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Fear on the golf course can come in many shapes and sizes and it can result in a multitude of problems ranging from lack of enjoyment, through poor scoring and frustration to outright anger. Most golfers will have experienced fear on the golf course, either personally or from watching a playing partner.

As an amateur golfer, although my golf is very important to me, my livelihood does not depend directly on my ability to score well. However, I can think of many times, especially in my younger days, when I was uncomfortable, nervous, scared and downright terrified on the golf course.

You may have read on another of my articles. entitled Channel Your First Tee Nerves into Unconscious Golf Resources for Better Golf, about my nerves on the first tee in the Golf Illustrated Junior Vase at Hexham in the early 70s. When the starter announced on the loudspeaker system that they were expecting great things from me after my hole in one there the previous day, I could hardly stand up, let alone hit a good drive down the middle.

I’ve experienced similar feelings when I’ve arrived on the first tee and found I was playing with some or other golfing celebrity. I’ll never forget Bill Shankland, my then golf coach, asking me to stand in for him in a game in late-June of 1970. Bill explained that he was injured and could I take his place in a friendly fourball the following day. He went on to explain that there’d be no pressure as I was playing at my home club and partnering the club pro, Colin Christison, a man I’d played with many times before. Bill also mentioned that one of our opponents would be Ian Connelly from Welwyn Garden City, later to become Nick Faldo’s first coach and someone I also knew. I was a bit nervous plying with two pros I’d watched playing in the Agfa tournament at Stoke Poges, but I knew them both and felt I could handle it.
The next day, I got to the club and as I joined my playing partner Colin walking to the first tee, I noticed that there was quite a crowd of my fellow club members behind the tee. I nearly collapsed when I walked through the crowd and Colin introduced me to our other opponent. It was Tony Jacklin, back in the UK to prepare for the British Open after winning the US Open a few weeks earlier. I was terrified and it took a lot of quiet calming words from Colin to get me through the first nine holes. I started to enjoy the experience as I loosened up on the second nine.
Like most people back in the early 70s, I had no knowledge of golf psychology and the best advice available was to pull yourself together and get on with it. That was difficult and the effect didn’t last!

I’m sure that I would still be very nervous if I found myself unexpectedly playing with a US Open Champion. The difference is now that I have the means to relax myself using a variety of golf psychology techniques and really get the most from the experience. I’d probably play my normal game.

So what techniques would I use? Well the quickest technique would be to use my finger-thumb NLP Resource Anchor that would both relax me and get me into a confident and resourceful state. If I was still nervous, I could use self-hypnosis, some simple deep breathing exercises or, even better, the Balance Your Golf Mind and Body for Better Golf – Focus on your Hara technique from another of my articles.

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/handle-fear-on-the-golf-course-with-golf-psychology-self-hypnosis-and-nlp-1011116.html

How can golf psychology help you in overcoming the fear you have about hitting a bad shot on the golf course? Many people interpret this as classic fear of someone suffering from the putting yips who’s about to putt or the person suffering form the shanks and about to hit a short iron. But you can get the same type of fear when faced with a shot that you “always” hit badly or a hole that you always play badly. Perhaps your ball seems inexorably drawn to those trees on the right or that bunker on the left. Maybe it’s a water hazard that you just “never” seem to be able to carry.

Now one of the first things I learned in golf psychology was that “What the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves” to quote Robert Anton Wilson in his famous book about how the mind works, Prometheus Rising. In hypnosis terms this means that whatever we consciously think about we unconsciously make happen. In simple terms, if we consciously think about an ice-cream we unconsciously decide we want one and instinctively begin to taste one. If you’re driving on a motorway and someone draws your conscious attention to something way off to the right, you may suddenly notice yourself unconsciously steering in that direction.

Have you ever noticed how if you tell someone to not do something accidentally, that they automatically seem to do it anyway? This is especially true with children, so if you say to a child, “don’t spill your milk”, then don’t be surprised if they to do just that. Contrary to what some believe, children don’t do this out of spite, it’s just what you made them consciously think about.

So what’s all this got to do with the fear of hitting a bad shot then Andrew? Well, you have to consciously think the bunker you don’t want to go in to fear going in it. The same goes for your fear of hitting a shank or yipping a putt. But, I hear you say, I make a point of thinking to myself “don’t hit it in the bunker” rather than just thinking about the bunker. Well, it makes no difference to the outcome, because you have to think of a thing in order to not do it. If I say don’t think of a blue elephant, you have to imagine a blue elephant to know what I’m talking about. The same goes for thinking of not hitting the ball into the bunker. If that’s in your head when you hit the ball, then you’ll unconsciously do your best to it there.

