SPORTS PERFORMANCE HYPNOSIS: GOLF

The game of golf is not a physical game, but a mental game. It is supposed to be a sport we pursue for relaxation. The technical aspects of the game can be learned in a relatively short period of time by almost anyone. It is the mental, emotional, and psychological side of the game that presents the most difficulty to a golfer. "Think in such a fashion as to relax yourself," said Sam Snead "Excessive tension is the major problem of most middle and high handicap golfers," said Julius Boros. Tension and anxiety are credited by most professional golfers as the reasons for inconsistency on the course.

Fortunately, there is a technique that will help you reduce tension and anxiety. It is called Self–Hypnosis and it has already helped thousands of people in their sports performance. Hypnosis, at its most basic, is simply a tool which allows a person to use more of his or her mind and to use it more dynamically and effectively.

Hypnosis is very useful in sports, as a cue for concentration and relaxation, and as a way to increase self–confidence and motivation. By doing Subconscious Questioning you may be able to discover the subconscious reasons for persistent problems in your technique. Many golfers suffer from a form of "test anxiety" not unlike that felt by schoolchildren when faced with an exam. Even though you know the material, or have the skills, when it comes time to perform you tighten up and feel anxious and nervous. Well, we all know what that does to your shot, your swing and your concentration!

Generally, you’re dealing with subconscious reactions in sports. Athletes are quite receptive to hypnosis because their bodies are so keenly trained to react to the mind. Hypnosis helps remove the tension barrier and helps them visualize their potential. Often we find athletes with various subconscious problems including lack of confidence. One fading member of the San Francisco Giants learned this through hypnosis in time to go on to a starring role on an All Star team. The pattern seems to hold that confidence and success blocks are as common to sports as they are to all life experiences.

Hypnosis is a very powerful technique to use with what is called a success block. It is the subconscious fear of success and/or the subconscious feeling that one is unworthy of success. You might know someone who, upon nearing success, will repeatedly do something to sabotage that possibility. This often appears most obviously on the playing field, but in reality it is a more common problem in the general game of everyday living. Many of us are unknowing victims to one degree or another. This is where we get the saying, "He’s his own worst enemy." The reverse is also true: with the right technique we can all be our own best friend. With hypnosis, you can relieve those unwanted feelings, relax on the course, and begin to play the best, most enjoyable golf of your life!

I had a pro golfer who was recommended to my work by one of his students. He’d seen his student improve remarkably within a matter of months. He had only a week to prepare for a big international tournament. There was immediate improvement. However, the consistency under all conditions of competition and play wasn't really established until he’d had some time to condition his actions and reactions (see Lagtime).

Because of the freshness of the information, his physical reactions weren’t yet retrained as well as his mental attitudes. He was still at the point where, between each ball, he would consciously state current reality about the ball he just played. In his case, sometimes frustration would occur. He would acknowledge the frustration, promise to deal with it after the game, then take a deep breath, and as he exhaled, puts the frustration into the past. On his next inhale, he centered himself and was now only conscious of this new shot, not paying attention to what is behind or what he’s supposed to do in front of him. Through his self–hypnosis techniques he’s learned the ability to not be distracted by peripheral data, such as the crowds or his partners, but to have one thought: How he’s going to enjoy making this ball go where he wants it to go, automatically.

Note: Look at all the thought that is required in this process. Through his daily hypnosis technique, he will retrain his mind as he retrains his body do this automatically. And that is the ultimate goal. In fact, he mentioned to me that when he played the first game in which he was playing for money, he hadn’t even been keeping score, that he was only focusing on the game. That’s when he knew the self–hypnosis was working.

Also see Case Histories

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