

Many pros certainly "love the game", but once their livelihood begins to depend on it, their relationship with the game inevitably changes. Dan Millman even observes that, "those who do sports for the trophies or pursue a career mostly for the money are missing the point."

In an interview, this month with The Outdoor Journey, Millman goes on to say that, "It's all a path of personal growth. Sports are a form of voluntary adversity that develops strength and character. This is why I've never aimed at winning or success (since I can’t ultimately control such things). I am only for excellence -- doing the best I can in a given moment, and let the outcomes be what they will. No matter the outcomes of a race, if we learn something about ourselves, it is a victory."

I think Bobby Jones would be proud of Trip and his artful pursuit of excellence... Congratulations!

Labels: Amateur, Articles, Competition, Dan Millman, Sandy Tatum, Trip Keuhne

Dean Barnett shares an interesting article in The Weekly Standard this month about a renaissance in golf course architecture that began in 1994, when Sand Hills Golf Club opened for business. He argues that this minimalist design is ending the modern trend of moving copious amounts of earth, often creating uninspiring golf courses on land better suited for strip malls. Excerpts from his article are included below.


Sand Hills #8 by DustinJo at flickr.com

The Coore & Crenshaw masterpiece at Sand Hills ushered in a new era in golf architecture that aficionados characterize with one word: minimalist. The guiding principle is deference to the land. Minimalism holds that a golf course developer should look for land that is ideal for a course, and the architects they hire should let the characteristics of the land dictate the nature of the course.

Shortly after Pacific Dunes debuted, Tom Doak journeyed to remote Holyoke, Colorado, where he would create what is perhaps the fullest expression yet of golf as it was meant to be. The Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club of Holyoke opened for business in July 2006 and has already won the highest accolades. In its first year of operation, Ballyneal debuted as the 46th best course in America and the 83rd best in the world according to Golf Magazine. Ballyneal is the youngest course on either list.


Ballyneal by rebjr at flickr.com

There remains the pressing question of what long-term impact places like Sand Hills, Bandon Dunes, and Ballyneal will have on golf architecture and the game itself. The early attempts at golf-course design by Jack Nicklaus's successor as king of golf, Tiger Woods, may offer a clue. When someone asked him to describe his design philosophy, Tiger Woods used the magic word: "I'm more of a minimalist," he said.

Putting Golf Back on Course - Dean Barnett, The Weekly Standard

Labels: Articles, Ballyneal, Course Architecture, Courses, Pacific Dunes, Sand Hills

I've been in a bit of a fog lately and have just played horrible, gradually working up to my worst score in a year last week, shooting 88. My lack of confidence reached such a low last week that I finally seeked professional help and took my first golf lesson. Fortunately, the lesson was more of a coaching session, and I found it very helpful. My shoulders are more square to the target and my posture has improved. In my horrible round following the lesson, although I played poorly, I hit 4 drives further than I've ever hit a drive before! Just incredible. I'm pretty sure I can work the changes I made with my driver all the way through the bag.


Fog no Itaara Golf by Claudio Marcon at flickr

But my swing isn't the root of my stuggles lately, it's my attention. It's transferred from simply taking aim at a precice target to just trying too hard to get my scores back down. Fortunately, I ran across a helpful article by Chuck Hogan this morning titled "Energy follows attention", which I hope inspires my play today. I've shared an excerpt from his article below.

When you are playing golf, your attention is supposed, and meant to be on ball-to-target. Now those are NOT three words! That is one comprehensive image. And the image includes, by definition, the hit, the trajectory, flight, landing bounce, roll and completion. This is NOT for study by the conscious mind. This is NOT visualizing as the industry has suggested. This is NOT for figuring out. This is simply a look at the ball, target and conditions and LETTING your experience do the figuring for you. You do the same thing in walking, driving, typing and a million other things. Simply allow your attention to do the doing. You do want to deliver this ball to that target don't you?

Without doubt, the golf instruction industry has lead golfers down the road of incessantly interfering with your attention. We golfers are the victims of our own "smart" minds. We somehow got the idea that bringing every nuance of the swing, chip, pitch, sand and specialty shot to the attention of the conscious mind is going to help. In fact, it is the highest form of interference.

Every golfer of experience knows that the best scores and shots "just happen" and "I didn't even think about it". The misinterpretation is that we didn't think about it consciously. The fact is that we temporarily forgot to think consciously and turned the "thinking" over to the subconscious to play the shot (instead of all the concerns of the conscious mind) and low and behold, energy followed the subtle directions of the subconscious. A golf shot was born.