I’ve hear Paul McKenna tell a good story about this. He had a top golfer, one who’d already won major championships, come to him for help. The golfer explained that he was consistently hitting shots into bunkers and not just any bunkers. These were the bunkers he specifically wanted to avoid and he wasn’t just rolling into them, his ball was landing right in the middle of them. Paul watched him play a few holes then gave him a simple verbal instruction to follow for the next few holes. Amazingly, the champion golfer started hitting almost every shot just where he wanted to. So what did Paul say to him? He told him to decide on where he wanted to land the ball on each shot and then focus on not hitting the ball there. He was now consciously thinking about his target, not the bunkers.

So next time you’re out playing golf and you start saying to yourself “don’t go in that bunker”, “don’t shank this shot” or something similar. Then compensate for your fear by stopping and rethinking your target taking into account whatever you’d like to avoid. Now focus your conscious mind on that new target before handing over control to your unconscious golf mind to hit the shot. For a more positive slant on all this, have a look at my other article entitled Focus your Golf Mind on your Target Not The Hazard for Better Golf Scores.

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/utilise-the-fear-in-your-golf-mind-to-hit-more-greens-and-fairways-1011120.html

There’s a danger we treat fear completely as a bad thing in golf psychology. Now I know this goes against a lot of what I’ve been saying, but I’m talking here about the thin end of fear - nervousness. For many people, nervousness is the buzz of competition, whether we’re competing with other people, ourselves or the golf course we happen to be playing.

For many people the buzz is part of the enjoyment. Perhaps that’s what Mark Twain was referring to when he wrote that “Golf is a good walk spoiled” and HRH Princess Anne meant when she said “Golf seems to be an arduous way to go for a walk. I prefer to take the dogs out.”

Personally, I feel that if I’m not nervously shaking when I get near the end of a seriously good scoring round or close game of match play then I might as well give up golf and go and do something else that excites and inspires me. Jack Nicklaus knew that if you didn’t feel nervous at the end of a tournament you’re trying to win then there’s something wrong with you - he thrived on it. It’s said that he stopped winning golf tournaments when he no longer got so nervous in competition. And you don’t have to be winning to get that feeling, just competing hard in some way. If you watched the duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson during the last round of the 2009 Masters, you’ll know just what mean.

The important thing to remember is to channel that nervous energy into an enhanced state of focus using self hypnosis with deep breathing is one of the best ways I know for doing just that. Alternatively, you could follow the instructions in my article entitled Balance Your Golf Mind and Body for Better Golf - Focus on your Hara. Now anchor that feeling and add it to your unconscious golfing resources. Now you can access the great feeling, that Jack Nicklaus loves so much, whenever you want it or need it.

Like so many of the things I have learned as a golf psychologist, I do so wish I’d known about all this wonderful NLP and golf hypnosis a long time ago when I got so nervous at Hexham, playing with Tony Jacklin at Brookmans Park and whenever I seemed to be on the first tee anywhere!

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/channel-your-first-tee-nerves-into-unconscious-golf-resources-for-better-golf-1011127.html

I’ve been writing a lot lately about the negative and positive golf psychology of fear on the golf course. While I’ve been thinking all about golf fear consciously, it seems that my unconscious mind has been quietly working away on the question of how we actual do this “fear” thing in our golf minds. Using a post-shot routine was the answer - to the problem, not the question.

Now in NLP and golf hypnosis, we have many ways of managing a person’s fears. If it’s a full blown phobia, we can deal with that easily. If it’s a habit or belief that’s blown out of all proportion, we can help there too using techniques like the NLP Swish Pattern. If we need a skill that someone else has we can use modelling and Richard Bandler’s “Stealing a Skill” technique. If the fear is doubt related and, as we might say colloquially, there’s a part of me that wants to play a risky shot and another part that’s saying it’s too dangerous, then we’ve got the NLP Visual Squash parts integration technique. And there are many more NLP tools we can use before we even start looking at golf hypnosis.

