Play Your Best Game »Play Your Best
By: Christopher Dorris, Performance Psychologist
(480) 449-4728
www.christopherdorris.com
Do you really want to play your best? If you answered “Yes,” then have I got some advice for you! Stop trying!
That’s right. Stop trying when you’re playing. When you take a mouthful of your favorite drink, do you say to yourself, “I’m going to do my best to swallow this?” Of course not. Have you ever said to someone, “Could you please stop talking to me; I’m trying to blink?” I doubt it. Why not? Because swallowing and blinking are involuntary behaviors. That means you don’t have to think about them to do them. They just happen on their own.
So, if you can master these things without even trying, then why are you trying so hard on the golf course? Scoring better in golf doesn’t come from trying harder to score better. Great golf, just like great tooth brushing, comes from just doing. The funny thing about golf is that the less you focus on your score, the better your score gets.
Remember, your score is only one of many, many ways to measure your success at golf. Other ways include how well you controlled your emotions, how well and how consistently you executed your pre-shot routine, how well you were able to win without bragging, how honorably you took defeat, how much you were able to appreciate the beauty of the golf course and the day, how well you stuck to your game plan, and how much FUN you had.
(Editors Note: In this issue we took a different approach
to the “Ask The Pro” column and are offering
a tip from a “mental golf pro” to improve
your game. It’s all a necessary part of playing
your best. We’ll be incorporating these on occasion
to help you round out your learning experience to include
the mind as well as the body.)
