Articles by The Golf Hypnotist on ArticleSnatch.com

The Golf Psychology of Swing Thoughts and Swing Keys

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:34:31 -0500

I am often asked about the merits of taking swing thoughts or keys out onto the golf course when they play. I'm thinking here about some of the classic ones like "keep your head down", "keep your eye on the ball", "swing back in one piece", "left shoulder under the chin", etc. Now, my major concern about swing thoughts and keys is not so much about their content, but rather about when you think of them. Some would argue that there's no place for them at all during a round of golf and they should be confined to the practice ground. While I broadly agree with this, I feel it's more important to eliminate conscious thoughts about the swing once you step in to address the ball. There are parts of a golfer's routine that require conscious though and there are parts where it's better to trust your unconscious learned skills to actually hit the ball. When you first learned to drive a car, you had to think about everything you had to do. As a result, you were overwhelmed, perhaps over self-aware, and it was difficult to drive smoothly. **End Summary** Topics: golf psychology]]> golf hypnosis]]> golf in the playing zone]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist , is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. Author of a recently published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of Golf Hypnosis audio programmes. You can find many articles on his website that discuss golf in the playing zone .

The Emotional Impact of the Secrets of Hypnotic Golf

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:46:02 -0500

I'm reading a recent New Scientist article talking about the Five emotions you never knew you had and I'm starting to think about how our emotions influence our golf. And they're influencing us every time we play. Now I'm sure that like the rest of us, you're experiencing all sorts of emotions every minute of every day of your life. It's a key element of living whether we are playing golf or doing something less important. So what are these emotions I'm talking about? Well, as the article says, we all see different ones, but the consensus seems to include what psychologists apparently call the Big Six - Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Surprise and Disgust. Well they all crop up on a regular basis in golf, now don't they? And they all appear either as desires or problems with many of the people who seek help from golf psychologists. They all tie in to Enjoying your Golf; Fear of Golfing Failure and Success; and Anger Management in Golf as some of the Secrets of Hypnotic Golf. More indirectly, I guess that Sadness, Surprise and Disgust are also addressed by Positive Framing on the Golf Course; **End Summary** Topics: Secrets of Hypnotic Golf]]> Richard Bandler]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a golf psychologist and author of a recently published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.Buy the book at www.lulu.com . Visit his website www.golf-hypnotist.com .

The Golf Psychology of New Year Resolutions

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:07:46 -0500

Have you made your New Years resolutions for your golf improvement - using golf psychology, perhaps? Well, even if you haven't, I'm sure that many of you are excited about starting fresh, turning your life around and in some cases doing something about playing better golf. That's fantastic! I know that 2010 is going to be an exciting year. I'm excited already, after completing my new book, The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf, over the holiday period. I've been talking about it for long enough and now its written, formatted and with the publisher, ready for launch late January or early February - Woo-hoo! Coming back to those New Year's resolutions, have you made your ones yet? No, don't tell me what they are, that's supposed to be unlucky. It's enough that you're clear about what you would like to change in your life and your golf in 2010? You know what you'd like to accomplish and where you want your life to go. That's enough, isn't it? Well, I've got some bad news and some good news for you. Which would you like first? Okay, let's start with the bad news. **End Summary** Topics: Golf Improvement]]> Unconscious Golf]]> Golf Hypnosis]]> Golf NLP]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Power of your Unconscious Golf Mind to Unscramble your Golf

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:50:10 -0500

We naturally expect the words we read to be the words that are written on the paper or screen we are looking at. We expect the same when we try to read a green when we're playing golf. However, we are much more likely to be deceived by the green than by the written word, however difficult either is to read. So let's have a look at an example. Quickly read the next sentence and see what you think it says. Now raed tihs snectene aagin slwoly to see waht it auctlay syas hree in balck and wihte. I ssucept taht it may be vrey dfreneift. If that one's a bit too easy for you, have a go at this next one. It's one of my favourite quotes from my golfing idol. "I neevr hit a soht, not eevn in paccirte, whiotut hainvg a sahrp, in-fcous pcirtue of it in my haed. First I see the blal wehre I wnat it to fiinsh, ncie and wihte and siinttg up hgih on the birght geern garss. Tehn the secne qcikluy caeghns and I see the blal ginog tehre - it's ptah, tacejorrty and sahpe, eevn its baehiouvr on ladinng. **End Summary** Topics: Unconscious Golf]]> Golf Mind]]> Jack Nicklaus]]> Visualisation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Beware the Sick Golfer Playing Better Golf in his Unconscious Golf Mind

