The Official Mental Caddie Blog

2011-05-04T03:55:00.001-07:00

“I never exaggerate, I just remember big.” – Chi Chi Rodriguez.Create memories on the golf course by training your mind www.mentalcaddie.com

2011-05-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

Improve your golf game at the www.mentalcaddie.com

2011-04-29T04:01:00.001-07:00

“The real way to enjoy playing golf is to take pleasure not in the score, but in the execution of strokes.” – Bobby Jones

Most Crucial 90 Seconds in Golf

2011-04-28T05:17:00.001-07:00

A round of golf takes 4 hours to play but the number on your scorecard is determined in just a matter of minutes. Did you know that most pre-shot routines are 45 seconds long and the actually golf swing takes just over a second? Since physical performance accounts for only 90 seconds of the entire round, the rest of the round consists of mental and emotional management. Your ability to concentrate your mind inside your performance zone and manage your emotions during the round is as much a determiner of success as executing your swing. While it is next to impossible to possess absolute focus over the course of a 4 hour round, it is possible to train your mind to have intense, unbreakable focus during these crucial minute long intervals on the course.

Regardless of the skill level, every golfer deals with the same mental obstacles throughout the round. The only difference is the scratch golfer has learned how to concentrate their focus on more shots than the 20 handicap. Simple lapses in concentration result in wasted shots and higher scores. Examples of concentration lapses include: rushed pre-shot routines, talking to friends while in the performance zone, getting distracted by noises or other people, and worrying about shots you already hit. There are so many examples of how we let our mind’s wander during those critical 60 seconds that a book could be written on the subject. That is why having the ability to tune out all distractions for 1 minute is so crucial because just one lapse in concentration during a round can be just enough to let the win slip through your fingers.

So if you are ready to put an end to those lapses in concentration and wasted shots then the mental exercise you are about to read is perfect for you. This mental exercise only takes 2-3 minutes and can benefit golfers of every skill level. The results of this exercise are cumulative in nature so the more you practice this technique the better results your will get. Since your results will consistently improve with practice, this exercise should be practiced on a daily basis to get the maximum benefits on the course.

First, this exercise will train your mind to create more intense and unbreakable focus during your pre-shot routine and golf shot. This exercise trains your mind to block out all distractions and focus completely during your shot. Over time you will actually be able to use the distractions around you to heighten your level of focus during your shot. Learning to focus in this way is guaranteed to help you produce better results and lower scores.

Second, this exercise will help you improve your ability to execute your swing and strike the ball better on the course. Annie Plessinger of Vanderbilt University Psychology Department said “Many sports such as golf, tennis, and skating, not only require physical skills, but a strong mental game as well. Most coaches preach the line that sports are 90% mental and only 10% physical. Although it is not as beneficial as physical practice, visual imagery fairs better than no practice at all. Hence, a program with physical practice combined with mental training seems to be the best method. Virtually all studies show that mental training improves motor skills. Whether you are a recreational athlete or a professional does not matter. The benefits of mental imagery have proved successful at any level. So if you are a professional looking to break into the top, or a club player who simply wishes to defeat his/her friend, I recommend incorporating mental imagery along with physical practice. Not only can mental imagery improve specific motor skills but it also seems to enhance motivation, mental toughness, and confidence, all which will help elevate your level of play1.” This exercise incorporates the mental rehearsal of your perfect swing which will help you to execute your real one better on the course. By utilizing an exercise like this, you don’t always need a driving range to improve your game. You can make improvements simply by relaxing at home or any other time you have a few free minutes.

Third, this exercise will teach you how to rapidly relax your mind and body in a very short period of time. Practicing this drill will give you another competitive advantage over your opponent because you will have the ability to relax and stay loose any time you wish. This is an incredible skill for all golfers to possess because physical relaxation is essential to executing your best swing. I once heard that relaxation is the key to fix any golf swing because tension will dramatically affect the movements of the body. The exercise as described below is designed to take 2-3 minutes, however once mastered this exercise can be shorten and used on the course to achieve rapid relaxation.

Finally, this exercise provides many great benefits off the golf course as well. You will notice that this exercise will help you release daily stress, help you to sleep better at night, stay more focused at work, and increase your overall health and wellness.

The Peak Focus Mental Training Technique

Step 1: Find a quiet place where you can sit back and relax for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Begin the process of physical relaxation by taking a few slow deep breaths. Having studied stress reduction breathing techniques for years, I believe the easiest way to relax through deep breathing is by following what I call the 4x4 method. This simply means that you will breathe in, hold your breath, exhale the breath, and pause between breaths all to a count of four. Mastering this technique by itself can serve to be a valuable asset on the course for all golfers. It will help you control emotions, relax your body, and refocus your mind after a poor shot.

Step 3: After doing the 4x4 method for a few moments, close your eyes to block out distractions and let your body relax. With your eyes closed, begin to imagine as vividly as possible being all alone at your favorite golf course. Give your imagination the freedom to be child-like again and really make this experience as close to real life as possible. An easy way to tap into your imagination is by doing your best to incorporate as many senses as you can into the experience. Can you clearly visualize the course? What do you clothes look like? Is it a sunny day? Are you able to feel the sun on your skin or a cool breeze cooling the air? Can you feel the grip of your club or the ground beneath your feet? What things do you hear? Are the birds chirping? How does your swing sound? Can you smell the fresh cut grass? Every time you do this exercise, challenge your imagination to make it more vivid, detailed, and life like.

