Developing the Right Attitude to Golf
by Dr Aidan Moran, Professor of Psychology
www.alicesbookshop.co.uk
Developing the right attitude to Golf
Here is the first in a series of articles by Dr Aidan
Moran, Professor of Psychology Research at University
College, Dublin. Dr Moran is adviser to many of Ireland~s
top Golfers including Padraig Harrington
Anyone who has missed a short putt in a competition knows
that although golf is played with the body, it is won in
the mind. But why is golf so demanding mentally? More
importantly, what frame of mind helps you to play to the
best of your ability on the course?
Golf is a psychologically demanding game for three main
reasons. First, it is an un-timed sport so you must be
prepared to play for as long as it takes to complete the
round or match. All too often, club golfers upset
themselves unnecessarily by losing patience with slow
players ahead of them. Remember what the late Payne Stewart
said: ~A bad attitude is worse than a bad swing!~ A second
reason why golf is tough mentally is because you have to
take full responsibility for what you do on the course.
Unfortunately, many players try to evade this
responsibility by making excuses ~ blaming the course,
their clubs, the weather and/or the balls they~re using.
But research shows that only losers make excuses.
Finally, the ~stop-start~ nature of golf means that you
spend more time thinking about playing than actually
hitting the ball. In fact, in a typical three and a half-
hour round of golf, less than 10% of your time is devoted
to swinging the club. The rest of the time is spent
walking, talking, looking for balls, regretting mistakes,
losing concentration and, of course, making excuses!
The implications of this finding are clear. In order to
play consistently to the best of your ability, you have to
learn to concentrate on only one shot at a time ~ no
looking back and no thinking too far ahead. The best way to
do this is to regard golf as a target sport ~ a bit like
archery. Without a target, your mind will wander. But
remember, your target must be a positive one ~ something to
aim at (e.g., a spot on the fairway) rather than something
to avoid (e.g., a water hazard).
So, next time you play, make sure to pick a target for
every shot.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER The Pressure Putt ~ Audio tape by Dr
Aidan Moran
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This article courtesy of http://www.iprogolf.com.
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Developing the Right Attitude to Golf