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:48:50 -0500

Have you ever had one of those days when you played better golf than normal, despite having your mind clearly focussed somewhere other than golf. Maybe it's when there's something exciting or absorbing going on in your life that has nothing to do with golf. At the other extreme, it could be a time when you're feeling ill or worried about yourself. I'm sure you've heard the expression, "beware the sick golfer" and that's what was said about Y E Yang when he shot a 7-under par 65 on the Friday of the Chevron World Challenge. Afterwards, he related the experience to what happened at qualifying school in 2008 when "I had a huge headache because I was under a lot of mental stress.” This time, he went on, "I still have a headache, but it's more because of illness, not because of any pressure or stress." Another good example was Tiger Woods winning the 2008 US Open despite the obvious pain from his knee. So what's happening here? **End Summary** Topics: Unconscious Golf Mind]]> Better Golf]]> Tiger Woods]]> Bob Rotella]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Talk Yourself into Better Golf with Golf Hypnosis for Positive Self Talk

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:10:10 -0500

Do you talk to yourself when you're playing golf? Well, if you don't, you may have a serious problem. It's called brain death! Self-talk, otherwise known as internal dialogue or intrapersonal communication, is one of the main functions of our conscious mind. It allows us to make sense of our conflicting thoughts and to express our ideas and feelings to ourselves. Most of the time we talk to ourselves internally and sometimes, particularly after a bad shot, we share our self-talk with everyone in earshot. That can be a large distance with some of the golfer's I've played with! Self talk really comes into its own when we are internally analysing and evaluating complex choices in our lives. A good example is when you are starting your pre-shot routine and deciding on the type of shot you're going to play. Have you ever had one voice in your head proposing an ambitious shot with a driver and another one encouraging you to make a more conservative shot with an iron? Don't worry about it. It's perfectly normal and unlikely to be a symptom of schizophrenia! **End Summary** Topics: Self Talk]]> Better Golf]]> Pre Shot Routine]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Bad Golf Psychology of Listening to Negative TV Golf Commentators

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:56 -0500

How much do you listen to the commentators on televised golf? Do you think they're good for your golf? Well I used to think that watching golf on TV was good golf psychology. Now I'm not so sure. So what happened? Well after writing my recent article about talking yourself into better golf, I sat down to watch a replay of the television coverage of the World Cup from Mission Hills in China. Now I 'm always thinking very positively after completing an article, so I was amazed at how quickly I was becoming negative watching the golf and more importantly listening to the negative messages coming from the commentators. Here's a list of the ones I remember from just 30 minutes of watching and listening. "He's got to think about trying not to let his partner down" "Very few golfers have found winning easy" "The nap is into him as well as the slope - he has to hit it hard" "Perhaps he was afraid of thinning it" "They might have felt a bit intimidated" "It's not finished yet" "It's only a par, but it's not terminal" " **End Summary** Topics: Self Talk]]> Better Golf]]> Tiger Woods]]> Golf Psychology]]> World Cup]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Golf Psychology of Thinking Less and Playing Better Unconscious Golf

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:12:35 -0500

I've been thinking about the application of golf psychology to the issue of the swing thought. In other words, what do you and should you be thinking about when you actually swing the club. It seems that every time I watch someone play they seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time fidgeting with their grip, their stance or their play. The more time they take to get round to swinging the club, the more likely they are to hit a bad shot. One golfer I met recently admitted to almost running between shots so that he has adequate time available to fidget over the ball. The average golfer is often preoccupied with his current set of - sometimes conflicting - technical swing thoughts, from coaches, books, websites and golf magazines and TV programmes. And even if he isn't, someone may have given him a set of the tee pegs I saw recently that had different swing thoughts printed on each one! Now to be absolutely clear, I do believe that you should take adequate time to consciously plan your shots before stepping up to the ball and taking your stance. **End Summary** Topics: Golf Visualisation]]> Better Golf]]> Golf Psychology]]> Karl Morris]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Covert Golf Hypnosis and Secret Plans at the Dubai World Championships