Step 4: Imagine that you are standing on the tee box and there is a bucket of brand new golf balls with the numbers 25-1 on them. As vividly as you can, imagine picking up the golf ball numbered 25 and tee it up. Next, visualize yourself executing your perfect swing and striking the ball right on the sweet spot. As you complete your swing and watch the ball get launched down the fairway, allow your mental and physical relaxation to increase. When you are ready, imagine picking up the ball numbered 24 and repeat the same process. Experience as real as you can, swinging your club perfectly and hitting another beautiful golf shot. Again, as the ball is catapulted down the fairway, double your mental and physical relaxation. Continue this process until you have successfully hit all 25 golf balls perfectly in your mind and have progressively doubled your level of relaxation.

Step 5: After mentally hitting all 25 golf balls, you will find yourself in a state of deep relaxation and will have a few options on how to end the experience. First, you can simply sit back and enjoy the deep relaxation you have created. If you have been stressed out at work or home then you will really enjoy this. The second option is to utilize this time of mental receptivity to give yourself positive suggestions and affirmations about your golf game. You might want to repeat a mantra like, “I perform without conscious effort” or “Everyday my golf game is improving.” In this relaxed state your mind will readily receive your suggestions so make sure your thoughts are positive. The final option is to take a few deep breaths to re-energize the body and simply open your eyes feeling refreshed and revitalized.

I know at first glance, this may seem like a very simple exercise however it can be much harder when it’s put into practice. Many will find their mind’s wandering around after just a few golf balls. If you find your mind wandering around during the exercise, the moment you do immediately go back to your mental course and pick up where you left off. Do this as much as necessary until you hit all 25 golf balls. Always be sure to finish the exercise even if it takes long than expected. The ultimate goal is to complete the entire exercise with absolute focus and concentration on every golf ball from 25 all the way down to 1. Once you have mastered this exercise and can do it without varying from the task in any way, begin to challenge yourself by learning how to do it with loud music playing or in a noisy environment all while maintaining total focus on the drill.

I believe in life simple things can most often be the most profound and this technique is one of those things. This technique works and will improve your performance on the course only if you put it into consistent practice. The beauty of this technique is you can enhance your game at anytime and anywhere.

2011-04-28T05:14:00.001-07:00

“Golf is a game of inches. The most important are those between the ears.” – Arnold Palmer. Golf your best www.mentalcaddie.com

2011-04-10T08:29:00.001-07:00

Mechanics in golf can only take you so far, confidence takes you to the top. Confidence is a just a click away at www.mentalcaddie.com

Putt in a happy place; Golfers use hypnosis to break bad habits

2011-04-09T10:40:00.001-07:00

Putt in a happy place
Golfers use hypnosis to break bad habits

BY PAUL A. SPECHT, staff writer
CARY - Richard Skinner has been golfing for more than 50 years.

To this day, he'll do anything to improve his game.

He has fancy clubs that are supposed to improve accuracy.

He has spent hours at the driving range or on the practice green.

And he obeys superstition: Never use a "water ball" because it encourages bad habits and possesses bad luck.

Despite all this, he can't putt consistently.

So on July 15, the White Lake resident drove 100 miles to Cary for a lesson. "If you don't try to get better you're wasting your time," said Skinner, 66, who plays golf at least once a week.

But during his four-hour stay at Prestonwood Country Club, Skinner never touched a club. And his instructor wasn't even a golf pro.

Instead, Skinner entrusted his technique with John Weir, a certified hypnotist who helps golfers shave strokes off their game.

People have long turned to hypnotists for help with overcoming some of life's toughest obstacles, such as weight loss and smoking cessation.

So it makes sense that more hypnotists are catering to those who subscribe to the tired, but true, cliché: Golf is played in the space between one's ears.

"Athletes perform best in a relaxed state," said Dorothy Taylor, a Cary hypnotist who helped organize the event at Prestonwood.

Golf hypnosis, while not exactly new, has enjoyed solid growth in recent years as more athletes discover the link between mental and physical discipline, said Dwight Damon, co-founder of the National Guild of Hypnotists in Merrimack, N.H.
"Only in the last 20-or-so years have we become aware of the mind-body relationship," he said.

The awareness has come as hypnosis in general has become a more accepted treatment. The cartoon misconceptions of swinging watches are fading, Damon says.

"It's being picked up at hospitals more and more," he said, adding that guild membership has grown 70 percent to 12,000 in 70 countries during in the past six years.

In a banquet room at Prestonwood, Weir walked confidently between tables populated with 10 serious golfers who had paid $75 for his three-hour seminar. They listened intently as he talked about the human psyche and the origins of frustration.

"Relaxation is the key to fixing your golf swing," Weir said between PowerPoint slides that featured images of golfers and the human brain.

A person's habits, he said, are a reflection of the golfer's self-image and that self-inflicted pressure can hinder a player's confidence, performance and enjoyment.

Whether a golfer becomes tense before putting for birdie or pulls out a "water ball" before attempting a shot over a pond, negative thoughts undoubtedly change the course of one's game. "It can become a case of the mind not getting out of the way of the body," said Weir, who wore a gray suit and power tie.

To break bad habits, Weir encouraged participants to breathe deeply, relax their muscles and imagine the best shot they ever hit.

"Think about that shot. ... What did it feel like?" Weir said calmly to the participants, whose eyes were closed in the dim room. "Visualize that swing."

Weir told them to play it over - again and again - in their minds. The goal, he said, was to bypass the self-critical thoughts and establish acceptable, positive, selective thinking in the subconscious mind.

Poor mental mechanics are what brought Roxanne Hicklin to Weir's seminar.