So why not use one of these techniques to manage or eliminate fear? Well, you can use these techniques and if they are really deep-seated fears, you may need them. But what about nipping the fears in the bud, so that we don’t have to remember them every time we come to play a similar shot? After all, didn’t I read somewhere that Tiger Woods says about hitting bad shots, “I hit it and forget it?” You can’t go back in time and replay a shot, so just forget it and move on.” If there’s a way to forget our bad shots, then surely we don’t need to fear them.

Now that reminds me of a story I’ve used many times before about Jack Nicklaus genuinely only remembering the putts he holed, never the ones he missed. So has Jack ever missed from inside of six feet on the last hole of a major? Of course he has! Does he remember it? Not a chance. And do you think he cares that he can’t remember? Some people would probably say that Jack is deluded in his thinking, that it is not based on reality. Well, we all create our own realities and Jack’s seem pretty good to me! You can read the full story in my earlier article entitled Better Putting in Your Golf Mind.

So where is all this going, Andrew, I hear you ask. Well, we hear and read a lot about pre-shot routines and most of the people I know now use them diligently. But few if any use any sort of post-shot routine. They usually just replace any divot, put the club back in the bag - sometimes firmly, sometimes gently - and either, walk forward happily or trudge forward miserably. Of course some rant and rave, but we’ll ignore those for now - seems like good advice to me.

If you react positively after hitting a golf shot, your brain produces lots of happy chemicals and associates those good feelings to the shot you’ve just hit and to the hole you’ve just played. The next time you play that hole or a similar shot, you have the opportunity to unconsciously remember that feeling and the associated result. In NLP we call this anchoring. Something similar happens if you react badly after hitting a shot and that bad shot can get anchored too.

So my recommendation is to really enjoy your good shots - you want to remember them - and release the bad shots to the past without any emotion, like someone else hit that bad shot. You can’t go back in time and replay a shot, so just forget it and move on.

Now I don’t like prescribing detailed pre-shot routines to people as it is far better to develop your own one from what works best for you. I think the same applies to a post shot routine, so I’ll just list these few simple pointers:

1. Identify a specific trigger for the post-shot routine, like seeing the ball stop moving
2. If it’s a good shot, then really feel good and replay the shot in your mind just as it felt when you hit it
3. If it’s not a shot to remember, then don’t react at all and just see it briefly as if you were watching someone else play the shot
4. Good or bad, consciously release the shot to the past and relax as you start walking forward to the next shot.

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/anchor-your-good-golf-shots-with-a-post-shot-routine-using-nlp-and-golf-hypnosis-1011132.html

Although I’m sure golf clothes  could be used to improve any game, or at least make the game more amusing for the spectators, this article is focused on potential ways to improve your golf game by choosing the correct clothes to suit the specific situation.  

I’m not sure how much effort you normally put into choosing what you’re going to wear to the golf course, but I’m assuming that there must be a certain amount involved due to the fairly strict etiquette surrounding what one can and cannot wear on the course.  Recently I got to wondering whether spending a little bit more time deciding what to wear might actually give you some huge advantages and maybe even improve your game – these were my thoughts.

The Shiny Shirt Approach

If you are a shy person, easily put off by having lots of people watching you tee-off, consider bedecking yourself in attire similar to that of Ian Poulter in this picture.  As long as it is a sunny day (which I accept is unlikely), the reflection of the sun in your shirt will blind the surrounding spectators, meaning that they cannot possibly watch you while you play.  A perfect tip for the stage-shy, I’m sure you’ll agree!

The Ball Trousers Approach

This clothing-technique is essentially a cheat for those who find teeing-off a bit of a problem.  Maybe a good option for the employee that is so desperate to get in with the boss that they agree to play a few holes, despite having never held a golf club their life.  The idea is to take a pair of ridiculous golfing trousers, like those modelled here by Payne Stewart, then fill the voluminous interior with golf balls.
When it is your turn to tee-off, step forwards and simply hit the ball as hard as you possibly can – way out into the rough where nobody could possibly have seen it land.  Cover yourself with a muffled curse including either the word “splice” or “hook” and trot off after your lost ball, making a big show about stomping around in the rough grass.  Once you have reached a respectable position, a quick snap of sock elastic will secretly magic a new ball out of nowhere!  After that it’s just a few simple whacks onto the green…

In this way, beginners can take advantage of silly golfing fashion trends and use them to overcome the embarrassment of losing a ball every time they tee-off .  Consider branding all the balls with the same distinctive logo beforehand to remove any suspicion that you may have accidently found somebody else’s ball.  Maybe even accessorise with some binoculars; hit the ball as hard as you possibly can, whip out the binos and then make a big show of watching the flight of the ball before running after it shouting “I’ve got it, don’t worry, I’ve got it!”  You won’t look cool, but you will get through the experience with a far more respectable score.