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:59:44 -0500

Firstly there was Lee Westwood's much talked about "Secret Plan." When the dust settled he admitted, "Okay, if you really want to know, the secret was making everyone else think I had a secret, when I didn't really have one." He had the rest of the field nervously waiting to find out what the plan was and not concentrating on their own plans. In my forthcoming book, The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf, I talk about protecting yourself against Covert Hypnosis or "Black Ops Golf", as other people refer to it. Although I'm not comfortable with Covert Hypnosis, I have to admit that Lee's approach isn't that much different from Jack Nicklaus taking advantage from "The golf psychology of letting everyone else complain while you win", as I wrote about in September. Then there was the Lee's personal success story of how he regained his form when he explained that. "The reason for the big turnaround in my confidence and stuff like that was catching my caddie, Billy Foster, at the beach party on Tuesday evening when he probably had enough Heineken to tell me what he really thought." **End Summary** Topics: Golf Hypnosis]]> Rory McIlroy]]> Lee Westwood]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Visualise your Golf Shots and Mental Golf Practice in 3D for Better Golf Hypnosis

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:09:32 -0500

Effective visualisation is one of the key golf psychology tools for improving your golf score and your enjoyment of the game. It's also one of the secrets of hypnotic golf. However, for most people, including me until recently, that visualisation tends to be two dimensional, a bit like looking through the viewfinder of a camera or at a picture on a television screen. Yes, I know that I could imagine some depth perspective, but what if I couldn't actually see the bottom of the pin over that high lip of the bunker at the front of the green. That meant that I was looking at the lip of the bunker in my minds eye and then having to mentally add some more for the distance between the lip and flag. That's too complicated for my golf mind! You may remember my recent article about mental foursomes practice with golf hypnosis the other week. Now shortly after writing that I was watching a rerun on television of a recent US PGA Tour event and enjoying the overhead pictures from the blimp, when I had a sudden flash of inspiration. **End Summary** Topics: Golf Visualisation]]> Golf Psychology]]> Golf Hypnosis]]> Better Golf]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Trust your Unconscious Golf Mind to Align Your Club for a Better Pre-Shot Routine

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:59:31 -0400

How much is the accuracy of your golf shot influenced by club alignment at address and how much is down to your instinctive or unconscious golf ability? Now I'm not talking here about the complexity of aligning the various parts of your body when you address the ball. That's a subject for your golf pro, not your golf psychologist. All I'm interested in here is the alignment of your club face at address. I've been writing a lot recently about the importance, in golf psychology terms, of a quick transition from the conscious processes of planning your golf shot and selecting the right club and the unconscious process of taking your stance and hitting the ball. What concerns me most is that while the best golfers seem to take as little as 11 seconds to complete this transition the average golfer seems to take that long just to align their stance and the clubface. Now, I don't want you to go straight out and time how long you take, as that would introduce an unnecessary conscious activity into what should be an unconscious process and I don't want you blaming me for making you play worse. **End Summary** Topics: Unconscious Golf]]> Pre Shot Routine]]> Inner Game]]> Better Golf]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Speed Up your Pre-Shot Routine Transition for Better Golf Psychology

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:58:15 -0400

Golf instructors often talk about the transition in the golf swing as that pause between completing the backswing and starting the downswing. They often suggest that slowing down the transition is one of the most important keys to hitting a good shot. Well, I'm not qualified to comment on the technicalities of the golf swing. However, I am qualified to comment on what for me is an even more important transition in golf psychology. It's the transition from the conscious analytical planning phase of your pre-shot routine to the unconscious instinctive phase of actually hitting the ball. Unlike the pause at the top of the backswing, the faster you can comfortably make this transition, the better and more consistently you'll find yourself striking the ball or rolling the putt. If you watch the top players in the world, like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, you'll notice that they take very little time between taking their chosen club out of the bag and hitting the ball. A recent study suggested that Tiger and Phil consistently take around 11 to 12 seconds to do this and they are very consistent with the timing. **End Summary** Topics: Pre Shot Routine]]> Better Golf]]> Inner Game]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Golf Psychology of Going on a Pre-Shot Routine Journey with your Right and Left Brain