The Raleigh resident won the Ladies Club Championship at Prestonwood in 2008. But she still struggles with negative thoughts while standing over short putts.

"I'm more likely to make a 20-foot putt than a 5-foot putt because there's not as much pressure," she said.

Hicklin said it got to the point where she didn't expect to make the short putts anymore because she became tense while trying not to miss.

"The lessons hadn't done any good for me," she said.

Which is why she turned to Weir.
"I'm not desperate," she said. "This is just something I haven't tried. So, why not?"

On Thursday, she took to the green for some putting practice at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh.

She read the breaks, gripped her club, lined up the putt, took her time and swung smoothly.
She sunk the 15-footer.

aspecht@nando.com or 919-460-2600
Cary News

Reposted by:
John Weir is an award winning Board Certified Hypnotist, golf improvement specialist, and creator of the Mental Caddie. To improve your golf game using hypnosis visit www.hypnosisaudiomall.com and get your Mental Caddie program today.

2011-04-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

Break your bad habits in golf with hypnosis. The Mental Caddie is 5 star rated and available at www.hypnosisaudiomall.com. Golf at your best

The Evolution of the Pre-Shot Routine

2011-04-07T05:14:00.001-07:00

The best golfers will tell that you that a doing a pre-shot routine before every shot is crucial to high level performance on the course. Effective pre-shot routines help golfers to relax their bodies, focus their minds, and visualize the success of their present shot. Jack Nicklaus was quoted saying “I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.” The problem is a pre-shot routine only stresses the importance of positive thinking and visualization prior to the shot, but overlooks the importance of what a golfer does after the shot. If the shot was a poor one and the golfer allows themselves to entertain negative thoughts and feelings, this negativity has the potential to destroy the possibility of hitting the next shot well or worse it could create a chain of events that destroy the round. To maximize performance on the course, a shift needs to be made from thinking about doing pre-shot routines into performing full-shot routines.

Every golfer has experienced the devastating effects of negative thinking during a round of golf. Negative thinking affects golfers in two major ways. First, negative thinking creates tension in the body which inhibits the body from swinging freely and rhythmically. Second and most importantly it takes the golfer out of the present moment and disrupts the ability to put full concentration on the current shot. So how does one begin to overcome negative thinking on the course?

One way to overcome negative thinking is to constantly your mind of two simple yet powerful truths in the game of golf. The first truth is that golf is not a game of perfect. I once heard the expression that the person who plays the best is the one who misses the closest. When the idea of hitting every shot perfect is released, a golfer will notice a decrease in the negative thoughts that typically flowed during a round.

Another significant truth in golf is that the most important shot of any round is the one that is being taken. The best performing golfers are the ones who can play consistently in the present moment and focus fully on each shot. In order to stay fully present and concentrated on the shot at hand, a golfer needs to train their mind to accept and release all thoughts good or bad about their previous shots.

One of the easiest ways of staying more in the present moment is by evolving your pre-shot routine into a full-shot routine. A full-shot routine takes into consideration that what is done after each shot is equally important as what you do before. In my opinion the missing piece in the equation for most golfers is the element of accepting their shot regardless of its outcome. Reluctance to accept the outcome of a shot is one of the key differences in the mentality of a pro versus the average golfer. When the mind is trained to accept the outcome and immediately release the energy of each shot then the ability to stay in the present moment and devote our full attention into the next shot greatly increases.

To help golfers achieve acceptance and release, I encourage them to adopt a full-shot routine by performing a technique called a Pattern Interruption after each shot. A pattern interruption is a technique used in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (or NLP) that is designed to interrupt old patterns of thoughts and feelings. This is any behavior that is outside of normal mode of doing things that would disrupt your old patterns such as clapping your hands or jumping on one foot. Think of a pattern interruption as something that would cause the music playing on a CD to skip. Too many scratches on a CD ultimately will prevent it from playing all together. This is the goal of pattern interruptions, to disrupt the old patterns so much that they can’t play in the mind. So here is how it is applied to golf and a full-shot routine.

First, make the commitment to doing a full-shot routine every shot. Next, after each shot regardless of the outcome, perform a pattern interruption or any unique behavior to release all emotions connected to the shot and keep your mind present. What I teach my golfers to do is after taking a shot, allow whatever emotion comes up to flow but limit your emotional response to 5 seconds. So whether you get excited, angry, or upset give yourself permission to experience it for a few seconds and then perform a pattern interruption as a way to signal the shot is over and to clear away the emotion. In my opinion, one of the best pattern interruptions is simply clapping your hands, wiping your hands clean, and affirming in your mind “the shots done.” After doing that, put your club back into the bag and forget about the shot. Once the club goes into the bag, it’s time to shift your focus from the past and focus on how you will make your next shot successful.

This simple technique should be added to your shot routine and performed every time. When you do this you will find yourself improving performance by staying more in the present moment and by releasing any negativity right away. Put this technique to the test. Your golf game will thank you.

John Weir is a board certified hypnotist, NLP master practitioner, and peak performance coach. He is the creator of the Mental Caddie which is a 6 disk audio program proven to condition the subconscious mind for success on the golf course. If you are interested in learning how to use your mind to lower your score this year go http://ping.fm/yLMs3 for all the details. To learn more about John Weir and his other services please visit http://ping.fm/xf4qy

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2011-04-07T05:02:00.001-07:00

Golf in the zone more consistently by conditioning your mind for peak performance. Program is proven effective for all www.mentalcaddie.com

2011-04-05T04:49:00.001-07:00

Golf isn't a perfect game but it's possible to improve performance by shifting your body language learn how http://bit.ly/mentalgolfblog

Lower Your Golf Score By Shifting Your Body Language

2011-04-05T04:45:00.001-07:00

Just about every golfer battles negative emotions on the course and one must learn how to overcome these emotions for peak performance to occur. In my opinion, golf is a mental and emotional game not a physical one. A round of golf boils down to 90 seconds of physical performance versus 4 hours of mental and emotional management. So it is your ability to control your mind and emotions that are perhaps the biggest determiners of success on the course. Most golfers understand that negative emotions can destroy a round but few actually know strategies to overcome the negativity once it sets in.

