staying in the present during the golf game part 1

how to stay in the present during your golf game when you have a song stuck in your head 
have you ever had a song stay in your head all throughout your golf game. even if it's just the chorus or 2 lines, it won't get out of your mind. and even when you try to block it out before taking your shot, it almost immediately starts playing in your head right after the golf ball leaves your club face.

when i hear a nice song and listen to it so much that i know the tune and can recite the lyrics, i didn't expect that it would lead to consequences on the golf course.

During the SLGA amateur open, i had to come up with a way to successfully block the songs blasting in my head  while keeping its usefulness in keeping my mind free in between shots.

1. observe the things around you - keep it specific
eg: I see a tree with red leaves, I see a bird cleaning itself

2. note the sounds you can hear
eg: i hear heavy traffic, i hear a woodpecker

it's a great way to stay in the present because you bring your attention back to the shot at hand.

staying in the present during the golf game

staying in the present is a big part of the golf game. you read in alot of books teaching about the mental aspect of golf. its sounds so straightforward because we can only live in the present moment so why is it often so hard to keep your mind in the present during your golf game?

because our mind is always moving. we are always processing information. we are continuously taking in our surroundings and analysing our situation. it allows us to assess our ball position, whether there is wind, whether we are standing on a slope etc. however, it also leads us to analyse our standing in the golf game, so we count how many over par we are, how many pars we want to hit etc.

however, the awesome thing about our mind is that we can control our thoughts. we can decide which thoughts we want to place our focus on and which types of things to analyse.

in this upcoming series, i will describe 3 common ways our mind wanders from the present moment and how to bring it back.

do you read about staying in the present and then feel motivated to start doing it on the golf course ??
do you then start to let your mind wander after hitting a few bad shots?

if you do, then it is because you have not mastered HOW TO STAY IN THE PRESENT

more refreshing sleep

i used to have trouble falling asleep, sometimes even when i'm tired. and then morning time comes around and i can't drag myself out of bed. even with 12 hours of sleep, i can still feel lethargic and unable to open my eyes.
i suspected it was because my room is partitioned by built-in wardrobes that block my bed from the windows so it's really dark at night. but the downside is that i often can't really tell if the sky is still dark or if the sun is shining brightly outside.

but ever since i started using mental imagery before sleep. i find myself sleeping soundly with ease (i think i might even sleep with a smile on my face). and i also feel more energetic when it's time to wake up :) i spring out of bed (comparative to dragging myself out)

before i go to sleep, i lie on my bed, relaxed and imagine myself on the golf course. sometimes i just picture myself hitting great shots and sometimes i see myself playing the course. i watch myself hit fantastic shots with a smooth and complete swing, then feel the emotions and satisfaction of seeing the ball fly toward my target. i always have a big smile after hitting an awesome shot

i used to find it a chore to see things in my mind. but with practice and determination, it is becoming easier to feed my subconscious mind with wonderful images.

then when i'm on the golf course, i feel more confident when i'm about to hit the ball, which results in a good shot more often

yayyy

putting challenge

you spend a big portion of your golf game on the putting green, and that should convince you that putts are ever so important. but because you only need negligible talent in order to putt, most people neglect this important aspect of the game. often concentrating on improving we long game, we forget that it is usually our putting that can determine whether we play in the 80s or the 90s. 


in trying to bring down my scores to play in the low 80s and even break 80, i've discovered how important each putt is. a missed putt as a 1 stroke addition to your overall score. 


i'm not very good with judging putts in feet so i'll just refer to them in metres for my own simplicity. 


when i'm left with a 2 metre putt for par, i often don't sink it and then turn my good chip shot into a bogey instead. but i realised that it's usually because i've convinced myself i'll probably miss it, therefore i do. so i devised a putting challenge to increase my confidence and also create some pressure in my putting practice to simulate the atmosphere in competitions where you want to sink putts that matter. note that this is a variation from something i read in a book. 


choose a hole with a simple break or preferably a straight putt. 
take out the pin and using tees, mark out 1m, 2m and 3m away 


the goal is to sink 9 putts in a row. (3 from 1metre, 3 from 2metres and then 3 from 3metres)
if you miss one restart from 1metre again. 


it was my first time doing this and i learnt that this simple exercise can bring out so many aspects in your golf mental game


15 minutes
i'm starting to get frustrated and don't follow my pre-shot routine 
think: just stick with it. even if it takes 1 hour, stick with it ! 