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:56:01 -0400

As a golf psychologist, I am especially interested in the importance of separating the conscious and unconscious elements of the pre-shot routine and the actual striking of the ball. In an ideal world, we should use our conscious rational mind, sometimes referred to as our Left Brain, for planning our shots and our unconscious instinctive mind, or Right Brain to manage the execution of each shot. Yes, I know that there's lots of controversy in psychology circles about where these functions actually exist in the brain, but, however it's actually organised, the conscious and unconscious processes of the brain do seem to work separately to our advantage. When we learn to do anything new, we employ our amazing analytical power of our conscious mind to work out how to do it. We keep trying new ways and deciding on which is the best for us in a particular situation. The process is very effective in the long term, but very slow and frustrating. This is what's going on when we learn to ride a bike, drive a car or have a golf lesson. It often seems frustrating or even down right impossible to achieve. **End Summary** Topics: Better Golf]]> Pre Shot Routine]]> Golf Psychology]]> Right Brain]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Mental Foursomes Practice with Golf Hypnosis for Better Golf in your Mind's Eye

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:55:00 -0400

Practicing golf in your mind, mental golf if you like, is just as effective as playing golf and physical practice on the range, if you want to play better golf. As I've written many times before, it also works a lot better when accompanied by golf hypnosis and other golf psychology techniques. But there's a problem. How do you imagine hitting shots from difficult lies if you're playing an imaginary round? Surely you'd have to hit bad imaginary shots in order to get into the difficult positions. Wouldn't that be bad golf psychology? When you play golf for real, you'll probably hit the odd bad shot now and then. Hopefully, you're already using a good post-shot routine, so you'll be able to learn from the bad shot and release it to the past. It can't hurt you there. Maybe you could use the "Reset Button" technique Nick Faldo spoke of when commentating on Tiger Woods the other week. You may remember my earlier article about mental golf practice and recall the story about an American Major, James Nesmeth. **End Summary** Topics: Mental Golf]]> Golf Hypnosis]]> Tiger Woods]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Hit the Reset Button for a Winning Golf Hypnosis Metaphor

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:03:39 -0400

The ability to learn from your bad shots and release them from your mind is one of the keys to winning golf. You only have to look at the world's greatest ever golfers to see this. I don't ever recall seeing the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo dwelling for any length of time over a bad shot or allow one to affect a subsequent shot they had to play. They certainly got over it before they played their next shot and just went back to their regular routine. One of the key techniques in the application of golf hypnosis is the use of metaphor to communicate a concept that may be rejected or over analysed by the conscious mind. As an example, if I wanted someone to swing their golf club naturally and unconsciously, I might talk to them about the way they throw a ball of paper into a wastepaper basket or skim a stone across a pond - without any conscious thought. So I'm always on the lookout for a good metaphor and right now I need one to use in my golf hypnosis to help people with their post-shot routines. **End Summary** Topics: Tiger Woods]]> In the Zone]]> Self Hypnosis]]> Winning Golf]]> the Now]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

See Yourself Putting Better and Enjoying Golf More with Golf Psychology

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:55:52 -0400

There were some amazing golf and putting psychology lessons on show with Phil Mickelson's stunning win at the Tour Championship at East Lake this weekend. Yes I know Tiger won the FedEx Cup and the $10 million with an amazingly consistent series of results. But given Phil's year, both on and especially off the course, his victory on Sunday was a simply joyous and breathtaking turnaround. Phil had looked out of sorts in recent weeks and after his quadruple bogey 8 on the 14th hole in the first round, I had sadly anticipated him failing again over the weekend. You've probably heard about Phil's putting woes and his comments about how "I've hit the ball so well and yet my scores haven't reflected that." You've probably also heard about how "Bones" Mackay, Phil's longstanding caddie, urged him to get help the week before the Tour Championship from Dave Stockton, one of the best putters in golf and twice a major winner. As if those weren't sufficient reasons, Stockton also putts a bit like Phil does when he's at his best. **End Summary** Topics: Phil Mickelson]]> Unconscious Golf]]> Golf Mind]]> Putting Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Play Better Golf Psychology In The Now and One Shot at a Time