One of the easiest and most powerful ways to shift from negativity to optimism on the course is by changing your body language. The way you hold and use your body greatly influences the way you think and feel. This article is going to breakdown how body language affects you mentally and emotionally as well as will provide you a simple yet very effective exercise that you can do at home that will increase your level of performance on the course.

An important thing to understand about the mind-body connection is the principle of congruency. The principle of congruency means that your subconscious mind is always striving to make your thoughts, emotions, and body language congruent with each other. Here are two very simple examples to demonstrate the principle of congruency. During times in our lives when we are laughing and smiling it is impossible to feel depressed. The opposite is also true. If you are frowning and hanging your head it is impossible to feel good.

Let’s take these examples one step farther. I am positive that if I were to ask you to describe to me how a confident person holds their body that you would be able to provide a very accurate description. Your answer would probably describe something similar to this. The confident person would be standing tall, with their shoulders back, their head held high, and so on. If I were then to ask you how they move, I am confident that you would be able to accurately describe this as well. You would probably answer that the confident person moves with a sense of purpose and determination. They make powerful and confident gestures, and walk around with an aura of authority.

On the flip side of things, if I were to ask you to describe a person in a negative state of mind I am confident that your answer would be totally different. You would more than likely describe someone with their head down, slumped shoulders, scowl across their face, and moving around in a sluggish, lethargic way. If a person carries themselves with this type of body language it is virtually impossible for them to feel good due to the congruency principle. Thoughts and emotions must always be congruent with the body.

The easiest way to shift out of a negative state is simply by changing your body language. By deliberately changing the way you are holding and using your body, you simultaneously change the flow of emotions. It is very important while on the course to be monitoring your body language to make sure it is congruent with a state of confidence and self assurance. By doing this and making adjustments when needed, you will notice an increase in your confidence addressing any shot, your ability to execute at a higher level, and elevate your enjoyment of the round.

Now that you have an understanding of the importance of your body language in controlling your emotions on the course, let’s take this understanding into the next level of learning; integration. Here is an exercise that you can do at home that will give you a personal experience into how your body language affects your emotions and to help you determine your ideal body language for peak performance on the golf course.

Step 1: Find a place where there is plenty of space to move around, and somewhere you can be alone and free to be yourself.

Step 2: Pretend to be an actor for this exercise. Give yourself full permission to really get into this exercise and play the role. The more you get into this exercise the more you will benefit from it.

Step 3: Act out the role of a confident person. Pretend you are filming a movie and you are playing the part of a person with unlimited confidence. Start by adjusting your body in the standing position to reflect that of a confident person. Ask yourself questions like these and align your body appropriately:

• How does this person stand?
• How do they hold their head?
• How do they hold their shoulders?
• How do they breathe?
• How would their face look?
• What do they do with their hands?

Once you have adjusted your body to reflect this confident person, begin moving around the room as this person would. Ask yourself questions like these to get into the role:

• How does this person move?
• What speed do they move at?
• What gestures do they make?
• How do they express this confidence in themselves?
• What are their movements like?

Give yourself at least 5 minutes to act out this role of a confident person and become aware of the way it makes you think and feel. Notice that as you stand and move around as this person that it naturally causes you to feel more confident, powerful, unstoppable, and in control. If you are struggling to feel this then get more into the role and make bigger shifts in your body language.

Step 4: Act out the role of a negative and defeated person. Again, pretend you are filming a movie and you are playing the part of a person with a pessimistic attitude. Start by adjusting your body in the standing position to reflect that of a negative person. Ask yourself questions like these and really get into the role:

• How does this person stand?
• How do they hold their head?
• How do they hold their shoulders?
• How do they breathe?
• How would their face look?
• What do they do with their hands?

Once you have adjusted your body to reflect this negative person, begin moving around the room as this person would. Ask yourself questions like these to get into the role:

• How does this person move?
• What speed do they move at?
• What gestures do they make?
• How do they express this negativity in themselves?
• What are their movements like?

Take at least 5 minutes to act out this role and become aware of the difference in your emotions as you play this part. Keep yourself in this pessimistic body language and try to feel confident and positive without changing your body in anyway. It is impossible.

Step 5: Shift your state back to confidence by doing a pattern interruption. Clap your hands together forcefully, make a power gesture that the confident you does, and dramatically shift your body language back into alignment with the confident self. Once you do this and shift your body language, keep yourself in this position and notice how easy it is to now feel positive, confident, and self assured.

If you let yourself get into this exercise then you have just learned something extremely valuable about yourself. You have identified the body language, postures, and gestures that you use when you are confident versus pessimistic as well as that you can shift your emotions using a pattern interruption like clapping your hands together and altering your body language. This information will serve you tremendously on the golf course. First, it has given you the blueprint to how you need to be holding and using your body on the golf course to be congruent with confidence and peak performance. Second, it will give you the awareness when you shifted to a negative state by monitoring your body language. Finally, it gives you the ability to shift your emotions on the course by breaking the pattern and shifting back to body language that reflects confidence. Put this knowledge to the test. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your level of performance and your enjoyment of the round.

