Mastering Golf Basics
by
Stephen Lau
July 7, 2011
A Simple Mental Game
Golf is essentially a mental game, involving the following:
•concentration
•focus
•emotional control.
Therefore, mastering golf basics and mastering the mind, master the game. Golfing success is just that simple.
The simplicity of the game is reflected in the way YOUthink about it. Therefore, don’t strive to come up with any complicated psychological theory about “how” you should go about hitting the ball. Master the basics. Simply go and hit the golf ball!
But simplicity is often too abstract, and intangible. So create a mental image to reinforce its vividness and actuality. Make it “real” to you. This is one of the first basics you need to master.
A Positive Attitude
A positive attitude is important to golfing success because it provides a positive momentum for your golf swing. According to behavioral psychology, the way youtalk and walk produces the confidence needed for your positive attitude. Attitude is another one of the golf basics you need to acquire and master.
Of course, it is not that easy to acquire that self-confidence: you need efforts and toil. But golfing success is about your confident attitude, not your scores. It is one of the golf basics you have to master.
How do you embrace a positive attitude?
• Give yourself a “pep talk” before, during, and afterthe game — just like those motivational seminars, or daily inspirational talks in big corporations.
Fostering a positive attitude is one of the golf basics.
• Develop mental toughness to “talk” yourself out of a difficult situation, or to turn things around. Imitate the confidence of a role model golf player, if needs be.
Remember, golfing success begins and ends with your great positive attitude. It is earned through your determination and perseverance to stay positive at all times. As the saying goes: Keep your cool head, while others around you are losing theirs.
Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is believing in yourself that you can turn your golf game around when nothing seems to be going right for you.
Since the game is more than just the golf basics of hitting the ball, it involves knowing and believing in yourvision of getting the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible.
To illustrate, if you are going to change the way you are going to play the game, you must believe that it will work for you, and accept your personal responsibility for the consequence it entails. It is the “believing” and “knowing” that ultimately become the momentum for your swing, and the best asset in your golfing success.
Your Worst Enemy
Strangely enough, in the game of golf, you are not playing against anyone but yourself and the golf course.
How another player plays the game has absolutely nothing to do with how you play your game. You are like a figure ice-skater, whose performance is uniquely his or hers, and other skaters’ performance is irrelevant, and certanily not a reflection of how you play.
Likewise, in golf, you are mutually “non-involved” in each other’s game. You may imitate another player’s air of self-confidence or positive attitude, but you cannot play his or her game, except your own. In other words,you must play your golf your own way because nobody knows you better than yourself. Only you can determine your own strength and weakness; only you can optimize the game based on your own past experience, style of play, attitude, physical, mental, and psychological makeup, touch, and finesse. Only you, and nobody else, know the golf basics you are consummate with, the golf basics you have mastered, and the golf basics which can deliver the performance you have aimed for.
Just be yourself at all times, and play your own game — nobody else’s but yours.
How do you play your own golf?
• You play it your own way. Do not play like Tiger Woods, or anyone else for that matter.
• You play at your own pace, without rushing, in spite of the other fast players around you.
• You know “when” to be aggressive and “when” to lay up, using a more conservative approach.
• You do not attempt shots you have never practiced, or those with unpredictable results for you, just because others are playing them. Work with your own golf basics.
• You hit the ball only when you are focused at that VERY moment, not while you are being distracted.
• You do not compare yourself to other players, and you are not influenced or intimidated by other players.
• You plan your strategy and do not change horses in mid-stream. More importantly, you must accept full responsibility for your choice of strategies, whatever they are, and whatever the outcome may be.
• You just play without expectations, thereby removing any undue stress from you. Just play from your heart and mind with the golf basics you are comfortable with, and the golf basics you have mastered to date.
Focusing on the Present
Learn to focus on the present by focusing on a specific object for 30 seconds, without thinking about anything else. Practice this simple concentration exercise from one object to another for an extended time. Meditation helps your concentration. Go to my website Meditation Techniques to learn some simple techniques that will benefit not only your golf concentration but also your health.This practice will enhance you golf basics of focusing on the present moment.
Get your body and mind attuned to the PRESENT moment to the oblivion of the past and the future. This is one of the fundamental golf basics you must acquire for golfing success.
A focused body and mind enable your eyes to signal youwhere the ball needs to go. Your eyes should never focus on something or somewhere you want to avoid.
How do you apply your present concentration to the shot at hand?
