Train your A Game - Replicate Your Good Days
IN: Golf Psychology | by Andrea Furst | 31 Mar 2007
"When I play well, it's easy; I don't think about anything, it all just happens."
This is almost always the descriptions that players give me when I ask what happens out on the course mentally when they are playing well. They are pretty standard, bland, non-descript answers indicating that they like it when it happens but there is little clue about its creation. This is mainly due to the fact that there is very little time spent analysing what occurs when players do things well - a disproportionate amount of time is spent picking out the areas of improvement and weakness - so much so that what is done well rarely gets any air time. It is no surprise that players know so little about their good days.
What we really need to explore at the forefront of this discussion is a mindset shift from where playing well dictates how we feel, to one where how we feel dictates how we play. This may sound strange and perhaps even backwards, but it is what the playing pros are aiming to do day in day out and there is no reason why players of all levels can't do the same.
The concept of letting how we feel, dictate how we play, can be dangerous too - when we let our feelings run the show - particularly if we do not know how to manage our feelings.
So, let's find out how to get started on this mindset shift.
Relive The Good Days
An exercise that often gets players thinking is one that asks to detail a round or a time in a round when their mind was at its best. This time is usually one that you would like to replicate, one that you wish and hope returns every time you play. Once you have this round clear in your mind, split your mental approach into three sections - thinking, feeling, and behaving. For each of these sections, you have to remember what was occurring during the round which makes it a positive memory and a round that you associate with being mentally on song.
So, you have your 15 seconds of fame and you are getting interviewed after this particular round, "What did it feel like out there today?" the reporter asks. Your reply will include the emotions that you experienced and may include such feelings as calm, controlled, relaxed, excited, enthusiastic, and focussed. Each player will have their own set of feelings - some may be similar to other players and other feelings, unique to them.
Next you detail how you were behaving during this round. Were you walking by yourself or with playing partners, were your talking or staying quiet, were you walking between shots fast or slow, were you smiling or frowning, were were your eyes facing - essentially, the aim is for you to be able to detail your actions as if you were telling someone else how to behave or act like you.
Last but not least, detail what you were thinking. Imagine that you had to download your thoughts on to your computer via a USB port (I am sure that one day this will be possible). What were you saying to yourself, what were you focussing on, where was your attention placed for the round? And, what were the general themes or vibe of your thoughts. Were they short and sharp instructions, were they simply focussed on the task, were they encouraging?
With this information, I'd like you to see the feelings as the key products or the end results of the more tangible aspects of your mental approach - your thoughts and your behaviours.
Behaviours
Let's start with behaviours; these actions are literally just that, actions that you do when you play well. These actions make you play well or at least increase the chances or opportunities for you to play well. No-one or nothing can make you act or do certain things - you are not a puppet - you control your body's movements and interactions.
In a similar manner, your thoughts are yours. You are in charge of what you think about and when you think about it. The thoughts that you have detailed, form the basis of what you need to think about to play well. They, just like the behaviours, are the processes which contribute and create your "A Game" - your mental approach when you are on song mentally.
Think of your behaviours and thoughts as a recipe of sorts that combine to create the product which is your feelings - and those feelings are what you associate with your good days and playing well.
So, start thinking and acting as your "A Game" states and enjoy playing well more often because it will no longer be "hot or not", it no longer will be "hit or miss", because you are starting to get a system of processes, which if you focus on and work hard at, you can aim to create the end result of playing well every time you tee it up.