John Weir is a board certified hypnotist, NLP master practitioner, and peak performance coach. He is the creator of the Mental Caddie which is a 6 disk audio program proven to condition the subconscious mind for success on the golf course. If you are curious about how to use your mind to lower your score this year go http://ping.fm/lBPHn for all the details. To learn more about John Weir and his other services please visit http://ping.fm/5Zxb4

Affirm, Visualize, and Commit: A Simple Process To Lower Your Golf Score

2011-02-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

Throughout the years, I have heard professional golfers and the greats in the game talk about how they would “will” the ball to their target. This ability has always fascinated me and a skill that the majority of golfers would like to possess. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a way on how you too can make this possible in your golf game. This simple process I am going to discuss works, and based on the science of the Law of Attraction and the power of intention. By incorporating this simple strategy into your pre-shot routine you will notice an increase in your ability to consistently hit better shots and begin learning how to “will” your ball to your target. I call this process Affirm, Visualize, and Commit.

Step 1 Affirm: Affirming what you want whether verbally or mentally sets into motion the law of attraction and intention. It is very important to high level performance to deliberately declare what you want your outcome to be. What most people don’t understand is that their mind will affirm and project things anyways, and the challenge is for most people that these are typically negative thoughts. So rather than having your intentions about the outcome of your shoot be an unconscious thought, consciously choose the thoughts that are in alignment with what you want to create.

What is also equally important to consciously choosing your thoughts before a shot is to make sure that you always affirm your outcome in a positive way. For example, if you have to tee off and hit over a water hazard instead of saying to yourself “don’t hit this one in the water,” affirm powerfully to yourself “I will hit my target on the fairway.” I know this sounds very simple yet it is so important because your subconscious mind always moves towards your most dominate thought. In addition, the subconscious mind doesn’t understand negative connotations in speech. If I tell you “Don’t think of a pink elephant,” your mind immediately thinks of a pink elephant. Most golfers are unaware of this fact about the subconscious mind and making this simple shift in the language of your self-talk can make all the difference in producing better results on the golf course.

Here are some examples of negative thoughts to eliminate during a round and before any shot:
“Don’t hook this drive.”
“Don’t hit that trap.”
“Don’t lag this putt.”
“Don’t put this one in the trees.”

Shift these thoughts into empowered self-talk:
“Hit a solid straight drive.”
“This is going right to my target.”
“This putt is going in.”
“Put this down the fairway.”

To recap, step 1 is to Affirm in a positive way your outcome before every shot.

Step 2 Visualize: I think the old saying, “keep your eye on the ball,” should be slightly changed to be, “keep your mind’s eye on the ball.” The use of visualization has been scientifically proven to increase performance in all sports. It is important to understand that every thought we have affects our bodies. What happens when you are driving down the road and see flashing lights in your rearview mirror? The thought of getting pulled over immediately causes your body to respond. Every thought we have creates a psychosomatic response in the body and your thoughts on the golf course do in fact affect your performance. Negative thoughts of doubt, anger, and pessimism produce tension in the body which will inhibit your ability to execute your swing properly. Holding positive thoughts vividly in your mind have been shown to produce an increase in coordination, motor skills, fluidity of movements, and execution regardless of the sport.

Another important thing to know about the subconscious mind is that the inner mind doesn’t discern the difference between something real and something vividly imagined. In other words, the more vivid your visualization the better the results you will produce. So after you did step 1 and affirmed your outcome, take a moment before every shot to visualize yourself as real and as vividly as you can executing your outcome perfectly. Visualize yourself swinging flawlessly. Experience in your mind’s eye, a smooth, rhythmic backswing and as you release your swing it stays right on plane making perfect contact with the ball. Imagine your ball traveling with the perfect trajectory and right on path to your target. Finally, visualize your ball landing right on your target and set up perfectly for your next shot. Always visualize your shot being executed flawlessly every time. The more real you can make the experience the more your subconscious mind will work in your favor to cause your body to execute in a way to produce the desired result. Think of step 1 and 2 as success programming for your mind.

Step 3 Commit: After you have programmed your subconscious mind by affirming your outcome and visualizing your success, you no longer need to think about anything. It’s now time to fully commit to your shot, step up, and make it happen. When I use the word commit what I am really talking about is having faith and trust in your ability to execute. One way and perhaps the most important way to fully commit to a shot is by releasing all thoughts when stepping over the ball. On the golf course we produce our best results when we perform with conscious effort and just let our bodies do the actions without thinking. When a golfer is in the zone what that means is they have stopped the vast majority of conscious thoughts and are simply allowing their body to execute. By following the first 2 steps, you have already done all the necessary thinking to produce success. Since you have affirmed your outcome and visualized the success in your mind’s eye no more thoughts are required. The goal now becomes fully committing to the shot and to perform with as little thoughts as possible. So as you stand over the ball, hold in mind one simple thought, “Commit” and then just let it rip. Let your mind turn off over the ball and notice how well you execute without any conscious effort. Trust in the mental programming you did before your shot and know that your subconscious mind will cause your body to respond in the way needed to produce the desired result. Commit to your positive programming and the expectation of success, your body will then do all the work.

Some of the game’s most historic golfers have learned how to will the ball to their target. You now know the secret. All that’s left is to do is consistently apply this simple process to each shot and reap the rewards of better execution on the course.

For more on the mental side of golf please visit www.mentalcaddie.com.

