TRUST IN GOLF
When golfers go to the range or practice green and look for something that they can trust in their swing that tells me that they do not trust their swing and since it is them swinging the golf club, they are really saying that they do not trust themselves. Well if you don’t trust yourself on the golf course, who can you trust?
When you swing the golf club you can practice trusting your swing and yourself. How? By refusing to get into too much technical thinking. When you focus your mind on something simple and refuse to get into over mechanical instruction to your body, you are trusting that there is a part of you that knows how to play this shot really well.
Playing golf using your natural ability will always produce better results. When you trust yourself to play even when you have fearful thoughts, you have a much better chance of a successful outcome. However, there is a risk involved. Maybe not every shot will come off. But the more you can practice trusting your swing and just playing, the more you allow yourself to enjoy the game and to express yourself.
In my experience this leads to good performance.
You do know that there is a part of you that is perfectly capable of playing the shot don’t you?
Most of your bad swings occur because you doubt your swing while you are making it. With multiple swing thoughts or any kind of self doubt, you cannot focus your mind and concentrate well and so bad shots occur as a consequence.
You know you can hit the ball sweetly so why make it complicated. Why not make it simple and stay with it?
Decide what one thing you will focus on during your swing and stay with it for the entire round come hell or high water. Trust it.
The amount you are able to trust your swing relates directly to how relaxed you can become on the golf course. When you are relaxed then you can concentrate even better and this is when you reach high levels of performance.
The alternative is to stand over a shot and to try and remember lots of things in order to swing the club well. In my experience you have already set yourself up for a swing that is surrounded with doubt, anxiety and uncertainty. Playing this way can be very frustrating. Your mind is unsettled and so your body will react accordingly.
Another way of developing trust in yourself and your golf game is by taking responsibility for your own swing. Many players will have a swing coach tell them what it is that they are doing right and wrong for a lot of the time. There is nothing wrong with this occasionally, however many players start relying on this external feedback and in doing so they become detached from their own swing. Why not spend more time playing around with your own swing, feeling what it is like when you hit it low or high or right or left. You can learn to trust yourself more and learn by your mistakes. This learning is the foundation for trust since it comes from your own direct experience.
One thing I know for sure. To play to your potential you must trust yourself. Trust your swing and trust yourself to handle whatever the game of golf throws at you.
Scientific Studies have been made of random groups of people. The groups consist of worriers and people who are more trusting. The studies found that the trusting people lived happier, healthier and longer lives. It’s a fact, trusting is good for your game and for your life.
Take a look at the Practice section for ideas on developing Trust as you swing the golf clu