25 minutes
i manage to sink 8 putts in a row, and almost cry out when i missed the 9th 


30minutes
i have to leave to go home but i feel my confidence in those short putts improved !

feeding your mind with good scenes

this exercise works best before you go to sleep. although i accidentally fell asleep with the lights on halfway through the first time i did it. so you can choose whether to switch off the lights or keep them on. either way is fine but no matter whether you want to do it on the bed, or in a chair, make sure you are in a quiet place that you will not be disturbed. put on some soothing music if you wish.

do the 4-5-6 breathing technique i learnt which is to
breathe in for 4 counts
hold your breath for 5 counts
breathe out for 6 counts.

this 456 breathing exercise can help you to relax.

*use it while focusing on your muscles from your feet up to your head for a more thorough relaxation*

ok imagine yourself on the first tee box. try to be as detailed as possible with what it looks like (is the sun bright?), are there any smells? etc
then imagine yourself smashing an awesome tee shot straight and long down the fairway
feel your body making the beautiful swing to hit the shot and soak in the nice warm feeling after impact

do this every night. it will only take a minute but will slowly build into your subconscious mind that you will hit a great drive to start off a good golf game. we all know how good it feels to start the golf game well right. soon you will find it become a reality ! trust in it and just be patient !

you subconscious mind can work in wondrous ways so just let it do its job

concentrating on the golf course

i used to feel pressured when my flight mates watch me hit. especially when they stand quite close-by. but i realised that it is impossible to stop people from watching me hit so i decided that i need to find a way to concentrate better when i'm about to hit the ball because i tend to rush when i'm ACTUALLY hitting the shot.

when concentration increases, score goes down.

now, i make an effort to really slow down and focus on hitting each shot without rushing at impact. even though i feel like i'm playing at a slower pace, i believe that it's just because i'm getting used to staying focused and once i get more used to it, i'll be able to zone in and totally concentrate on my shot on the golf course.

i also tell myself that if people are watching me, then it must be because they want to learn from me. so i can draw on that positive idea and channel it into my golf game to hit better shots !

whoo hoo ! stick to the plan and results will come !

mental images take practice

i admit i am guilty of beating myself up on the golf course. giving up around hole 5 of the golf game is my forte and then i have to spend a good 3 holes trying to convince myself that i have the potential to play better as long as i find confidence.
i admit i am guilty of giving up on my routine when i play badly telling myself its no point and doing something different might actually be good for my game. and if i'm gonna play the same score anyway, whats the point in putting so much effort.

i resolve to play every golf game with conviction and commit to visualizing my shot and seeing it land at the spot i have chosen. i resolve to spend more walking time on the golf course feeling what its like to hit great shots. hearing the sound of the putt dropping into the cup.

it wasn't easy but i was able to channel my mind to do it about 85-90% of the game. i still finished the round with a score of 89 but i can really feel my game improving. when it all clicks together then i'll really be in business.

i think it takes time to train up seeing imagery in your head. maybe all the good players already know this. it all seems vaguely familiar but now i am certain that even though its not easy, i will be able to do it easily and effortlessly if i stick to the process and keep thinking that i am a great player.

when i feel like a great player, i can play like one.

think good swing thoughts: smooth and simple swing with good rhythm.
think "sa-wish swish"

my kiss

keep it simple and smooth. You can call it kis-as if you want have a more high-class ring to it. Haha or if you just want to say it out loud quickly repeating it to make yourself laugh. It will do you good to have some laughter in your golf game.

Often I've hit too many double bogeys to get anywhere near my goal of breaking 80 on the day so I just try to look around and find things that make me smile. Such as the funny lizard that runs away when I go near. Haha animals always make me coo.

everyday is a new day and a new chance for a good game of golf. Even when your confidence is really low, spend time each day. Even 5 minutes would be good. Spend the time to imagine you are a great golfer. What it would feel like to return with a score in the 70s everytime. How proud of yourself you would feel.

