Worry Not
Phil Mickelson took himself back to college in the week prior to the Greater Hartford Open and he’s probably wondering why he waited so long. After finishing with a one shot lead on Saturday at the Hartford he discussed the return to his early studies in psychology: “Well I studied psychology in college and so I went over some notes and books that I had. I took the week off from physical practice prior to this tournament, but I used mental rehearsal to prepare me for this event. Consequently I have been working out of a much more positive frame of mind where all the shots that I have rehearsed come off the way they should. So, heading out to actually play the round I am expecting to hit good shots.”
The mental practice worked-- he won the Greater Hartford Open and gave credit to the mental game for the win: “I am going to go back and [mentally] rehearse the Buick Invitational this year where I played well, and last year’s Tour Championship where I played well, and last year’s Buick Invitation where I played well. I am going to go over those final rounds as opposed to thinking about or discussing the rounds that I have had difficult times with on Sunday. I think a lot of that is I have spent the last year and a half working on the physical part of my game and I feel like that’s really coming around. I have been striking the ball well, putting well, chipping well, and so I have been in contention quite a bit. The last element that I have not put together is really my mental preparation—visualizing shots, preparing the proper way, mentally to pull the best shots out during the round.”
Mickelson uses the term visualization where I would say imagery. A certain percentage of people do not visualize at all when using their imagination, rather, the images in their mind are thought forms created through one or more of their other senses. For instance, where Mickelson “sees” a shot in his minds’ eye, you might have the sense of a shot happening, or hear the clubface strike the ball and create the sound you associate with a well-struck shot, or perhaps you feel the shot in your mind. Each person’s imagination is unique and no one way is better than another.
The important thing is to practice using your imagination in the purposeful way described by Mickelson. Worry, or a negative mindset, is the most common form of imagery and is what Mickelson had been doing up until the last two weeks: “In the past my mind would wander and I would start seeing shots that I didn’t want to hit. It wasn’t that my golf swing wasn’t where I wanted or that I wasn’t striking it well or what have you. I wasn’t seeing the shot that I wanted to hit. So consequently I was working out of a more negative frame of mind and by simply visualizing what I want to occur, I have been able to pull those shots out.”
Your mind is active and wants you to be prepared for the future, whichever future you are holding in your mind. If over a tee shot your attention is on the trouble, or the last poor shot you made, your imagination will begin to play out shots about the trouble. This happens, not because your imaginative mind wants to hurt you, but because the creative mind wants to let you know what has, or could happen, in the hope you will successfully deal with the problem. However, most people do not get beyond the fear generated from the worst-case scenario playing out in their minds to get to a solution. They get stuck in the fear and then are surprised to see their worst fear play out when they strike the ball.
A better option is to approach each golf shot actively choosing to focus your imaginative mind on the process of creating the experience you want. A well-imagined shot is experienced by the mind/body just like a shot executed in reality, and therefore has a powerful practice effect. Using your imagination on the golf course and the practice tee can help you lower your handicap. Follow Mickelson’s lead and try these exercises for yourself:
2. Imagine each shot before you swing the club or stroke the putt. If you notice negative shots or scary thoughts are in your mind, just notice them, reassure yourself you know what shot to play, and then imagine that shot as fully as possible.
3. While on the practice tee, imagine you are playing your favorite, or most challenging golf holes. Image the hole, hold a target in mind, change clubs for each shot, and if the putting green is close enough, walk over and actually putt out, finishing the hole.
Mickelson described how mental practice helped him win at Hartford: “I wasn’t worried about what shots I didn’t want to hit or where not to go. I was only focused on where I wanted to hit it, the swings I needed to create that shot. Working out of a positive frame of mind allowed me to be more relaxed. It was the mindset. That was the only difference. I didn’t hit it any better or putt any better. I just approached each individual shot from a positive frame of mind and I was able to see what I wanted to do and feel in my golf swing what I need to do to create that shot.”
So, worry not. Instead, creatively practice imagining what you want to experience and watch your scores fall—maybe you’ll even win next time, just like Mickelson.