• You evaluate your shot based on the present physical and psychological climate and environment: the lie, the wind, the distance, your best chance of success, your level of self-confidence.
• You decide on the type of shot.
• You step up to the ball with self-confidence and purposeful mindset.
• You accept the outcome of your shot, whatever that may be.
• You commit fully to the shot.
(For more information and tips of golf shots, go to: Basic Golf Techniques.)
Patience of Job
Patience is confidence waiting, not confused indecision. Your mind focuses on the things you can control, without forcing on things to happen, while you concentrate on the present shot at hand. How do you acquire your patience?
• You take a deep breath, wherever and whenever necessary:
o Inhale consciously.
o Hold your breath for 10 seconds.
o Exhale slowly with your mouth seemingly open.
o Say to yourself: “I am confident and I am in
control.”
• You focus your awareness on yourself, such as on your hands and feet by conjuring up a mental picture.
• You apply positive self-talk to boost up your self-confidence: use words like “hanging in there” when things are going askew.
Total Personal Commitment
Golfing success is about your personal commitment, not to the golf ball, not to anyone else, but to yourself and to your goal.
Commitment is different from involvement. In golf, as in life, total 100 percent commitment holds the key to success in any endeavor.
How do you commit yourself to golfing success?
l You evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and purposefully address those issues.
l You commit yourself to a golf fitness and golf nutritionprogram. (See Golf Nutrition.)
l You commit yourself to preventing golf injuries through a regular exercise program. (Go to my website Physical Exercise.)
(See Golf Injuries.)
l You commit yourself to mastering all golf basics.
l You regularly begin your pre-shot routine on the range, not on the golf course, until your golf swing becomessubconscious, thereby instrumental in enhancing your spontaneous internal motion functioning. Make your swing become second nature to you, such that you can focus on your target, not your swing.
Commitment requires a great deal of efforts and hard work. As one of the golf basics, it provides you with an inner strength necessary for success.
Simplicity Is Golfing Success
Golf inconsistency is a common hindrance to success.
Jack Nicklaus: If there is one thing I have learned during my years as a professional, it is that the only thing constant about golf is its inconstancy.
The good news is: Simplicity produces consistency, which holds the key to long-term golfing success.
How do you keep your golf simple and consistent?
l You make your goals simple and realistic: e.g. examinewhere you take the most strokes. Remember, the quality of your practice always shows up in the quality of your performance.
l You make simple practice plans and adhere to them: be consistent, and avoid switching from one to another.
l You focus on what your control, instead of what you cannot control. You can certainly control yourself, but you cannot control others or the environment. Worrying makes you lose your control of your golf basics.
l You make a simple golf swing without too much analysis. Jack Nicklaus is a great believer in simple and natural swing. Just swing freely and naturally. It is consciousness without being self-conscious.
l You make simple decisions on all your shots. After your initial analysis of the forthcoming shot, make a simple decision and stick to it. A clear decision produces order and clarity with all your golf shots.
The game of golf is complex, but you need not make it “more complex” than necessary. Golfing success is deceptively simple and simply amazing.
Golf is play to be enjoyed, not toil to be anxious about.
No Great Expectations
In golf, having no great expectations makes the game simple and successful. Do not position yourself for failure by having great expectations. Do not let your great expectations get in your way.
How do you have no expectations?
l You learn not to become “score conscious.”
l You do not form any preconceived notion of how you are going to play in the game. Remember, one shot at a time. Only play the shot at hand.
l You do not expect your shot patterns to be exactly the same as the ones on the practice range. And do not expect to hit the ball perfectly every time. Always expect the unexpected. Golf inconsistency is only too common. Expect it.
l Focus your mind on the process, rather than theoutcome.
With no expectations from the game, you focus on your target in the PRESENT moment, thereby freeing yourself from the bondage of your accountability to any performance standard you may have preset for yourself.
Expect the best, but be prepared for the worst. Do your best, and let God do the rest.
Expect your total commitment on any shot.
Positive expectations give you motivation and passion for golfing success.
Playing with Confidence and Trust
In golf, as in life, everything you do is based on confidence and trust. To succeed in golf, you must learn to trust your technique, judgment, and decision. These are golf basics for golfing success.
In golfing success, there is no “gray” area in the arena of confidence and trust. Either you have it, or you don’t; there is no “in between.”