Think big. See the big picture. Instill your mind with positive images because your mind doesn't tell the difference. Feel great in order to be great



Start

mental strength test

I feel my mental strength tested on a daily basis. From the time my alarm rings till I go to bed, my mind is constantly challenged to be optimistic about the day ahead and how much my golf performance can improve.

Golf is just a game where you are never immediately rewarded for practice although it is certain that constant practice has a better payoff than spurts of enthusiasm.

If my daily attitude towards golf practice and game performance were measured like in an exam, I wonder how I would fare out of 100 ?

I think I currently just pass. I would score myself 50. It would be good to think of improving my mental strength like it were an exam I sit everyday. I aim to score 100 marks soon. That means to be able to stay optimistic about my game and practice and be able to identify unhelpful thoughts and weed them out by replacing them with hopeful positive thoughts

So there. Female Golfer Tip of the day: score your mental strength after each round of golf or after each practice session. on a scale of 1-100 how optimistic were you and how positively did you hit all your shots.

Thoughts like 'my golf really sucks and will never get better' or 'i don't see any point in practice because there's never any improvement' and 'nothing I do seems right, I really wanna give up' are no-nos and should severely lower your mental strength grade for the day.

Don't worry, you get a new mental strength grade each time you play golf or practice so there's always room for improvement and each golf practice session is a new one.

Its a simple way to measure your mental strength and track your improvement

female golfer tips: positive thinking

positive thinking in golf just means giving yourself positive instructions !

i am also sometimes guilty of having the kind of thoughts like "oh gosh, don't enter the bunker", "please don't let me shank the shot out of bounds" or "get across the pond, just - get - across - the - pond and i'll be happy"

some call it self fulfilling prophecy but scientifically it is just that the brain responds to whatever message you give it and it sees whatever you are thinking. it is unable to decipher what you don't want because it can only picture the current thought. so instead of thinking "don't enter the bunker", positively rephrase the thought by saying to yourself "land on that strip of fairway" and repeat the positive thought till you are comfortable, then make that swing and watch it land where you want it to.

tadah ! like magic !

a good mental attitude for playing golf is about banishing negative thoughts and bad pictures from the mind. only imagine all the good shots and remember what it feels like to hit that nice sweet shot

female golfer tips: never scold yourself on the golf course

it's so easy to beat yourself up over a bad shot, an unlucky shank, topping your pitch over the back of the green etc
how come its difficult to keep those berating thoughts out and welcome in those loving, nourishing thoughts ?
how come we often set up to a shot previewing all the bad shots we hit out of the same position or same type of lie ?

i have this theory that we're so used to scolding ourselves that we get used to the idea that we aren't that good at golf or we have no talent at the game and we eventually feel quite comfortable playing the usual round of golf. so much so that when a negative thought creeps into our mind, it becomes quite hard to remove it because we feel uncomfortable without it. it's like we've made ourselves believe that we will  never play a score during a round of golf that it is hard imagining ourselves playing a 79.

its the 51, 39. 39,50. or what i like to call the 90 curse.
you play 51 on the front nine and get so frustrated that you switch to this heck-care attitude which relaxes you and makes you hit 39 on the back nine. then you beat yourself up over why you didn't play better on the first 9 so you break 90.
or you hit 39 on the front nine and then try so hard to keep up with the pars and birdies that you go hit a 51 on the back nine because your mind went and made the game so complicated. then you berate yourself for screwing up the back nine holes.

i know it isn't easy and i'm still working on getting better at doing it. but if you keep trying you will get better. don't scold yourself on the golf course for doing something less than perfect or ideal. no one hits the ball perfectly into the right spot where you want it land 100%

be less harsh on yourself and don't give up !

what's wrong with optimism?

I always start my day with a lot of optimism. I start my golf practice really optimistic. I tee off the first hole still hopeful that I will play a really good round of golf.

I'm always hoping for a miracle in my golf game. But I find that the higher my level of optimism, the harder I fall at the end of the game, or even before I finish the game.

I always toe the iron shots or top the wood shots. By the time I hit a ball that doesn't cross the water or goes out of bounds, I'm emotionally shagged and my optimism level just drops by half its original amount.

