We've had several question about the value of Sports Psychologists, since they seem to be on the rise, especially on Tour. For starters, what they do is mental coaching. Since most of them have PHDs, I have heard them called 'Doc' many times by the pros, as well as by me, when I greet the ones I personally know.
We all have a mind, and the mind is where thinking takes place, and I know of no other human activity where bad, detrimental, and destructive mental activity or thoughts can creep, or 'explode' into your brain faster than while playing golf.
The number one villain is the negative aspect of talking to ourselves just in swing and shot preparation or after shot comments that we just pound ourselves with anger and derogatory insults.
Have you ever said to yourself, after hitting a poor to awful shot in a real important point in a round, 'You choke like a dog.' Or say something like after every time you have to hit a big shot and blow it, 'I fold like a cheap chair.' And, many of us will also use language that is not printable here.
I also hear from students on the lesson tee and on the course things like: 'don't pick your head up,' “don't break your left arm,' or “don't straighten your right leg in the backswing,' And then there is the negativity on the course of shot results when they say things like, 'don't pull it left and hit it OB,' or 'don't top it into the lake,' or don't slice it into the woods.'
The solution is to talk positive with comments like:
'I am going to hit it dead down the middle,' 'I am going to keep my head still,''keep my right knee flexed.'
Negative thoughts are killer thoughts that almost certainly doom a player having positive results. The mind most often responds to the last thought. So if you want to improve your swing and playing, get into positive self talk.
Now, back to sports psychologists and the role they play in helping golfers. They have years of education to help players by evaluating players negative thoughts and actions, and then teach them how to think and act positively and successfully.Many, if not most golfers, could use some mental coaching.
When we hit bad shots, and, especially in important pressure packed situations and fail, our inner voice can say some pretty awful and disgusting things, from 'I am a choker' to I promise I will quit this #@^&*()) stupid game,'
Negative self talk is powerfully destructive. Positive self talk is powerfully productive, never mind it makes you feel better and perform better.
Two sports psychologists immediately come to mind: Dr. Bob Rotella and Dr. David Cook. I like Dr. Rotella as a person and I like his messages. I will add here that I like these two “Docs” because they are both really good players and certainly know and have experienced everything the rest of us have to deal with every time we play.
Dr. Cook has a relatively new book out called 'Golf's Sacred Journey, Seven Days at The Links of Utopia.' It is an awesome and easy read as it is sports psychology in a story format about a troubled and defeated Tour professional's unusual route to finding mental peace and harmony. The final chapter has a message to the reader that can be moving and life changing.
You can get Golf's Sacred Journey' only online at Dr. Cook's web site www.linksofutopia.com
Now, after giving sports psychology a raving review, I cannot end this without making my comment to what I feel is the 'Fatal Flaw' in the mental coaching process.One of their major dictates is during a round when stress is building, when your swing doesn't feel right and you're hitting poor quality shots, they teach you to feel and think good shots.
The problem is good visualization and thinking cannot overcome setup and swing flaws and problems. If the ultimate cause of poor thinking is from hitting bad shots and rests in poor setup and or swing problems, all the best thinking of even a genius won't help.
If a player has been driving it left and then right and is clueless, I don't care how much he or she stares at the middle of the fairway and says, 'I can pure it down the middle, I can pure it down the middle,' it won't likely happen. Because while it is mentally possible, it is likely physically impossible! He may get lucky and hit one down the middle, but if he or she is honest with themselves, they are clueless as to why and how it happened. I know this because many players over the years have told me so.
The point here is the best mental thinking is still subject to success only when the setup and swing is functioning equally well.
This leads me to my final point regarding a mental coaching flaw. The mental coach turning into the swing coach.
This happens when the mental coaching does not fix the bad ball flight and the mind Doc then tries to help with the swing. I have no problem with this as long as they have adequate training in swing theory and experience to be an effective instructor. If not, they need to stick with the mind and tell the student to seek out their instructor.
Playing good golf is a twofold process of good mental activity and a good setup and swing that is in harmony with the laws of physics and physiology.They go hand in hand like soup and a sandwich, fish and chips, and the my Surgism, 'The setup determines the motion.'
So get in that PPGS setup and think good thoughts. Then watch your scores go lower.
The Surge!