| There's a danger we treat fear completely as a bad | | | | you don't have to be winning to get that feeling, just |
| thing in golf psychology. Now I know this goes against | | | | competing hard in some way. If you watched the duel |
| a lot of what I've been saying, but I'm talking here | | | | between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson during the |
| about the thin end of fear - nervousness. For many | | | | last round of the 2009 Masters, you'll know just what |
| people, nervousness is the buzz of competition, | | | | mean. |
| whether we're competing with other people, ourselves | | | | The important thing to remember is to channel that |
| or the golf course we happen to be playing. | | | | nervous energy into an enhanced state of focus using |
| For many people the buzz is part of the enjoyment. | | | | self hypnosis with deep breathing is one of the best |
| Perhaps that's what Mark Twain was referring to | | | | ways I know for doing just that. Alternatively, you could |
| when he wrote that "Golf is a good walk spoiled" and | | | | follow the instructions in my article entitled Balance |
| HRH Princess Anne meant when she said “Golf | | | | Your Golf Mind and Body for Better Golf - Focus on |
| seems to be an arduous way to go for a walk. I | | | | your Hara. Now anchor that feeling and add it to your |
| prefer to take the dogs out." | | | | unconscious golfing resources. Now you can access |
| Personally, I feel that if I'm not nervously shaking when I | | | | the great feeling, that Jack Nicklaus loves so much, |
| get near the end of a seriously good scoring round or | | | | whenever you want it or need it. |
| close game of match play then I might as well give up | | | | Like so many of the things I have learned as a golf |
| golf and go and do something else that excites and | | | | psychologist, I do so wish I'd known about all this |
| inspires me. Jack Nicklaus knew that if you didn't feel | | | | wonderful NLP and golf hypnosis a long time ago |
| nervous at the end of a tournament you're trying to | | | | when I got so nervous at Hexham, playing with Tony |
| win then there's something wrong with you - he thrived | | | | Jacklin at Brookmans Park and whenever I seemed to |
| on it. It's said that he stopped winning golf tournaments | | | | be on the first tee anywhere! |
| when he no longer got so nervous in competition. And | | | | |