Slow Down and Score Better

2010-05-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself constantly stressed on the course or simply want to play in the zone more often then consider simply slowing down to score better. There are many great benefits to deliberately slowing yourself down on the course.

First, after a bad shot or when we are not performing to our standards, our natural tendency is to speed things up. In a state of frustration or stress, many golfers typically will think less about club selection, rush through their pre-shot routine, and worst of all speed up the tempo of their swing. If this sounds like you the best thing you can do in these situations is slow yourself down. Start by deliberately calming your breathing, walk a little slower, take more time before addressing the ball, and so on. This slower pace will naturally help to relax the mind and body so that you can go back to playing golf rather than stressing out.

Second, we play golf for enjoyment. Slowing down gives you the opportunity to take in the beautiful landscaping, soak up the sun, and enjoy the company of friends. Every golfer must always remember that any day on the golf course is better than a day in the office so make sure you take pleasure in every moment of the round. Here is a helpful hint. The more you enjoy yourself on the course the better you will play. Smiling, laughing, and taking your time are all ways to stay loose and relaxed on the course which will enhance your performance. A local pro once told me that relaxation is the cure to fix any swing so slow down, relax, and play your best.

Finally and the most important reason to slow down on the course is for the neurological benefits or what it does to your brain, specifically your brainwaves. Scientists have established that there are a minimum of 4 distinct brainwaves that the human mind experiences every day; Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta. Without getting into a long discussion on brainwaves let me provide an extremely simplified explanation of them for purpose of this discussion. Beta waves are the brainwaves we experience when we are fully alert, aware, and awake. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are Delta waves which are the brainwaves produced when we are unconscious or asleep. Alpha and theta are the in between states associated with relaxation, driving a car on auto-pilot, mediation, self-hypnosis, the optimum performance zone, and so on. The ideal brainwaves to maintain during a round of golf are alpha waves. Alpha waves enable a golfer to play in the optimum performance mode or simply performance without conscious effort or thinking. More will be discussed about the optimum performance zone in future blogs. For now let me conclude by saying that by deliberately slowing down your actions on the course, you will naturally begin altering your brainwaves from beta to alpha, which will put you in the zone.

Don’t take my word for it, but instead follow the example set by one of the best to ever play, Ben Hogan. The 4 time US Open champion was observed during the mornings before tournament rounds intentionally doing everything extra slow. He reduced the speed of all his morning activities, such as driving to the course and when warming up, in order to be super relaxed mentally and physically for the tournament. Perhaps Hogan had no idea what he was doing or maybe he was simply way ahead of his time, but by reducing the pace of doing things he was actually slowing down his brainwaves so that he would be able to perform in the optimum performance zone. This method obviously was very successful for Hogan so perhaps it’s time to try it out in your game. Next time on the course simply slow down and you will find yourself playing your best golf. Until next time…happy golfing!

Play your best golf today by downloading the Mental Caddie, the ultimate golf mental enhancement program. Download your today at www.hypnosisaudiomall.com Get your Mental Caddie before your friends do…your game will thank you!

Golf Course Self Hypnosis Exercise

2010-04-30T09:03:00.001-07:00

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!

How Does Tiger Dominate the Game of Golf???

2010-04-30T09:02:00.001-07:00

Why does Tiger Woods dominate on the golf course? To find out watch this clip…

Here is a video of my favorite golf commercial. It too keys you in on why Tiger is the best…

If you are ready to start enhancing your game in similar ways to Tiger then go to www.hypnosisaudiomall.com and download the Mental Caddie. The Mental Caddie is complete mental enhancement system that will help you increase focus and confidence, swing and putt better, and lower your score. Download the Mental Caddie and develop your game relaxing at your home! www.hypnosisaudiomall.com

Pavlov and Golf???

2010-04-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

In 1901, Ivan Pavlov stumbled across a major breakthrough in human behavior called classical conditioning. Ironically, this discovery occurred not by studying humans, but by studying dogs. This breakthrough paved the way for new fields of study and research into human behavior. Don’t worry I am not going to break into a dissertation on conditioning, but if you are interested I included two youtube clips at the bottom of the page on the subjects.

This week’s blog is just going to be a brief introduction into conditioning and how it affects your golf game. This is going to be a topic which is going to be expanded upon in the weeks to come because of its importance to peak performance. You can literally condition yourself to feel confident in any situation, to replicate the best swings and shots of your past, to stand over the ball with absolute focus, and this is just the beginning. The conditioning techniques I will share with you over the next few weeks will dramatically improve your performance if you take the time to apply them. After implementing these techniques into my game I went from shooting in the high 90’s/low 100’s to consistently scoring in the mid 80's, and I even broke 80 several times. This is how powerful conditioning is and I am excited to share with you how to do it for your game too.

Without even knowing it, you have already conditioned yourself to feel, think, and behave certain ways on the golf course. These conditioned responses are either positive or negative, and can unconsciously dictate the way you perform on the golf course.

Since this is just an introduction this week, let me give you a quick illustration on how conditioning occurs and how it can negatively affect your game. In future blog posts I will show you how to positively condition yourself, but for now let me provide you this personal example.

When I first started golfing I struggled putting the ball. Unless it was a tap in or a gimmie, every time I stepped over a putt I lacked confidence in my ability to make it. Here is what would happen. I would get my ball on the green and when I reached for my putter I immediately started having thoughts of self-doubt. By the time I walked on the green, I had already convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make the putt and I should just try to get it close to avoid a 3 putt. When I would read the green I would second guess myself and doubt my line. Then I would stand over the ball and hope for the best. More often than not I would proceed to hit a bad putt, either too short or way too long, and then I would criticize myself and reaffirm my inability to make a putt. With all this negative energy and doubt, I would step up hit another bad putt and the start the negativity all over again. When I finally got the ball close enough to tap it in, I would walk off cursing the greens and my putting ability which only increased my frustration and detest for my putter. I repeated this cycle of behavior again and again when I had to putt until it became second nature.