Labels: Articles, Attention, Chuck Hogan, Disciplines

"The more I practice, the luckier I get" -- Ben Hogan

Peter Nomm, General Manager and Head Golf Pro at Minocqua Country Club in Wisconsin, recently posted some great advice for your practice routine at his golf instructional blog. He suggests that instead of hitting dozens of shots with one club, then dozens more with another, then perhaps holing 100 3-foot putts in a row that we approach our practice routine more like we would for other sports or activities such as basketball, football, baseball, and even piano. A basketball player wouldn't go to the gym and spend five minutes shooting 5-foot jump shots, then 10-footers, 15-footer, all the way back to a bunch of three-pointers. Can you imagine a concert pianist practicing by striking the same key over and over?


I think I'll take a mulligan, by bensargent at flickr.com

Using basketball as an example for a new approach to our golf rehearsals, Nomm shares that, "usually the first few minutes of time is devoted to the warm-up. Randomly shooting short shots, long shots, and throwing in a lay-up or two - basically getting a feel for the ball as the body loosens up and get's ready to go. This is a great way to begin our golf practice session - hit some chips and pitches, high-and-low shots, and vary the distance of each. Focus on getting the feel in your hands: re-connecting your body with the game enabling your natural ability to take over. Eventually you will want to lengthen the shots so that you are swinging fully, but continually change from driver to iron to wedge and so on. Like a basketball player, every shot you'll face on the course will be different. Get your body ready for this... our focus should be getting us confident enough to be able to hit the shot on the course. Finally, when the warm-up is completed and the drills are done, usually the rest of the time is devoted to real game simulations. In golf, it means GET OUT ON THE COURSE. Practce out there. You don't have to play an entire round - it could be four or five holes. And like a coach observing a practice, if the team messed up a play, he may require them to do it again. If you're on the course for the purpose of practice, allow yourself to hit the occasional second try. However, if you have a recurring problem with a certain club or shot, note it to yourself and if time allows, spend a few minutes back on the range when you are done."

I think this is excellent advice! I have incorporated a similar practice philosophy and make a point to mix up my shots and putts as much as possible during practice sessions to better simulate conditions during a round. When I'm not working on a particular new shot or technique, I limit every shot I'm practicing to two shots. I call this my "Mulligan" practice routine. I'm sure we've all missed a shot or putt before during a round, then dropped another ball and tried again, just for practice. Chances are you nailed it the second time. I use this to my advantage when I practice. I hit one shot or putt and gauge conditions such as wind, break or speed, then hit or putt my mulligan ball, attempting to improve on the first shot. I know I only get two chances to hit my target or hole my putt, so I make the most of each attempt. I find that golfers who drop a whole bucket of balls down and hit or chip the same shot over and over again with the same club seem to loose focus. They think they're working on developing muscle memory, but the routine lacks the mindset required on the course.

On the practice green, I use my two balls and practice up and downs from varying locations around the green. I'll practice a random rotation of holing putts from various distances, lag long putts, chip from off the green, and lob over imaginary mounds and bunkers, then hole the resulting putt. I keep track of how many strokes above or below par I am, with each shot being a par 2. For me, this makes practice fun and I never tire of doing it. If my back didn't start hurting from bending over for so many putts, I could go on for hours.

Yesterday, inspired by Peter Nomm's practice advice and eager to experiment with Chuck Hogan's insights, I headed out for a lengthy practice session before my Tuesday night 9-hole league round. What I discovered is a new variation to my "Mulligan" routine.

On the range, I picked a very precise target (usually a single ball sitting on the range), then visualized my ball traveling through the air and landing on that spot. I then looked down and took my swing, doing physically what I'd just rehearsed in my mind. I then did it again with the same club, then moved on to another club. I didn't concentrate, I just looked out at the range and observed the conditions and visualized my desired shot. I was amazed by my accuracy.

I then moved to the practice green and rehearsed my shots in the same manner. I casually observed the break of the green, visualized the ball landing and rolling to the hole, and picked a very precise spot on the edge of the hole where the ball should drop in. I then simply took the wedge or putter back and performed the stroke I'd just rehearsed. I never chipped or putted better.