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:25:29 -0400

One of the key success factors of better golf psychology is learning to unconsciously play one shot at a time - in the moment, in the zone or "in the now." And this applies equally to every shot you play on the practice ground, in a friendly game and in the most important round of your golfing life. Playing in the now means that you're protected from any poor, indifferent shots and ill-judged shots that went before. It also means that you're protected from future uncertainties and expectation. Now why am I talking about this today? Well, isn't the world's golf press just amazing, if a little predictable? They see Benn Barham score a fourth round 69 for a phenomenal total of 19 under par and they say he failed and focus their attention on his few bad shots, like his drive down the last hole "that cost him a birdie." If he'd played like that, scored like that and won, then they'd be talking about his amazing success and knocking Rafael Cabrera Bello's disastrous failure. Now I'm not taking anything away from Rafael. **End Summary** Topics: Better Golf]]> In the Now]]> In the Zone]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Visualise your Target for Better Unconscious Golf

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:54:24 -0400

As a golf psychologist, I'm regularly asked by clients about what they should be thinking about in their golf mind when they're actually swinging the club or stroking a putt. Many of them will have some sort of pre-shot routine that prepares them to some degree for the shot they're about to make. A smaller number will also include some sort of visualisation of the shot they want to hit. However, very few will be thinking about that visualisation when they actually hit the ball. So what are they thinking about when they hit the shot? Well, a lot of them are consciously thinking about some aspect of their swing mechanics and that doesn't work at all well, because your conscious mind doesn't work fast enough to control your golf swing. Have you noticed how when you hit a really good shot, you can't remember what you were consciously thinking about in your golf mind. You just trusted your unconscious mind and the shot just seemed to happen. **End Summary** Topics: Golf Visualisation]]> Unconscious Golf]]> Bob Rotella]]> Better Golf]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Golf Psychology of Letting Everyone Else Complain while You Win

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:52:20 -0400

How often do you hear your playing partners and other people at the golf course complaining about things beyond their control? Maybe you do it a bit yourself. I know I have from time to time, especially in the past. You know the sort of thing I mean. More importantly, have you ever thought about the golf psychology impact that this has on their game? Now I'm talking here about a whole range of complaints. You'll hear some people whingeing about the conditions. Maybe it's too hot or too cold for them to play well. Perhaps the wind's too strong, in the wrong direction or, as Tiger Woods seems too struggle with these days, the wind is swirling unpredictably. Some may be saying that the greens are too fast or too slow for them to putt well on or too hard or receptive for their style of play. Yet more may be complaining about the length of the course, the thickness of the rough, the width of the fairways or the size of the greens. And it doesn't matter that it's the same for everyone, most of them can find something to complain or worry about. **End Summary** Topics: Golf Psychology]]> Jack Nicklaus]]> Tiger Woods]]> Winning Golf]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Use Golf Psychology to Overcome Bad Luck and Play Well Despite It

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:12:54 -0400

What impact does luck have on your game of golf? By that I mean do you treat good luck and bad luck as two sides of the same coin? Statistically, our golfing luck is going to even out over the long term. If you keep tossing a coin, you may get long runs of heads or tails, but I'm sure that deep down we all know that every time there's an equal chance of one or the other. Luck's been a part of golf for a long time and the earliest golfer's defined good luck and bad luck as "Rub of the Green." So how do you feel if you hit a really good drive down the middle of the fairway only to see it bounce off unexpectedly into a bunker or end up in a divot? Does it make you angry and affect your next shot or even the rest of the round? Did you see Lee Westwood's tee shot on the 72nd hole when he was in contention to win the Open Championship at Turnberry? **End Summary** Topics: Self Hypnosis]]> Golf Hypnosis]]> Finger Breathing]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Finger Breathing for Self Hypnosis and Better Golf Psychology

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:19:53 -0400

I wouldn't be at all surprised if by now you've noticed that self-hypnosis is a key part of my overall approach to golf mind improvement. In fact, many of the golf psychology techniques that I talk about in my articles start off with the words "If you're familiar with a quick technique for taking yourself into self-hypnosis, then use it now." So today, I'm going to describe a simple technique for taking yourself into a safe, light and relaxing trance. Using it will help you in getting the most out of the golf psychology ideas included in my other articles, newsletters and posts. You can also use this technique to calm and relax yourself at times of stress and anxiety, like taking an exam, meeting the boss, first-tee nerves or standing over an important shot on the golf course. As you'll soon realise, this "Finger Breathing" technique does need a bit of imagination, but you must already be pretty imaginative if you're looking to use golf psychology to improve your golf! **End Summary** Topics: Self-Hypnosis]]> Golf Mind]]> Golf Psychology]]> Finger Breathing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

