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“Be decisive. A wrong decision is generally less disastrous than indecision” – Bernard Langer

“Mental rehearsal is just as important as physical rehearsal.” – Phil Mickelson

“Visualization is the most powerful thing we have” – Sir Nick Faldo

“Of all the hazards, fear is the worst” – Sam Snead

“Golf is played on a 5 inch course between the ears.” – Bobby Jones

“Confidence is the single most important factor in this game.  No matter how great of a natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: WORK! – Jack Nicklaus

“You hit a bad shot; you have to get over it there, so you can get focused on the next one.” – Tiger Woods

Certainly at the highest level in the game, the mind game of golf is very important to achieve success week in and week out.  Let’s discuss some ideas you can work on to strengthen your mental game and ultimately shoot lower scores.   I want to explore how we can use positive suggestions to improve you game.  Many people dwell on negative aspects of the game when talking about their golf.  Such as, saying…I don’t want to hit slices; I don’t want to blade chips; I miss too many short putts; etc, etc.  This unhealthy self-talk leads to them staying in a state of negativity and is a sure roadmap for delayed improvement. I would prefer them to talk about what they do you want to accomplish on the golf course and get into a state of positivity.

Here are just a few examples of what you can say to yourself as positive mental suggestions… I will make confident swings on every shot I hit today; I will keep my golf swing total control;  I consistently play from the fairways; My swing is smooth and effortless; I will release the club well with every shot; I can make everything putt I look at; I trust my putter;  I love making sand saves.  Ok, you get the point.  These positive suggestions could go on and on.  The main thing to glean from positive self-talk and suggestion is that you are the majority of the way to achieving the results when you think it.  Just be realistic about your capabilities and limitations.  Also, please focus on what you want to do and achieve and NOT the problem.  For instance, do not suggest to yourself, “I do not duff chips any more”.  Instead suggest, “I hit chips solidly around the greens”.  This is very important!  Focusing on the problem will create pictures of the problem and more of it.

For many of my competitive players I teach, I like to use the Bubble Technique I got from Dr. Deborah Graham and Jon Stabler with GolfPsych.  On a note card draw a circle and in the circle write down some key words or phrases that reaffirm a positive attitude towards your game.  Keep it in your bag and when you find yourself drifting into a negative mindset refer to your “bubble”.  I find this exercise helps my players especially in competition.

Don’t underestimate the power of your words on your subconscious mind.  Much of the research shows that the subconscious mind doesn’t discern between good and bad thoughts, rather it supports your most powerful thoughts.  Garbage in – Garbage out.  The starting point to strengthening your mindset in golf is making shifts in your language you use.  Think and speak positive thoughts!  We all have negative thoughts creep in our mind from time to time.  Use this negative thought as a cue to get back into your “Bubble” and refer to a positive thought. Also much of the research of “Peak Performance” in golf shows that we do not need to grind mentally on our game and have such a narrow focus the entire time on the golf course.  Instead, let your focus widen a little between shots.  Basically, we need really solid pre-shot routines, but walking between or time in the cart between shots we can let our mind relax and think of other things.  This helps us conserve mental energy and return back to our laser focus during the next shot.

To wrap it up this time, work on positive mental suggestions about you game and create your “bubble”.  Stick to a great pre-shot and allow your mind to relax between shots.  The mental game of golf needs just as much work as the physical game.  Go out and start playing your best golf now!

Brech Spradley, PGA
Director of Instruction
Barton Creek Golf Academy
Golf Channel Academ

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There is so much off course preparation that most of these elite players are doing.  Players now spend almost as much time in the gym as they do on the practice range.

Top players understand to play their best golf week in and week out they need to eat well, exercise, get plenty of rest and stay hydrated.  Part of that protocol certainly includes strength training, but let’s focus on basic endurance training and hydration.  Consider a time when you were required to walk a long or hilly course, or you were playing in a tournament that took longer than normal.

In these situations, you will wind up fatigued without some basic off-course conditioning. I generally recommend that my students add aerobic exercise to their routine, if they are not currently doing so. The intensity and amount of exercise should be determined in conjunction with your doctor, but if you are able, consider a minimum of 30-45 minutes at least 3x a week.  This may include cycling, treadmill or any other form of exercise that elevates your heart rate over a period of time. When you’ve developed a basic aerobic fitness level, add interval training with speed bursts, such as sprinting.