It didn’t take long for my mind to link up negativity to putting. It got to the point that even if I was striking the ball sweet and feeling good that just taking my putter out of the bag would make me feel awful and change my state. What had occurred was I had unconsciously conditioned myself to feel that way and my putter became a trigger for negative thoughts and feelings in me.

Once I became aware of this conditioned pattern of behavior I knew I could change it. I started doing pattern interruptions (refer to last week’s blog) every time I grabbed my putter and forced myself to think a new thought, “Put it in the cup!” After consistently interrupting my pattern, feeding my mind this new thought, and making several nice putts things really started to improve on the greens. Now I am putting the ball better than ever and full of confidence.

If you notice that you have negatively conditioned yourself to have doubts with a particular club be sure to use pattern interruptions immediately when pulling the club out of the bag. If you do this consistently I guarantee you will break that old flow of negativity and start making nicer shots. This works. It worked for me, many of my clients, and it will work for you as well.

There will be much more on conditioning in the future but if you want to jump right into a mental development program check out the Mental Caddie available for immediate download at www.hypnosisaudiomall.com . Happy Golfing!

Classic Experiments in Two Types of Conditioning:

A Way to Rebound After a Bad Shot

2010-04-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Today marks the beginning of Mental Mondays which is a weekly blog that is devoted entirely to mental techniques to improve sports performance. This blog will have a heavy emphasis on developing mental skills for the game of golf but the techniques can easily be applied to other sports as well. The mental techniques I will describe are very straight forward, simple, and often times common sense. These methods are not rocket science or a magical secret formula they simply need to be applied. When you do you will find the simple things creating profound differences.

With 3 top ten finishes including a win at the 2010 Honda Classic, Camilo Villegas has certainly hit the ground running so far in 2010. Villegas is a very exciting player to watch. He plays with a fearless attitude and certainly goes after the ball on every swing. I especially liked watching him yesterday as he caught fire and birdied holes 8,9,and 10. With a commanding lead at this point and playing incredible, Villegas hit a bad tee shot on 11 which started a chain reaction of back to back boogies on holes 11 and 12 as well as a third boogie on 15.

While this was unfolding, Jack Nicklaus was in the commentator’s booth giving his insight. Johnny Miller asked Nicklaus about his experience dealing with situations similar to what Villegas was going through; trying to rebound and get back to hitting good shots. Nicklaus responded back by saying, “The difference between winning and losing is being able to regroup.” His answer was so simple yet so profound that I had to write it down to share with you. Even though the idea of regrouping or recollecting yourself after a bad shot or a bad hole is such common sense and something that you have probably heard many times, it isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially after ripping a drive into the trees or blowing an easy putt. So if having the ability to regroup is so important to shooting a low round or winning a tournament how exactly do you achieve such an elusive feat?

One way to get you thinking and feeling positive again after a poor shot is to follow the Golden Bear’s advice combined with a simple yet effective Neuro-Linguistic Programming (or NLP) technique called Pattern Interruption.

In NLP, a pattern interruption is any action that is outside your normal behavior during that moment that will temporarily disrupt the flow of negative thoughts or patterns of behavior. Pattern interruptions include; clapping your hands, pumping your fists, putting a big ridiculous smile on your face, laughing out loud, changing your breathing to deep diaphragmatic breathing, pulling on your ears while making a goofy sound, putting your club into your bag three times, or any other behavior that is outside your normal mode of doing things when things take a turn for the worst. Asking yourself positive questions to change your focus is also a powerful way to interrupt patterns. Questions like, “what do I love about golfing?” “What do I love about this day?” “What was funny about that last shot?” These types of questions force your mind to think about something else, thus interrupting the old pattern.

NLP teaches us that human beings run off patterns of behavior based on a cause versus effect relationship with the outside world. Tony Robbins uses a jukebox metaphor to explain this point. He says that the world gives us an experience, such as a negative event, and our minds search the jukebox and play the record that is most congruent with your past experiences. So if the situation makes you angry than your mind plays an angry record, or if it is a pleasant situation your mind plays one of your happy records. Robbins expands this metaphor to explain how pattern interrupts work. He said what would happen if while an angry record was playing you took a knife and scratched the record? What would happen if you kept scratching the record again and again? The answer is the record would get so scratched up that it would be impossible to play. Pattern interruptions work in the same way with our habitual thoughts and behaviors.

To further explain pattern interruptions let’s use a real life example. Have you ever been in the situation where you are completely absorbed in a conversation and then someone butts into the conversation and asks a random, off the topic question such as “where is the bathroom?” After the person leaves and you try to resume your conversation, you find it very hard to do so or remember what you were talking about even though you were deeply absorbed a moment ago. If, not have you ever found yourself saying, “I just lost my train of thought,” “where were we?”, or “what were we talking about?”, then you have experienced a pattern interruption. I think everyone has had similar experiences at one time or another and can relate to this example. What I am getting at here is pattern interruptions have the ability to help you quickly refocus your mind, and like the previous example sometimes break the pattern so much that you can’t even remember what you were thinking or talking about.