The Distraction Technique

It’s a very cheap tactic for sure but, if you dress cleverly enough, you can actually distract your opponent into playing badly.  Sure it doesn’t make your score any better but, when winning is on the agenda, it doesn’t matter how badly you play – as long as you the other person plays worse.  So, we’re looking for distracting things; shiny things that catch the sunlight, flapping things that distract the eye and jangling things that interrupt concentration…in other words, it might be best to dress like a Morris Dancer. ?

There are many other classic golf clothing techniques that you can implement, including the old “long spikes in the golf shoes used to “accidently” step on opponent’s foot” move and “aerodynamic clothing” for the intense golfer.  The general rule though is to experiment within the boundaries of golf clothing etiquette.  

Confident and skilful golfers probably won’t benefit massively from this guide, but even they should take some extra time getting dressed before their round to ensure their golf clothes aren’t an embarrassment.  There are lots of stylish golf clothes out there, including personal favourite of mine Greg Norman golf clothing and Nike golf clothing; there is no excuse for wearing the same old outdated nonsense every time.

Even if none of these techniques are for you, at least you can now detect a player’s type by the way they dress; shiny clothes probably means they’re secretly shy; baggy trousers suggests that they’re a beginner; too many accessories for take in at one time may imply that the player feels like the underdog.  Maybe this could apply to life as well as the golf course…

William Klimt manages the golf clothing outlet in the Chiltern Heights Golf Club. For more information about golf clothing, please visit http://www.easytigergolf.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/improve-your-game-using-clever-golf-clothes-1011582.html

If you come to Acapulco with a yen to play golf, you have five options nearby. In Acapulco’s “Golden Zone” the Acapulco Club de Golf welcomes members of the public. The course is nine holes, all of which are well-kept and some of which can be quite challenging. Greens fees are about US$35 for 9, US$50 for 18.

The other four options are all 18-hole courses in Acapulco’s “Diamond Zone” – up and over the Escénica highway from the bayside. All are championship grade and meticulously tended.

Two courses are almost end-to-end, next to the Fairmont Pierre Marques Hotel and the Fairmont Acapulco Princess Hotel. Fees are approximately US$140 (less for hotel guests). One was designed by Ted Robinson and the other by Robert Trent Jones. Fees are lower after 12:00 p.m. and in low season.

Nearby you can try out the 18-hole course at the Mayan Palace Hotel, which offers some beautiful sea-side vistas. Fees are around US$75 for players registered in the hotel or condo units. For others it is about US$125. (The exact amount in dollars depends, of course on the exchange rate.)

Finally, if you are registered at either Fairmont Hotel or at Las Brisas, you have the option of playing Tres Vidas, a private golf club that offers a beautiful 18-hole championship course, set in lush vegetation on the road from Playa Diamante to Barra Vieja. Many of the holes provide breathtaking views of the ocean and the rocks above. Before 2 p.m. the fees are $180. They are $150 after that.

It is essential to reserve a tee-time as far in advance as possible. Well before you leave for Acapulco, speak to the concierge at the hotel where you will be staying and tell him or her the days and hours you would like to go out. Give alternatives. If you already have a foursome, advance notice is even more critical. Waiting too long may mean you won’t be able to play together.

While you have the golf concierge on the phone, discuss club rentals. With air travel becoming trickier every day, it may just be too much hassle to bring all your clubs. The clubs available for rental are usually top quality and will probably work out just fine for you. If you are very tall, very short or left-handed, ask them to check for availability before deciding to leave your golf bag at home. Women’s clubs are also in good supply, but it’s always a good idea to check to be sure they can give you what you want and expect. You may decide to bring your putter with you, and your current golf glove. Don’t forget to pack your shoes. If you really like a certain ball, bring a dozen with you. Though they probably have your brand at the club house, they will be more expensive in Acapulco than back home, particularly if the exchange rate has been moving against the peso.

Required attire at the clubs is the same as at good golf clubs everywhere: Slacks or Bermuda shorts, or skirt for the women, a shirt with a collar, and golf shoes with short, plastic cleats. (No long metal spikes, please!). If you plan to play between December 1 and May 1, there’s little need for rain gear or an umbrella. From May through November, you might find both to be very useful.

