All Good Golfers Going From a Good Golfer to Great

What separates the good golfer from the great golfer? Why is it that the good golfer hits a bad shot and his game goes in the tank and the great golfer hits a bad shot and then goes on to play a fantastic game, completely unaffected by that one bad shot? What's the difference? The difference is simply the way each golfer plays the game in mentally.

The good golfer just can't let go of that bad shoot. He continues to play that bad shot over and over in his head hoping that he won't hit another. When the next shot is bad the golfer enters a downward spiral that destroys his game for that day and maybe longer.

The great golfer is unaffected by a bad shot. He lets the shot go after it has been hit. This golfer is focused only on the current shot. He blocks out everything except this one shot and believes that the shot he is about to take will be perfect. He has the mental edge that separates the great players from the merely good players. Are great golfers born with it? No. It's a learned skill. Great golfers have learned how to focus their attention and it's the skill that takes their game from merely good to great.

So how does a golfer learn this skill? The technique for learning how goes by various names such as guided visualization, sports psychology, or self-hypnosis. Whatever name is used the process is the same. The golfer first learns how to achieve a state of focused attention. Then while in this state of focused attention the golfer creates a trigger, a switch if you will, that recreates this focused state of mind on cue. After that it's simply a matter of practicing.

Because this ability is a learned skill, anyone can learn to do it. Any athlete in any sport can benefit from this. And it's not limited to sports. Salesmen, public speakers or anyone whose job is enhanced by their ability to operate at a level of peak performance can benefit from this skill.

What would happen if you learned this skill? How many shots could you drop each round if you could simply let go of a bad shot and continue to play to the best of your ability? Would you go from a 10 handicap to a 7 handicap, maybe from a 4 handicap to a scratch golfer or would you play consistently below par? Think about how much more fun each round will be when you are consistently able to play at the top of your game.

When you learn this skill you have the ability to clear your mind and focus on one thing and one thing only. This allows you to block out all distractions. You're not worrying about past shots, what the other players are doing or even errant sounds on the course. You're completely focused on this one shot.

As you focus your mind you are able to visualize the shot. You can see, even feel yourself taking the shot. If you need to make adjustments you do it mentally first, rehearse the perfect shot and then execute it. Jack Nicklaus once said that he never hit a shot that he had not first hit perfectly in his head. Look where that got him!

An there's an interesting side benefit of learning this process. You have the ability to practice and improve your game without leaving the comfort of your home. Once you learn to visualize your game in your mind, you can practice shots mentally sitting on your couch. Talk to great athletes and they will tell you that they use some form of this visualization process.

If you'd like to learn this skill and have the same mental edge as the top athletes, seek out someone who is experienced and knows how to guide you through the learning process. Contact your local hypnotist, sports psychologist or peak performance trainer. They can help you create the same mental edge that the greatest performers have in sports, business and in life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Bowers