What I discovered is that I was using my rehearsed "virtual" shot as if it was my first practice shot, then treated my actual shot as if it were my "mulligan" shot, which we all know is always an improvement over our first shot, because it's approached with that invaluable "non-caring" attitude. As I expected, I nailed that "second" shot every time. I already knew I could do it since I'd just done it "virtually".

Once the match began, I maintained my "soft eyes" and calm demeanor out on the course and continued to rehearse my shots, sensitive to the conditions of my surroundings, but without concentrating or trying. I simply trusted that I'd make the "mulligan" shot to the precise spot I'd just rehearsed visually.

I succeeded on nearly every shot and won my match. I holed every putt within 8 feet and shot a round of 2-over, even with a 2-stroke penalty for an out-of-bounds due to poor club selection. It was a very windy round and I miscalculated the wind direction on a long approach shot, thinking I had more headwind, when in fact it was mostly a crosswind. I ended up taking too much club and landed 1 foot past the OB marker beyond the green. I double bogied that hole and bogied 2 others, but managed 2 birdies to capture a great round under some difficult conditions.

It looks like I'll be practicing and playing with mulligans from now on!

Labels: Articles, Disciplines, Practice

"Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher." -- William Wordsworth

An anonymous reader of my last entry shared a link to Chuck Hogan's website. I mentioned Hogan in a previous post about the "zone", but at the time didn't know who he was. It turns out Hogan has worked for years with golfers of all levels, including several well known PGA and LPGA Tour players, helping them enter the "zone" using a combination of mental and physical disciplines. He provides several fascinating articles at his website, one of which provided insights that I haven't really considered in depth before.


Early morning round by Deano8 at flickr.com

Most fascinating is Hogan's observation that, unlike golf, we perform activities like brushing our teeth, tying our shoes, and driving our car without any thought of how we are doing the doing. He notes that the number of motor skills required for shoe-tying is far more complex than something as simple as the putting stroke. Once the skill has been learned, all that is required is intent to perform the task, and with little attention to the intention. What appears to make golf different from these other activities is that we attach "caring" to its outcome. Hogan suggests that its the caring that blocks the doing.

I've observed that in each of my par or near-par rounds, I was playing without expectations, with my attention focused less on my game and more on my natural surroundings or golf partners. I was "playing" golf. It didn't require intense concentration. It didn't require trying. I didn't experience tension.

Hogan claims that the mainstream philosophy that we must concentrate well to play well may be flawed. He submits that tension is too often associated with concentration and concentration is too often expressed as trying - with a hard, glaring, squinted-eyed stare. Instead, Hogan suggests that "soft eyes", eyes of engagement without tension, are part and parcel to the "zone".

These soft and engaged eyes are sensitive to all of it's surroundings, allowing us to be, as Hogan teaches, entirely free to consume the target and all of it's conditions, such that the golfer is less "hitting the ball to the target" and more "having the target elicit the ball from the golfer."

That sounds like something Shivas Irons would say!

Chuck Hogan warns us to "be careful of descriptions of how it is done. The descriptions of how one person plays great golf may be exactly how you would play your worst golf. Be careful of how it is supposed to be done and become a great student of how you play extraordinary golf. Have your way. You have specific ways that you play your worst and best golf. Become a student of how you work. Notice the subtle ways that you hit great shots and lousy shots. Assume nothing! Be a student of your own process. Know thyself! It might just turn out to be the most fascinating pursuits of your entire life."

With all senses engaged, come forth into the light of things surrounding and creating each shot, and let golf become your teacher.

Labels: Articles, Chuck Hogan, Concentration, Disciplines, Learning

"We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it." -- William Hazlitt

In the early 1970s the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was puzzled by an intriguing question in human motivation: Why do artists and other creative people forego the common rewards and enticements of everyday life-food, sleep, sex, comfort, status, and the like-in the single-minded pursuit of their craft? In a series of studies, Csikszentmihalyi examined the motives of creative people across many disciplines. He found that creators across varied fields report the same quality of experience, and that this enjoyable experience in itself motivates them to seek new challenges.


Let's "Play" Golf

Taking his cue from rock climbers, Csikszentmihalyi adopted the term "Flow" to capture this experience. Flow denotes a state of immersed concentration in which attention is centered, distractions are minimized, and the person attains an enjoyable give-and-take with the activity. In this state people report they lose track of time and their daily problems; forget hunger, pain, and fatigue; and pass from a stance of control and "efforting" into a mode sometimes described as "active effortlessness."