The Golf Psychology of Self Hypnosis and Imagination for Winning Happiness

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:18:05 -0400

I felt so sad watching Sergio Garcia looking so miserable and failing to close out a much needed win in the Wyndham Championship at Greensboro on Sunday. It reminds me of how important our internal state is to good golf psychology and how we can use self-hypnosis to manage and control our state of mind. One of the fundamentals of modern psychology is the idea that whatever we consciously think about our unconscious mind does its best to deliver. This manifests itself in many ways and if we're consciously looking at something, then pretty soon we find ourselves physically heading towards it. Have you ever noticed, when you're driving along in your car on a wide road, maybe a motorway or freeway, and you notice something interesting off in the distance to the right or left, that you suddenly find yourself unconsciously steering towards it? That happens on the golf course if you focus on something that you want to avoid, like a bunker or a water hazard? Have you noticed how you tend to unconsciously hit the ball directly at the thing you're trying consciously to avoid? **End Summary** Topics: Self Hypnosis]]> Sergio Garcia]]> Golf Psychology]]> Golf Hypnosis]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Putting Psychology and Golf Hypnosis into Perspective at PGA Championship

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:09:05 -0400

Putting was clearly very difficult for all the players at Hazeltine in the 2009 PGA Championship, especially in terms of putting psychology. Now we all saw Tiger Woods missing a lot of mid-range putts that we'd normally expect him to see and I've already written about how those were the result of his uneasiness about the swirling wind. I'm more concerned here with a number of really crucial putts missed by Lee Westwood and the massive number of short putts missed by Vijay Singh. In my humble opinion, Lee Westwood is striking the ball as well as he ever has, especially in the major championships. As a result, he keeps getting himself into contention in the last round before throwing away the opportunity in the last nine holes on Sunday. How many times did he miss apparently easy putts at Hazeltine, including a three putt from not much more than 3 feet? At the Open Championship we saw him three-putt the 72nd hole after recovering well from a few bad putts earlier in the round. **End Summary** Topics: Putting Psychology]]> Golf Hypnosis]]> Lee Westwood]]> Vijay Singh]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Windy Golfers and Windy Golf Psychology Blown Away at the PGA Championship

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:07:18 -0400

So, were you blown away by the golf at the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine this weekend? With 8 hours of TV coverage on Saturday and again on Sunday, I was just riveted to the screen and amazed by both the spectacle and the windy golf conditions. The TV commentators also contributed to the windy feeling with all their hot air and false hopes for a certain golfer named Tiger Woods. Didn't they just love Y.E. Yang's quote about how the odds against him beating Tiger must be 70 to 1, based on Tiger having just won his 70th PGA Tour event last week while he had won his first earlier this year. Although I've never played there personally, I vividly remember Tony Jacklin telling me, and our other two playing partners at Brookmans Park Golf Club, all about Hazeltine's challenges, just a week or so after his US Open win back there 1970. The course certainly seems to have got even harder and so more picturesque since Dave Hill's scathing comment back then that "all it really lacks is 80 acres of corn and a few cows." **End Summary** Topics: Yang]]> Tiger Woods]]> PGA Championship]]> Hazeltine]]> Golf Psychology]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.

Let's Fine the Rules Official not the Player at the World Golf Championships

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:05:16 -0400

I know I'm on holiday this week, so that tells you how incensed I am about the goings on at the sixteenth hole at Firestone on Sunday with John Paramor's untimely and perhaps ill-considered intervention at a critical time in a thrilling title decider. Now you know from what I've written before that I'm very much against slow play in golf, if for no other reason than that it's bad golf psychology. You only have to read my earlier article, entitled "The Fast Track to Better Golf in your Unconscious - Slow Play Kills your Golf Mind", to see why. Coming back to Sunday, you have to admire Padraig Harrington's whole approach to the final round and especially the unfairness and ridiculous timing of John Paramor's intervention. Isn't it obvious that anytime Tiger's playing, the size, enthusiasm and rowdiness of his supporters means that his pairing is going to be slower than normal? You also have to admire Tiger's very fair comments about the incident as well. And decry the latest news stories that suggest that he's going to be fined for criticising John Paramor. Now I'm even more incensed! **End Summary** Topics: Tiger Woods]]> Padraig Harrington]]> Slow Play]]> Anger Management]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is the author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes. Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 programme.