Last week I wrote about golf swing drills and training aids and they were well received with great comments and questions from many of PPGS readers.

One comment asked what I thought about mental coaches, and I replied that I would discuss them in my next “Surge Says”.

Here it is:

For starters, mental coaching is a good definition of what they do, but most of them have PHD’s and prefer to be called “Sports Psychologists,” and I have heard them called “Doc” many times by the pros, as well as by me when I greet the ones I personally know.

Sounds more educated and I guess that title makes it easier to charge the Big Bucks!

And, some of the more famous ones who work with the top PGA Tour Players get thousands for a session.

That’s serious cash to teach you how to think while you play golf.

We all have a mind, and the mind is where thinking takes place, and I know of no other human activity where bad, detrimental, and destructive mental activity/thoughts can creep, or “explode” into your brain faster than while playing golf.

The number one villain is the negative aspect of talking to ourselves just in swing and shot preparation or after shot comments that we just pound ourselves with anger and derogatory insults.

Have you ever said to yourself after hitting a poor to awful shot in a real important point in a round, “You suck or choke like a dog.”

Or say something like after every time you have to hit a big shot and blow it, “I fold like a cheap chair.”

And, many of us will also use language that is not printable here or sayable in public.

I also hear from students on the lesson tee and on the course things like:

“Don’t pick your head up”

“Don’t Blah, Blah, Blah,”

… ad nauseam.

And then there is on the course the negativity of shot results when they say garbage like, “don’t pull it left and hit it OB,” or “don’t top it into the lake,” or don’t slice it into the woods.”

The solution is to talk positive with comments like:

“I am going to hit it dead down the middle.”

“keep my right knee flexed.”

Negative thoughts are killer thoughts that almost certainly doom a player having positive results.

The mind most often responds to the last thought.

So, if you want to improve your swing and on course playing, get into positive self talk.

Now, let’s get back to sports psychologists and the role they play in helping golfers.

They have years of education to help players by evaluating their terrible thoughts and actions, and then to teach them how to think and act positively and successfully.

Many, if not most golfers could use some mental coaching.

But, at thousands of $$$$ for a session or at the least huge hourly rates with these top Tour Docs, how can you get some help to end your mental miscues and misery?

Buy their books and audio and video tapes.

I do!

As I write this, I am looking at an audio cassette program with a 1985 copyright date by Dr. Robert Rotella and Dr. Richard Coop called “Golfing Out of Your Mind.”

This program consists of 3 audio tapes that walk you through all the tips and mental drills and practices needed to think and play in a positive mental zone.

Tape 1 side 1 is “The Psychology of Peak Performance,” and side 2 is “Learned Effectiveness.”

Tape 3 side 1 is “Relaxation and Visualization,” and side 2 is “From practicing to Playing.”

My favorite and most listened to tape was tape #2 side 2 titled “How to Be Your Own Best Friend.”

I used to keep it in my car and often listened to it driving to play in a tournament. I think that is the title as that tape is missing, so Dr. Bob, if you read this, I could use a new Tape 2.

The message on tape 2 dealt with self talk, your inner voice speaking to you.

When we hit bad shots, and, especially in important pressure packed situations and fail, our inner voice can say some pretty awful and disgusting things, from “I am a choker” to I promise I will quit this #@^&*()) stupid game,”

Tape two tells you that you must talk to yourself like you would talk to your playing partner doling out kind words of forgiveness and encouragement that he can do it, he will hit the next shot well.

Negative self talk is powerfully destructive and thus positive self talk is powerfully productive, never mind it makes you feel better and perform better.

I like Dr. Rotella as a person and I like his messages.

Another sports psychology Doc that I like a lot is Dr. David Cook, PHD.

I will add here that I like these two Sports psychology Docs because they are both really good players in their own rite, and certainly know and have experienced everything the rest of us have to deal with every time we play.

Dr. Cook has a new book out called “Golf’s Sacred Journey, Seven Days at The Links of Utopia.”

It is an awesome and easy read as it is sports psychology in a story format about a troubled and defeated touring professional’s unusual route to finding mental peace and harmony, of improved playing and scoring on the course and off the course in his personal life from a pro named Johnny.

The final chapter has a message to the reader that can be moving and life changing.

I was so impressed with the message that I bought extra copies and gave one first and foremost to D.J and my brother Ken, as well as to some of my close friends and students.

You can get Golf’s Sacred Journey” only online at Dr. Cook’s web site www.linksofutopia.com

I have numerous sports psychology books, and I could not find many of them in my book shelf.

I did find them one day at D.J.’s house while looking at the books on his shelf after I spotted one of my putting books laying on the table in his living room.

He prefers to read mine, as they are made easy reading because I still read books that I consider important topics doing an old college practice of underlining key points, writing comments in the margins and making page references to them in the back of the book on the blank pages inside the cover.

Now, after giving sports psychology a raving review, I cannot end this without making my comment to what I feel is the “Fatal Flaw” in the mental coaching process.

One of their major dictates is during a round when stress is building when your swing doesn’t feel right and you’re hitting poor quality shots they teach you to feel and think good shots.

Visualize your setup, a good swing and hitting a good shot.

This is a must, and it will reward you with good shots.

The problem is good visualization and thinking cannot overcome setup and swing flaws and problems.

If the ultimate cause of poor thinking is from hitting bad shots and rests in poor setup and or swing problems, all the best thinking of even a genius won’t help.

If a player has been driving it left and then right and is clueless, I don’t care how much he or she stares at the middle of the fairway and says “I can pure it down the middle, I can pure it down the middle,” it won’t likely happen.

Why?

Because while it is mentally possible, it is likely physically impossible!

He may get lucky and hit one down the middle, but if he or she is honest with themselves, they are clueless as to why and how it happened.

I know this because many players over the years have told me so.

Here is an example using me in a sports situation.

In my youth I was a pretty good basketball player with a good outside shot. I had to shoot outside because I was real short being 5’9”. Driving the lane against the giants stuffing the ball down my throat was a quick clue to me to learn to shoot from the outside if I was going to score.

Now, imagine and standing on a basketball court dribbling the ball below the basket looking up at it and saying over and over, “I can dunk it, I can dunk it, I can dunk it.”

We know it ain’t (bad English to emphasize the point) going to happen unless there is a step ladder or one of those small trampolines for me to jump on.

The point here is the best mental thinking is still subject to success only when the setup and swing is functioning equally well.

This leads me to my final point regarding a mental coaching flaw.

The mental coach turning into the swing coach!

This happens when the mental coaching does not fix the bad ball flight and the mind Doc, then tries to help with the swing. I have no problem with this as long as they have adequate training in swing theory and experience to be an effective instructor. If not, they need to stick with the mind and tell the student to seek out their instructor.

Playing good golf is a twofold process of good mental activity and a good setup and swing that is in harmony with the laws of physics and physiology.

They go hand in hand like soup and a sandwich, fish and chips, and the my Surgism, that is the foundation that the Peak Performance Swing is based on, “The setup determines the motion.”

So, think good thoughts, to make good swings and hit good shots, and watch your scores go lower!

And, of course, grab The Peak Performance Golf Swing DVD’s.

They will show you how to CONSISTENTLY hit the ball farther and straight as an arrow.

All of which will automatically fill your head with good thoughts — especially when you’re making your friends look bad and winning all the bets.

Happens all the time with my students.

Right now, you can use the DVD’s for an entire year (without ANY risk) at:

Thanks,

Don Trahan
“The Swing Surgeon”

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