Along with the technical skills, golf is very much a power and speed sport and high intensity training can be added to improve the faster recruitment of muscles for speed.  Otherwise, you may find your lack of aerobic fitness affecting your game. Your physical and mental skills may start to diminish during your round, leading to poor shot selection, execution and overall mental fatigue.

Hydration is also very important while playing golf.  We all know how important hydration is for overall well-being, but it can’t be stressed enough to stay hydrated during a round of golf. According to the International Sports Medicine Institute, most athletes are mildly dehydrated before they begin to play or practice because they haven’t had enough water to drink.

Some basic symptoms for mild dehydration are flushed face, extreme thirst, darker than normal urine, dry lips, mild headache, irritability, and poor decision making on the course.  The medical community has slightly different advice, but a general goal when playing golf is to drink water equal to around half your body weight in ounces.  So, if you weigh 200lbs then consider drinking 100 oz. of water daily.

Remember, this does not include all the other drinks your have during the day.  A good way to divide the water intake as a golfer is to drink 25% of your water early in the morning, 50% of your daily intake during a golf round and then drink the remaining 25% during the balance of the day.  And if you sweat during your round, replace the lost electrolytes.  I have found good supplements to be added to water at most health stores. If you drink Gatorade or other sport drinks, consider adding water to dilute the sugar to avoid the sugar spike.   STAY HYDRATED.

With some endurance training and a good hydration regime you will likely remain mentally sharp next time you tee it up.  Go out and play your best golf.

Brech Spradley, PGA, Director of Instruction/Owner
Barton Creek Golf Academy

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The goal is to gain control over our thoughts to support our game. Obviously, when we are playing well it’s much easier to feel confident. It’s the chicken or the egg concept.  Does confidence breed better golf or do we need to play better to be confident?  It’s probably both.  However, I do think it’s important to act confident toward your golf game, regardless of how you feel.  Be realistic about skills that need more practice, but never let yourself go down the road of negative self-talk.  Dwell on your strengths and things that you have more control over.  Make sure you do not let the things you can’t control affect you.  Take the bad bounces with the good.  It’s hard to do at times, but important to your success on the course.

One thing you can control is your attitude.  Attitude is a key ingredient to confidence about your game.  During Tiger’s lengthy stay at #1 in the world, he always found positive things to say in his post-round interviews about his game.  He acknowledged where he made mistakes, but he always added what he did right in the round as well.  We also need to find opportunities to compliment ourselves on the way we played a round.  Golf can tend to be – as we all know – a very difficult game that has many confidence-draining aspects.  No doubt there is a correlation between your skill level and your scoring potential; but, so many golfers don’t play to their potential because of low self-confidence.

One common mistake I see that can drain self-confidence is when players don’t play within their abilities. They will tend to make strategy decisions based on their best shots rather than their more typical shots. Going for the “impossible” shot instead of playing the shot they know they can pull off. Then when success doesn’t come, the negativity begins to creep into their game. Being confident does not mean being unrealistic.  It’s crucial to discipline your mind to evaluate the best possible shot to hit for the situation.  In many cases, it is the conservative approach that helps you produce the most confident swing.  When you build on the successes that are more possible and line up with your skill level, you will have a much better chance to play at a level that you thought was impossible.

Finally, practice being confident on the course.  One technique I like to teach is the “Bubble.”   I heard the Bubble technique from Dr. Deborah Graham, who is a golf psychologist.  I have players draw a circle on a notecard.  Inside the circle they write down words that describe how they feel when they’re playing well and feeling confident with their abilities.  Outside the circle, they write down words that describe how they feel or think about themselves when having doubt or low confidence.  The goal is to “stay in the bubble” and focus on the bubble cues.  If they have doubt and find their thoughts creeping outside of the bubble, I tell them to acknowledge that and refocus their thoughts on the bubble cues.  It takes some practice, but with a little work you can learn to dismiss the negative thoughts quicker and return to those thoughts that help you feel confident and self-assured.  Try the Bubble technique next time you play, make realistic decisions on the course, and remain confident.  Then, go out and shoot your career round!  Good luck!

