Golf Course Self Hypnosis Exercise

This week I want to share with you a very simple self-hypnosis exercise that can be used on the golf course to relax your mind and body for peak performance. One of my clients used to be a local pro in my area and he once told me that the key to fixing any golf swing is relaxation. He said that if you start struggling with your shots most likely it’s not mechanical, but tension being held somewhere in the body. So the key to fixing your swing on the course is to make sure your body and all your muscles are completely loose and relaxed.

It is equally important to keep your mind as relaxed as possible too. The reason is mental stress or negative thoughts will psychosomatically create tension in the body which in turn effects your performance.

Since it is so important to keep you mind and body loose, relaxed, and comfortable in order to play your best golf, let me teach you a simple mental exercise that will guide you into deep levels of relaxation. I will first teach you the full technique, which you should practice a minimum of once a day at home or work, and then I will show you how to adapt it to the golf course. Before going any further, I do want to inform you that practicing this technique is crucial for it to be effective on the course. I do want to point out that it will provide you many benefits besides playing better golf. This exercise will reduce daily stress in a healthy way, give you more energy, and increase your level of mental focus.

The Blackboard Technique

Start by finding a comfortable and quiet place to relax for 2-3 minutes. Once you found that place, begin by taking a few deep breaths in and slowly exhaling. Then simply close your eyes and imagine or visualize a blackboard in front of you. If you have a hard time visualizing than just pretend or think about being in front of a blackboard, it will accomplish the same thing. Next, as vividly as you can, imagine drawing a large circle on the blackboard and then proceed to write the number 25 inside the circle. Then, imagine taking an eraser and erasing the number 25. Every time you write and erase a number, let your body relax deeper or simply become more comfortable. Next, slowly write the number 24 inside of the circle, erase it, and relax even more. Continue with this process of writing the number, erasing it, and relaxing deeper until you reach 0. When you reach 0, you will find yourself in a deep state of relaxation and bliss. Your mind will also be very open and receptive to positive affirmations. This is a good time to declare all the things you wish to be and achieve if you use affirmations in your life.

When you are finished and ready to get back to your day, simply open your eyes or count forward from one to three. As your eyes open, you will feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

This exercise should take 2-3 minutes to complete so take your time with it. It sounds very simple, yet it can be more difficult when put into practice. Many people when they first begin mental exercises like this find their mind wandering around and having a hard time focusing on the task. If you find your mind wandering it’s ok. Simply acknowledge that you wandered from your task and pick up where you left off until you reach 0.

Here are a few more quick points about this exercise. First, this is an exercise that helps to increase your mental focus. The more you practice it the better able you will be to focus your mind on tasks and on the course. It will help you develop mental discipline so that you can focus on the thoughts you want rather than your mind running on autopilot. Next, as you practice this exercise always strive to make your experience more real. Concentrate your energy on incorporating every one of your senses into your experience. Can you see the board? Can you hear the chalk? Can you feel the chalk in your hands? What does the room smell like? Is there a taste? Again, do you best to bring all of your senses into the experience anyway you can. Like all things you will get better with practice. By learning an exercise like this it can greatly enhance your performance on the course.

So how do I adapt this technique to the golf course? Well, once you have practiced and are competent with the exercise, you can achieve the same benefit in a much shorter amount of time. So if I am struggling on the course, have tension in my mind or body, or really need to focus on a big shot, I will sit in the golf cart, close my eyes, and do the blackboard exercise from 7-0. I give my mind the intention that when I reach 0, I will be mentally and physically relaxed and all of my stress will be released. After the exercise I open my eyes and proceed to hit my next shot relaxed and confident.

This simple technique WORKS! After teaching it to my class at the NGH convention, a gentleman came up to me and said he had to thank me. He told me his wife attended my class the day before and taught him the blackboard technique after the class. The next day, he said it helped him to take 8 strokes off his normal handicap! Practice this technique at home and then put it to the test. I know that you will love the results!