Take your good golf to the movies
By Nick Hastings, Sports Psychologist
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Add emotional significance to your good shots |
Virtually every amateur I have worked with can recall an occasion at the 19th hole when a shot of some disaster has been discussed - often in vivid detail. Let me recount a recent example.'I shot 70, but you wouldn't believe the drive I hit at the 12th . I knew I was going to duck hook it there!' Now you may think that with a score like 70 this is a scratch golfer or better. In fact, my friend is a 7 handicap and this was his second best score of the year. What interested me was what he remembered.
Why are we as amateur golfers so fantastic at remembering the bad stuff, even in a round of this quality? Jack Nicklaus is well known for actually being unable to recall examples of failure, but when he is asked about success he can recount stories of putts for victories in the same vivid detail as our 7 handicap can his mistakes. The answer for me lies in the emotions we attach to our golf shots and the different ways in which we take our golf shots to the movies. Let me explain.
What would be a familiar scenario for the amateur golfer who hits a really bad shot? Slamming clubs, shouting at himself with every obscenity under the sun, digging up half the golf course? It's not difficult to imagine. Yet what do we do when we hit a good shot? We act almost ashamed, a quiet "Cheers" to our playing partners and on we go. Imagine that you were directing a movie with those two scenarios - which would be the most exciting to watch? If you think the former, I would agree.
Now consider the effect this has on your memory. In the poor shot scenario, we pour out the emotion, and as movie directors we add intense emotional significance to the shot. The effect this has is incredibly powerful - it makes the shot more vivid, more action packed and ultimately...more memorable. In the good shot scenario, what happens? Well we just move on. No emotion. No memory.
This for me explains the comments of my colleague at the 19th hole. It also explains 'bogey holes'. How often do you hear statements like "Oh no, I always miss this green". But how do you know? The truth is that there have been occasions where you have hit the green, but because no emotion has been invested in these shots, they are much harder to remember. When it comes to the bad shots however, we get into a downward spiral of consistently creating vivid negative memories of that particular hole by 'tagging' every bad shot with a "No!" or a "Damn it!". Much like Pavlov and his dogs, the two become inextricably linked. In other words, our brain rigidly says 'Hole 17 = Bad shot'. Hardly the best starting point for a positive outlook.
To start overcoming these problems, reverse the cycle. Add emotional significance to your good shots. You don't have to shout outloud - a clenched fist or a "Come on!" under your breath will do the trick. Do it at home too...take your good shots to the movies. Make the pictures of them bigger in your mind, add your favourite soundtrack and make it loud! Snap your brain out of the old habits and help it develop some new ones. It is no accident that American golf pros have such selective recall of positive outcomes..the crowd do the tagging for them. "You're the man!" or "YEEEAAAHH!" to name but a few. I'm not suggesting you go that far (necessarily), but if you can get in the habit of adding significance to your good shots and removing it from the bad, you'll be amazed at how quickly your enjoyment and scoring improve.
I hope you've enjoyed this article. For more info on Nick Hastings:
E-mail: nbh@nickhastings.co.uk or visit www.nickhastings.co.uk
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