But the biggest thing to focus on is that we are a miracle. Don't keep looking for a miracle because you're experiencing it everyday

lightning struck my house: a new beginning

can you believe it !!! my house got struck by lightning !!!
my dad says its not very common for it to happen but i think this is already the second time it's happened since i've moved in more than 10 years ago. i must add that i've never heard it happen to anyone before.

anyway i feel like this incident is a sign. sign that things are going to change. no matter what happens, it'll change for the better. be it my golf or my relationships. its a sign of good luck !

today i played an OK golf game. at least i hit more decent shots today and i managed 4 greens on regulation. great improvement from my 1 green on regulation last week lol

after the lightning strike, i have new found determination and enthusiasm. i believe i am able to improve my golf and i am committed to improve my golf. i trust in the process of improvement.

no more feeling demoralised. no more being depressed. no more mood-iness. no more crying. no more being frustrated. only hope and happiness.

thank you daddy for always encouraging me and being there for me through my ups and downs. daddy is da best !!















check out this book about probabilities. they write about the chances of getting struck by lightning. what about your HOUSE being struck by lightning ??

hard work part 2

its 6am and i'm still awake. Can't get to sleep because i'm tingling all over with excitement

635am i decide to stop tossing and turning in bed, turn on the lights and change into golfing gear

645am i'm out the door and waiting for a cab (grrr wait till its past 7 to get a cab), i almost give up to go home and crawl into bed. I remember that i'm wearing earrings today and feel confident and sexy

715am i reach the club and order breakfast. I feel proud that my determination to practice hard is coming back, nevermind that i haven't slept. At least i'm out of my pyjamas and besides i've slept about 12 hours each of the past few days i've been moping.

744am i'm done with my yummy thick cut kaya toast and am about to start my day of efficient golf practice

745am it starts to rain. A difference of just one minute decides my schedule. I'll update my blog first. The wind is blowing through the clubhouse and i feel chilly (weird cos i'm always sweating so much here). small rain drops fly with the wind and land on my phone screen. But nothing can stop my determination today.

It is my determination to start on part 2 of hard work. Determination to improve my golf. Determination not to let all the obstacles i faced prevent me from moving forward. Determination not to be afraid.

I finished watching taiwan series 'my queen'. One sentence i really found meaningful is that you can choose how you feel in just one second. Choosing to be optimistic takes just a second, choosing to give up on yourself also takes a second. Why not make the choice that will enrich your life.

Make the choice of loving yourself today. Do something that makes you feel happy. Even if you feel like nothing is going well, that no one appreciates anything you do, love yourself. don't wait for others to show they love you. If you don't love yourself who will??

I know it really isn't easy to find loving emotions when you're in a low place. I've been there. But don't worry, if i can do it, so can you !

Sending you love, wherever you are.

improving the mental aspect of golf

i've been resting my left wrist for the past two days

during this time i've been doing more work on my blogs, facebook page and also the mental aspect of my golf

i try to relax my body, visualize my perfect swing

in sports psychology, it has been proven that people who visualize themselves shooting 3pointers in basketball improve their accuracy by the same amount within the same time as people who spend the same amount of time actually practicing shooting 3pointers

even though i'm lying down, i visualize myself addressing the ball, how i grip the club, what the club feels like in my hands. i also try to imagine my surroundings and what the view is like. i draw a line connecting the sweet spot of my club head to my heart. on the backswing i feel myself getting into the right position and imagine myself working on the things i am trying to take note of in my swing. then on the downswing i feel my body driving into the ball and using my body to compress the ball. then i follow through with my club pointing down the target line and finish through smoothly :)

basically i visualize myself swinging the club the way i want to swing it all the time and imagine getting good contact with the ball. then when i know i have hit a good shot in my imagination, the actual feelings of satisfaction and happiness come to me naturally.

i do this in conjunction with creating the emotions that i would feel from hitting a good shot everytime. i imagine myself smiling with happiness after hitting good shots throughout the good game. the shots include sinking long putts, hitting long drives, solid iron shots and chipping and pitching the ball to near the pin.

in golf, they usually talk about visualizing your shot. this means the ball flight: where it starts out, what height and how much draw or fade you want it to achieve.

i haven't yet read about visualizing yourself and the emotions that are attached to hitting great shots