Golfers love the zone. Love to be in it. Love to observe when others are in it. Love to wonder when it will happen again. Golf's mystery lies in the fact that in a game where time and a stationary ball seem to give the player the most control--to plan, to rehearse, to adjust--we seem to find the zone the least. "The moment you think you're in it, you're out of it," goes the zone conundrum.

It's the game's cruel joke that the closest the fearful, ego-driven and brain-locked golfers get to the zone is when, immediately after a poor shot or missed putt, we reflexively drop another ball, and with our mind on nothing else but where the damn thing should have gone in the first place, stripe it down the middle or into the hole.

Interestingly, with all we've studied and learned about the zone, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, a neuropsychologist who works with professional sports teams and individual athletes, believes the experience is less frequent in sports than ever. He shares in an article, The Future of Golf by Golf Digest, "I look at Sam Snead, an intuitive genius who played for the intrinsic joy and yet had the discipline to develop his skills. Sam was built to enter the zone, probably quite often. But our culture today has taken the concept of play out of high-level sports and replaced it with a photocopy of work. At the same time, there is a drive in our culture to make things easy. The most important condition for entering the zone is a high-challenge situation with highly developed skills to meet the challenge. Without the enjoyment of play, and without high challenge and high skills, you don't have the zone. And I think we have less of those things today."

Peter Jacobsen says he achieved the zone in winning the Greater Hartford Open at the age of 49. He shares that, "The key is to create your own reality on the course. Down the stretch at Hartford, I just kept saying to myself, Be who you are, and the golf shots will be easy."

Phil Mickelson went through a similar process in achieving his "different feeling" at the Masters. Like Jacobsen, Phil said that, "I just decided that I had come so close trying to be so focused and so intense, but that's not really the way I am normally. I enjoy having fun, and I wanted to carry that into my play. And that brought out my best game."

Chuck Hogan, who after 35 years of pursuing the zone from all angles, has come full circle and now believes that "The zone is all about play. It's the simplest bypass to all the things we do to screw ourselves up. The whole reason we play is to find that primal joy we once had. We know it's in there, and it becomes its own reward. The way to the zone is your own."

Psychologist Jon Skidmore shares steps he teaches to help young musicians attain flow to overcome anxiety and enjoy themselves on stage in an article, Putting the 'Play' Back into Performing by the American Psychological Association. These steps translate perfectly to helping us play golf with less anxiety and more fun.

Relaxation on demand - Stepping in front of an audience excites most people, says Skidmore, but musicians can keep their heart rate from skyrocketing by breathing deeply while tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups. The psychologist advises performers to master this technique in their practice room-perhaps while taking a needed break from playing. However, other musicians may experience the opposite problem-not being excited enough about a performance-says Skidmore.

Preperformance preparation - Skidmore recommends that musicians take five minutes before stepping onto the stage, using the minutes to relax and focus on their performance goals. During workshops, the psychologist helps musicians discover their own trigger words-words that capture how they want to perform. One student, for instance, uses the words "outrageous" and "bold." As he breathes out, the pianist says those words to himself and then steps onto the stage.

Attention control - Good performances happen when the musician can let go of all thoughts unrelated to the music itself, says Skidmore. To that end, performers can practice tuning out mental noise–thoughts about dinner, about one's family and even about particularly difficult passages–and focus completely on what is happening in the moment.

Performance enjoyment - Letting go of anxiety and outside concerns frees up a musician to have fun, and that really comes out in the performance, says Skidmore. "It's not called 'playing' for nothing," he notes. During his workshop, the psychologist attempts to redefine the stage as a place for fun, perhaps by asking performers to act like animals or make up impromptu performances with noisemakers. These unusual performances help performers identify and conquer what Skidmore calls their "imaginary rattlesnakes"–concerns that are making their stage a dangerous place to play.

Constructive criticism - All too often, musicians mentally rehash every mistake they made, Skidmore says. Instead, he teaches performers to take a few minutes and debrief themselves about their performance. During this time, the musicians look at their recital as objectively as possible, congratulating themselves on successes as well as noting what they would like to have done differently. Skidmore guides musicians to think about what might have contributed to mistakes and then brainstorm ways to overcome those obstacles in the future.

After just one weekend with Skidmore, a student reports that he completely redefined the way he approached live performances. Instead of seeing the audience as a group of people passing harsh judgment, he began to view them as "playmates".