How do you play with confidence and trust?
l You swing to your target without undue concern of howto hit the ball exactly right. You don’t trust the ball’s intelligence to find the target; you trust your own spontaneous movements acquired through regular practice. A pianist at a recital does not worry about his or her fingering, so why should you worry about your golf swing? You swing should always be natural andspontaneous, just like you type on the keyboard without looking. If you have mastered the golf basics, you should be able to play with confidence and trust, just like a pro.
l You learn to trust your mind, your emotions, and yourgolfing instinct. No matter at what level you play golf, you must develop that trust, without which you will be immobilized and you will not harness and fully utilize the golf basics you have mastered.
l You are confident that you have decided on the right type of shot. Trust the inner voice that makes the decision. Sometimes it is better to be decisive on thewrong club than to be indecisive on the right one. (SeeGolf Accessories.)
Just let yourself swing freely, trusting that you have made the right choice of clubs and shot.
Confidence and trust require time and discipline, but they are indispensable assets in golfing success. They enable you to play without “striving” to play better: you simply play according to your instinct and talent, trusting that they will bring about a positive outcome for you.
Hanging in There
Frustration often undermines your golf performance.
Hang in there until you ultimately succeed. Always give yourself your best efforts to golfing success.
How do you hang in there when things are going askew?
l You use your willpower to overcome all obstacles. Change your perspectives by changing your attitudes. Never sell yourself short. Show the world, or yourself, what you can do. Do not undermine your talent and sabotage your golfing success, irrespective of your level.
l You reply on your innate human spirit to persevere and to challenge yourself in any circumstance. Give yourself a pep talk and reinforce it with purposeful behaviors. Remind yourself that you play the game to enjoy, and nothing else or no one else really matters. Remember the old adage: Keep a cool head while others around you are losing theirs.
Source: http://www.golfingsuccessinfo.com/golf-basics.html
Tourists from Asia, America and Europe arrives in Clark Philippines looking for the best restaurant in Angeles City to wine and dine before nightlife entertainment begins; many wine and food lovers look for the best fine dining restaurant in Angeles City to relax and unwind after golf or work in Clark Philippines, others bring their families to enjoy a good dinner at the child friendly restaurant in Angeles City Pampanga.
Wine and food lovers travel north out of town from Manila towards Pampanga to wine and dine at the best restaurant in Angeles City, uncorking a few bottles of fine vintage wine from Yats Wine Cellars accompanied by juicy US steaks or an assortment of fine seafood and vegetarian dishes only available in the best restaurants in Pampanga Clark Philippines
Best restaurant in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines serves great steaks and seafood with fine vintage wine. The wine cellars of this restaurant in Clark Pampanga offer wine lovers a wide variety of vintage wines to enjoy with the delicious food and elegant cuisine of this fine dining restaurant. These wines are not available elsewhere in the Philippines except in the outlets of Yats Restaurant in Angeles City and Clark Philippines. The combination of fine wine, good food, cozy and elegant dining ambience and excellent service makes every dinner at this frequently visited restaurant in Clark Philippines a special treat. Guests from Manila, Subic, Angeles City and Clark Pampanga enjoy dining at this popular restaurant and wine bar for a number of reasons. Some praise this top rated restaurant for its private dining rooms that offer privacy and class. Others like the cozy elegant ambience of the main dining room of this fine dining restaurant in Clark. Foodies prefer to dine at this restaurant in Clark Philippines for its classic French Mediterranean cuisine and the genuine ingredients that go into the not only the meat but also the sidings in this restaurant. Wine lovers favor this resto bar in Pampanga because it is the best restaurant in Manila and Pampanga with an large wine list that offers many selections of fine vintage wines at good prices. Event organizers frequently choose this restaurant in Clark for corporate meetings, anniversaries, awarding ceremonies, small wedding receptions, private parties and all sorts of other functions and events. Many visitors to Angeles City and Clark Pampanga regard Yats Restaurant as a one-stop all-purpose business center complete with fine dining, wine lounge and meeting facilities, a very convenient venue for business executives staying in Angeles City, Pampanga and Clark Philippines.
For comments, inquiries and reservations click on Click here for inquiry and reservations
Restaurant@Yats-International.com
(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
For any assistance in planning and organizing a wedding ceremony, indoor or outdoor garden reception or to find other wedding service providers, Click here to contact us click here
For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to
http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
To buy wine in Manila, Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark or Subic please log on to http://www. ClarkWineCenter.com
To inquire with the highly recommended beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com
For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com
