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Mental ApproachLouis S. Csoka, Ph.D.APEX PERFORMANCEMuch has been written about golffrom a scientific and technological perspective.Most of it has been about bodyposition, swing techniques, correct motion,hi tech equipment and so on. Thisarticle, like the others to follow, is aboutyour mind and golf. We often hear theexpression “get your head in the game”.Ever wonder what that really means?Have you ever asked after hearing it,“OK, how do I do that?” The solution isrelatively simple; doing it is hard work.You must apply the same discipline,time and resources expended in developingyour physical game to the developmentof your mental approach toplaying golf.There is a concept in psychologycommonly referred to as the thoughtperformancerelationship. It basicallystates that our performance is heavily influencedby our thoughts. In simpleterms, our thoughts evoke certain emotionswhich then trigger a physiologicalresponse that directly affects what we doand how we perform. This sequence cango either well or badly, depending on theinitial thought. For example, a negativethought like “there is that water again infront of the green” will evoke an emotionalresponse like fear or frustrationwhich then causes a battery of physiologicalresponses like sweaty palms,tight muscles, and shallow breathingwhich all contribute to a less than idealswing. Lo and behold, the ball goes inthe water!We Become What We Think About MostIn addition to the emotion, ourthoughts also instantly create a “picture”in our mind, an image of what we arethinking. And, of course, if that image isof what you don’t want to happen, youwill do it. Let me explain. If, as you approachthat hole with the water, you sayto yourself “don’t hit in the water”, yourmind will create an image of the ballgoing in the water. You see, our mindswill automatically create a picture ofonly the action. It cannot include the“don’t”! Solution? Always think and sayto yourself the desired action, like “anice shot to the right of the cup”, thenthe picture will be the right one and itwill help you execute it. This is one ofthe reasons it is so important to reallycontrol what you are thinking.We all talk to ourselves! The questionis “What are we saying?” Whenthese self-talk phrases are repeated overand over again (like a closed loop), theybecome self-fulfilling prophesies, i.e.they come true! It‘s the way the brainworks. It will take your thoughts anddrive them into action. So whatever you“feed” it the most will end up beingwhat you do the most. Here are someself-talk loops that any golfer has heard(or said) all too frequently.• I hate the wind. I never playwell in the wind.• I don’t chip all that well andthis is a bad lie.• Don’t leave the putt short,don’t leave the putt short,don’t…• I’ll probably slice the driveagain.All these negative self-talk phrasesdo is create fear, hesitation and a lack ofconfidence which block any chance forby Louis S. Csoka, Ph.D.a good performance on the course. However,turn them around and they becomeyour friend.Let’s look at confidence for a moment.Confidence is at the heart of allsuccessful performance. But, there are alot of misconceptions about confidencelike, you have to be born with a lot of it;loud, cocky arrogance shows confidence;you must first succeed to be confident.None of these are true. Of coursebeing successful helps boost confidence,but what about the times when you areinvolved in something where a clear signalof success comes much later. Whatkeeps you going? This is where youapply positive, effective thinking. Thisis where you make self-talk work foryou. You see, confidence comes fromwithin. How you think about what ishappening is more important than whatis happening. If you think you can, youcan. If you don’t you won’t! (Rememberthe Little Engine that could?!). The reasonis that our response to any event willbe primarily based on our interpretationof the event, not the event itself. Remember,your mind is racing at an incrediblespeed. Cognitive psychologistsestimate that on the average, we haveabout 50,000 thoughts a day and 80% ofthem are negative. So, when you’replaying golf, how much of that 80% istaken up by your game? You’ve got anuphill battle!For example, if you think the earthis flat (circa 1492) then all your actionswill be based on this belief, until someonethinks out of the box and proves otherwise(think Columbus). Same idea,more recently. In 1954, it was scientificand medical truth that the human bodycould not run a sub 4-minute mile. Thenalong came a young man by the name ofRoger Bannister who proceeded to break14 - CAROLINA GOLF JOURNAL - SUMMER 2010 _____________________________________________________________________________