Brech Spradley, PGA
Director of Instruction, Barton Creek Golf Academy

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One area of importance is the mind and body connection. Many people do not improve because they simply neglect the power of their thoughts. This tends to change as the skill level of the golfer goes up. The elite golfer is much more aware of the mind’s influence over their swing and short game performance, which is also why you see elite golfers working on their mental game more than recreational golfers.

“All golfer’s think in pictures” – Dr. David Wright. Consider times when a golfer stands on a certain tee box – no matter how poorly they’ve been playing – and rips the tee shot down the middle of the fairway. Conversely, when a golfer is playing great but finds there are certain tee boxes that create timidity and fear. This occurs because of the pictures in the golfer’s mind and the effect of those pictures on how the body performs. What we visualize during performance plays a major role in how we execute a shot.

According to the Brain Imagining Center in San Antonio, Texas, visualization creates eighty percent of the neural pathways needed to perform a task. So, when you maintain images of a positive outcome and visualize your success, you are eighty percent on the way to achieving the goal. However, when you hold on to negative pictures and visualize a poor performance, you are also eighty percent of the way to achieving a negative result.

Jack Nicklaus has said he never hits a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture in his head: “First, I focus on where I want the ball to finish and imagine a white ball sitting up high on bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I see the ball going there: it’s path, trajectory, and shape, even its behavior on landing. Then there is a sort of fade -out and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into a reality.”

Start your road to better golf today by Visualizing Positive Outcomes!! Next time you play, stand six to eight feet behind every shot during your pre-shot routine. Visualize yourself performing the shot successfully and then imagine the flight or roll of the ball towards your target. You can even close your eyes to visualize, like PGA player Jason Day.

I also recommend players practice visualization at home as well. Spend a few minutes of quite time going through the shots you want to play on the course. This is a valuable mental exercise that can improve performance. You will be more prepared and confident during the round with a game plan. You have “already” hit the great shot! Jack Nicklaus said he mentally visualized and played each important round of golf in his mind before the tournament. We can all learn something from an 18 time Major Champion! It’s time to start playing your best golf ever! Good luck!

By Brech Spradley, PGA
Director of Instruction Barton Creek Golf Academy

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In 1997, I went to the Masters Tournament for the first time.  I had been teaching golf for four years after graduating from college.  After I took in the aura of my first live view of the course, after I broke through all the merchandise tents passed the entrance, I wandered over to the practice area.  Just as I was walking towards the putting green, a group of security guards were escorting Tiger towards the putting green.  What struck me was the posture and cadence of Tiger’s walk.  It was only Wednesday, which was a practice round, but the focus and determination in his eyes was etched in my mind. His body language was that of an athlete who was on a mission.  Needless to say, he went on to win the tournament by 12 shots and broke the scoring record with an -18 under par score of 270.  Tiger had just won his fourth professional event and first Major championship.  He showed the world just how good he really was.

Since that time, I have tried to instill in my players the concept of body language. Body language is important for maintaining a positive mental attitude on the course. Our body language affects our emotions and our emotions affect our performance. One exercise I have my players do is called the Acting Exercise.  Find a quiet room and pretend you are an actor and exaggerate the role of a confident person.  How are you going to stand, hold your head, hold your shoulders, breathe, look of your face and what will you do with your hands?  Then, start moving around the room. Gauge the speed you move and gestures you make. Make adjustments in your body language until you feel more confident and a sense of power.  Now its time to shift gears and act the role of a negative and defeated person.  Pretend you are a person with low self-confidence.  Again, ask yourself how you would stand, hold your head and shoulders, breathe, the look of your face and what you would do with your hands.  How would you move around the room and at what speed?  Do this for a few minutes. Then, while maintaining this body language, try to feel confident and positive.  It’s near impossible.  Now shift your body language back to the confident person with a clap of your hand.  You will find that it is much easier to feel confident and self-assured.