Labels: Articles, Disciplines, Play, Zone

In an article by Golf Digest, they investigate why putting so difficult for so many golfers. As I suspected, the problem isn't the mechanics of the stroke. Our bodies have little trouble learning how to hold a putter and hit the ball. The difficulty lies in using your eyes to detect the right information about distance and direction at the right time, then using your mind to relay that information so you can consistently make the ball go in the hole.


Iris by Ran at flickr.com

A scientist at the University of Calgary, Canada, is getting impressive results from testing and training players' vision, using eye-tracking and motion analysis technology to do so. Professor Joan Vickers, a specialist in kinesiology -- the study of anatomy and body movement -- has been researching the role of gaze and attention in sport for more than 20 years.

She has been developing the "Quiet Eye" technique since the early 1980s, in an effort to understand how vision can control and guide the body's movements.

The technique is a measure of visual focus, recorded with a variety of technologies, which, according to Vickers, gives an athlete insight into their actions. The "Quiet Eye" is based on key elements of data, which Vickers compiles during her research -- what the athlete sees and when, and for how long.

The first is the optimal location of the eyes' focus in space. For example, the best place on which to focus in golf is the back of the ball, while in basketball it is the front of the hoop. The precision of the quiet eye location often mirrors the precision required to perform well in a sport. In golf, precision of movement and precision of focus are paramount.

The second is the when the eyes begin to focus. The timing of focus is crucial, and varies depending on the sport.

The third is when the players' gaze leaves the "optimal location." In golf putting, for example, it has to stay on the back of the ball through the stroke and dwell for 200 or 300m on the green, after contact. Most golfers do not do this consistently.

The final quality is the duration of the quiet eye's period. It's about their ability to maintain a single focus even as all the motor activity is going on.

Vickers research backs up my philosophy that most golfers have plenty of physical ability and don't need to dwell on the mechanics of the swing or putting stroke, but simply improve their concentration and focus.

Trust your artful eyes. As this article states, "your hands are controlled by your brain, which gets valuable information about what to do from your eyes. As you putt, your brain needs to organize more than 100 billion neurons. These neural networks are informed by your gaze, and control your hands, arms and body as the stroke is performed. These networks will stay organized for only a short period of time; a window of opportunity opens that must be used when it is at its most optimal."

Article: The Quiet Eye, Dr. Joan N. Vickers, Jan. 2004

Labels: Articles, Concentration, Disciplines

I nearly always walk a course when I play. It seems that all my best and most memorable rounds occur when I walk. When I walk I see more, hear more, focus more, and relax more. It doesn't hurt that I could use the exercise too.



Jeffrey A. Rendall includes excerpts in an article at GolfTheMidAtlantic.com from several interviews he's done with Rees Jones, who shares that, "you pace yourself when you walk, and you actually start feeling the hole. You have to 'feel' the hole in order to play a complete round of golf and I think walking really gives you a better opportunity to enjoy the visual landscape -- because I call a golf course a nature walk to play on... Golf is an escape. It's getting away from the travails of life, and if you concentrate hard enough, you will, even mentally, get away from all your worries. But if you're in a hurry, it's not really what golf's supposed to be. Golf's supposed to be a form of relaxation."

For me, golf is not only a form of relaxation, but provides the opportunity to be out in nature - to experience sunshine and rain, to feel strong winds and mild breezes, to listen to chirping birds, rustling leaves and burbling brooks, to smell freshly cut grasses and flowers in bloom, and to observe a variety of birds and trees, scenic landscapes and colorful skies.

When I walk, I'm much more likely between shots to become aware of and appreciate this beauty, which quiets my mind, and better prepares me for my next shot. Not only does this communion with nature give me peace and enjoyment, it makes me more aware of my intended target, relevant course conditions and subtle breaks on greens. It gets my mind off me, my game, and my expectations, and makes possibile extraordinary shots and rounds.

Bob Weisgerber shares in an article at Golf Today Magazine, that "Golf courses are the product of owners and architects working with a canvas that God gave them... Blending the wildlife, the endlessly varied vegetation, the atmosphere, and the optical perspective of a thoughtfully designed golf course can be nearly mystical in its impact on the human psyche. It is more, much more than a game. It is a fresh new experience that enriches your life and your feeling of belonging to a world of wonder."

Labels: Articles, Beauty, Bob Weisgerber, Nature, Rees Jones, Walking