You may find yourself paired up with someone who does not speak your language. Usually this is not a catastrophe, but it might be a good idea to know some of the terms we use in Mexico on the golf course. For a quick course in “golf Spanish,” look for Part II of this Article, “Golf Spanish for Gringo Golfers.”

Bernal Castillo writes for RealAcapulco.com, the most complete and reliable source of information about Acapulco, in English and in Spanish. To reach him, go to http://www.RealAcapulco.com and navigate to the contact page.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/acapulco-playing-golf-while-on-your-vacation-1007050.html

Beginner golf players often have trouble selecting the perfect golf driver. The best golf drivers for beginners commonly follow the general rule that more forgiveness in the shot is better for learning players. These drivers also include two major aspects: a huge size and high loft. Oversized drivers, which can range up to 580 cubic centimeters, provide larger margins of error; that is, they have a larger sweet spot. High lofts determine just how high and far the ball will go with each hit. Again, operating at the extremes, size and loft produce the concept of forgiveness until the player is more experienced. Here are the best golf drivers for beginners that are perfectly designed for forgiveness.

The Command Q4 Titanium Driver comes in both 10.5 and 12 degrees, but many are considering the 10.5 degree to be the better for beginners. Although its club head is only 400 cubic centimeters, this driver is completely customizable, with six total different weight configurations. Many reviews of the Command Q4 Titanium Driver cite its “straight” qualities; that is, the ball rarely strays left or right. This makes driving practice with this club perfect. In general, this driver is popular because of the weight configuration options; players can be sure that they play with a weight that they feel comfortable with. There are other drivers that have heads of up to the legal limit of 460 cubic centimeters, however.

Another driver you might want to look into is the Cleveland HiBore XLS Driver. Cleveland Golf offers this driver in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 11.5 degrees. The head size is at today’s industry standard: 460 cubic centimeters. The company also offers a full range of flex levels. As a beginner, you should look into a relatively flexible shaft to get started; the extra strength will be beneficial. Industry reviews of the Cleveland HiBore XLS Driver are mostly positive, citing the driver’s general feel and straight shots. I would choose this driver over the Command Q4 because of the availability of flex levels and larger club head over a set flex level and smaller club head.

There are much better drivers out here, but many of them are simply out of a reasonable price range. The Command Q4 and Cleveland HiBore XLS are great for starters. If you do not have the funds to purchase either of those, it is rumored that buying some used drivers are just as good; most people do not wear out their clubs to the point where quality is highly questionable. You just need to remember that the main goals in finding the best golf drivers for beginners include large club head size, relative flexibility, and a high degree loft. These will provide the best training for beginners.

Find the cheapest prices on the Cleveland HiBore XLS and Command Titanium at our golf drivers shop.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/best-golf-drivers-for-beginners-1007419.html

recording a video from your golf prformnace and viewing it over and over can be extremely handy aids, however it can be more helpful if you combine it with great tech golf swing analyzers, actually, they are a wonderful grouping for every person to get better golf skills.

How can this system help you to improve your swing? However, this method will provide some apparatus to study your moves after you record it with your camera and then run it on the software. In addition, the most significant of these gear are the assessment and drawing tools, which aiding you to analyze your skills in vigor and find out your fults.

Use golf swing analyzers for practice! An incredible number of instructors are beginig to utilize golf swing software to explore their student’s skills. They easily record their identifiable swings on cam recorder, explore their skills by means of the golf swing software, and apply it to show all their mistaken moves. Some golf instructors also record their students’ skills for breakdown, pointing out all important critical mistakes.

For example, the trainer may record and study your plane which showing deviations from the incorrect two-plane swing or one-plane swing. In addition, your stance during the swing shot may as well be record analyzed, as well as the direction your club head faces at impact. However, more advanced golf swing analyzer as well helps him analyze your swing authority and swiftness at various points in all your back swings, impact and hunt-through. The trainer may additionally be able to do a comparison between your swing skills and to facilitate of another trained golfer, and then viewing you what is unerringly wrong and proper in your skills.

Using this system can be very useful to improve you swings. If you think this article was helpful and if you want to find out what is the best software in this industry simply just go to Golf Swing Analyzers official website.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-swing-analyzers-top-review-ever-1007430.html