There are two important takeaways from this exercise.  The first is that you have discovered a blue print for how you should be holding yourself on the course to align with confidence and peak performance.  Second, you understand that if you are feeling negative and in a state of low confidence and self-esteem, you need to change your body language to break the pattern and shift back to a state of confidence.  I tell my players not to wait for good things to happen in golf to act confident and self-assured.  Act like you are the most confident player on the course.  The feelings will follow. Work on this process just as you would any other area of your game.  In other words, “fake it till you make it.”  So, stand up tall, shoulders back and walk the course with confidence!

By Brech Spradley, PGA
Director of Instruction
Barton Creek Golf Academy
Golf Channel Academy
Bartoncreekgolfacademy.com

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Consider how unique golf is as compared to other sports.  In golf, the ball just sits there, waiting for us to make the first move.  In other sports, players generally react to a moving ball, so there is less time to deliberate, making it easier to focus.  Golfers must learn how to handle the internal and external distractions that are present as they step up to the ball.  Having a quality routine is the best way to stay focused and present. There are two basic phases of a golf shot routine: Pre-shot and Post-shot.  Let’s walk through a step-by-step approach to a solid routine.

First is the pre-shot routine.  This process has two main components: mental and physical.  The mental phase is performed 6-8 feet along the imaginary line behind the ball.  When you watch the best players in the world, you will notice they all stand in a common area.  Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, co-founders of Vision 54, and colleagues of mine with Golf Channel Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona call this area behind the ball the “Think Box.”  I think that a great name.  This is where all the analytical calculations are done.  Golfers need to assess all the factors that will influence the shot, such as: wind, slope, lie, yardage, target, type of shot, club choice.

Our friends at GolfPsych, Dr. Deborah Graham and Jon Stabler, state there are three must do’s behind the ball in the pre-shot routine: commit, visualize and feel the shot.  Commit to the target, which can include an intermediate target 2-3 feet in front of the ball, shot choice, and club choice.  Visualize the shot vividly as if you are performing it.  Then feel the shot by making a practice swing.  If any of these are overlooked or haphazardly done, you are lowering your chances of performing well.  Now that you have assessed the shot, chosen the club, visualized it, and felt the practice swing it’s time to walk towards the ball.  You are leaving the “Think Box” and entering the “Play Box,” as Pia and Lynn call it.  Most golf mental performance experts agree that Play Box is not the time or place to analyze the shot.

It is now time for our second component to the pre-shot routine, which is the physical routine.  The physical part of the pre-shot routine is the set-up.  This consist of taking your grip, addressing the ball, aiming the club head at your target and aligning your body with a good stance and posture.  This only takes a few seconds!  You should not spend too much time in this phase.  This is where we need to let it go and swing in tempo and balance.  Let the “athletic side” of your brain kick in and perform the shot that you have already felt and visualized. If you start second guessing your decision or swing mechanics while standing over the ball, you need to go back to the imaginary line and regroup.  Just be conscious of the time allotted to play.

You just swung and hit the shot.  Now it’s time for your post-shot routine, which is overlooked by so many golfers.  Did you hit a good shot or bad shot?  If you hit a good shot, imprint the shot in your mind with a positive emotion. If you hit a bad shot, work on showing no emotion.  Objectify the result and be solution oriented.  Work on a quick positive correction, such as a quick practice swing, and then it’s important to leave it behind.  It’s over!  You need to conserve your mental energy.  It’s important to know what you can control and what you can’t control.  You can control our pre-shot routine, post-shot routine, attitude, temper, strategy.  You can’t control outcome, past shots, bounces, score, and lies, to name a few.

When I take work with students out on the course, I ask them to verbalize their intentions to me on every shot.  Try this.  It’s a great exercise to work on your routine.  “I’m going to hit a 7- iron starting at that tree behind the green and draw it back to the pin.  It’s a good smooth 7.” Or, “I’m going to hit a three quarter wedge flighted down a little to control the yardage and land it under the pin so I have an uphill putt.”  Many play their best golf when they verbalize their intentions on each shot. Understanding you won’t want to verbalize your intentions during your regular play with your buddies or in a tournament, but with the practice, you will get into the habit of doing it mentally.  So, develop a good pre-shot and post-shot routine and go out and play your best golf yet.  Good luck!

Brech Spradley, PGA
Director of Instruction
Barton Creek Golf Academy
Golf Channel Academy

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