So how does all of this apply to golf? Let’s imagine that a golfer is teeing it up and has to hit over water. They step up, hit a poor shot, and the ball sinks to the bottom of the lake. What is likely to occur? Typically, this poor result would cause most golfers to search through their jukebox, find a congruent record, and release the patterns of behavior and thought that correspond with this negative experience. If this golfer doesn’t actively take control of the situation then what is most likely to occur is an expansion of negative thoughts, self-doubt, low confidence all of which will result in more poor shots and missed opportunities. When a bad shot happens it is important to know that it’s not the end of the world but it your attitude and mindset gets out of control it definitely is the end of a good round.

In this situation rather than dwelling on negative thoughts or the bad shot, take active control of your mind and emotions by using any pattern interruption that works for you. The ones that work best for me are pumping my fist (which is a power gesture of mine), deliberate deep breathing (calms the nerves and body, as well as changes mental focus), or asking myself positive questions (What do I love about golfing is my favorite question). Take the time to find out what things truly can disrupt your patterns. Sometimes a simple behavior like changing your breathing will work while other times it might have to be more a dramatic behavior like clapping your hands three times while saying YES, YES, YES! Once you successfully interrupt your pattern it is important to know that you have a short window of time to begin filling your mind with positive new ideas. If the old patterns return, do another pattern interruption, and again saturate your mind with things that make you think and feel like a winner.

At this point you might be wondering what you should do after interrupting your pattern. So I will close this blog by returning to the advice given by Jack Nicklaus at yesterdays Honda Classic. After making the statement that winning and losing is determined by a person’s ability to regroup after a poor hole, he went on to say exactly what he did to achieve this goal and win so many tournaments. He said the first thing he would do is focus on his breathing and start taking deep breaths. What he did was actually interrupt his pattern, which should always be the first step (Deep breathing interrupts a pattern because when a person is stressed, anxious, angry, etc their breathing is typically short, fast, and shallow. By deliberately taking in a long deep breath or by deep breathing for several minutes you effectively break patterns that effect your performance). Next, he said he would reassess the situation. He is indirectly doing another NLP technique which will be discussed at a future time called reframing. Nicklaus said he would say to himself and I’m paraphrasing here, “It was only one hole, I am still in the lead focus on what needs to be done to win this tournament.” Reframing or reassessing as Nicklaus called it is a great way to get your mind moving in a new and positive direction. Nicklaus said after he reassessed the situation, he would give himself positive affirmations in order to get back to simply playing golf and having fun again. In my opinion, this is again a pattern interruption indirectly used by Nicklaus on the golf course. By using affirmations and by reminding himself to have fun, it breaks the flow of negative thoughts and gets the mind finding positives things to focus on. The final thing Nicklaus said he would do is go back to basics on the next shot, release the idea of killing the ball, and just hit a solid shot to get the confidence started again.

So to quickly recap:
Step 1: Interrupt the Pattern
Step 2: Reframe or Reassess the Situation
Step 3: Positive Affirmations or Ask Positive Questions
Step 4: Go Back to Basics and Hit a Solid Shot

As for Villegas, I’m not sure what he was doing to regroup yesterday but it certainly was effective for he finished the tournament with a birdie on 18 and most importantly a 5 stroke victory. I want to congratulate Camillo Villegas on his 3rd PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic. I was certainly impressed with his ability to regroup, his mental toughness, and his ability to seal the deal after adversity. If you start to utilize pattern interruptions during your round then you too will be on the road to developing the mental toughness like the pros. Until next week, happy golfing!

Welcome to the Mental Caddie Blog

2010-04-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the official Mental Caddie Blog. My name is John Weir and I am the creator of the Mental Caddie, a cutting edge golf enhancement program. I am a Board Certified Hypnotist and Certified Instructor through the National Guild of Hypnotists as well as a Master Practitioner of NLP. Besides being deeply interested in the mind and human potential, I have a tremendous passion for the game of golf. I took the game up seriously 4 years ago, and since then I have been absolutely addicted to the game. Once I learned how to swing a club well enough to get out on the course, I quickly discovered that golf is definitely a game that challenges one's mind much more then a person's body. Out of my desire to improve as quickly as possible I started to incorporate self-hypnosis, NLP techniques, and visualization into my game. To my amazement, I noticed very rapid improvements in my score, ball striking, confidence, and especially my enjoyment of the game. One rainy day, I made a recording in my home studio that was designed to guide me into self-hypnosis and deliver suggestions to improve my performance. I only made one other copy of that initial recording and gave it to my father to put to the test as well. We both started noticing improvements after the first listening, but after listening to the audio several times we both started noticing great leaps in our performance on the course. In one season, we both went from scoring in the high 90's to consistently shoting in the mid and low 80's! I even broke 80 on several different occasions. The results in my game were so impressive I decided to create a full mental golf enhancement system. One year later, I finished the Mental Caddie. This golf enhancement system contains 6 audios and dramatically improves focus, concentration, confidence, putting performance, execution of all shots, and so much more. I incorporated the latest technology to make this program so effective belief in the system is not required. All that is needed is to sit back, relax, and listen to an audio for a few minutes everyday or before a round. The audios will help to develop the mind to improve performance so golfers can shot lower scores. The Mental Caddie is available for download at my website www.hypnosisaudiomall.com if you are ready to play better golf and enjoy the game more.

I decided to create this blog to share mental tips, techniques, and strategies that can improve performance on the course when applied. Sign-up as a follower today so that you can stay informed of new postings and new ways to go low on the course this year.

I am also available for private consultation. Please visit my website www.johnweironline.com for more information. Happy Golfing