October 2007

This part is the most fun. I believe that many golfers can skip week 3 and move straight into the good stuff. If you’ve been playing golf for any length of time, the chances are that you already have a decent swing…you just need to be shown how to unlock it more of the time.

If you’ve read this far you’ll know by now that the secret to a better game is learning to make it more natural and automatic. Conscious control is a swing wrecker! You have no chance of playing to your full potential if you continually try and manually control your swing. You need to learn to hit the automatic pilot button, and enjoy what comes out.

Let me tell you more.

The hardest thing about playing great golf is learning to take your game from the practice fairway and out on to the golf course. Most golfers hit the ball well in practice but struggle when they get to the golf course. The pressure and extra stress of the golf course is enough to tip many golfers over the edge.

Great players are able to manage their game. They can perform well despite feeling nervous and extra pressure. Mastery enables you to play even better when you’re under the pump and everything is riding on it. I believe this to be the most important skill in golf…far more important than a perfect swing, high-tech clubs or a positive attitude. When you reach mastery, and you will, golf becomes much more fun and is full of nice surprises.

Becoming a master:

Let me share with you a strategy for automating your game every time. This technique is simple, but will have a profound influence on your game if you give it a chance to work.

Playing golf automatically is no different from driving a car or riding a bike, two skills that we do automatically without a problem in the world. Golfers like to think too much about their swing when they play…if they could let their mind be free for the duration of the swing, a new world of possibilities would open up.

So…instead of thinking about technique, score or results, golfers would be better if they thought about something else during the swing. I bet you don’t think about the mechanics of cycling when you’re out riding your bike? Learn to let go and you’ll naturally slip into the automatic zone…and experience moments of peak performance on a consistent basis.

The process:

When you’re hitting the ball you want to think about something that does not relate to your golf game. I recommend counting…once you work out what club you want to hit (the thinking part) start counting. Continue to count as you move into your set up and start your swing. The idea is to lose your conscious mind in the act of counting (or anything that you find interesting) and let your subconscious take over and hit the ball. This works in the same way that you listen to the radio when you drive a car or talk to someone while you’re out running. Your conscious mind is busy and your subconscious is free to do the rest.

You need to force yourself from thinking about the swing when you hit the ball. Trying to swing slowly or shift your weight will not work. This is manual control and almost always leads to disaster. Golfers have become so accustomed to this that they don’t realise that there is an easier and better way. Give it a go…you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

How did you go? Did you manage to play three rounds of golf naturally? I hope you did, because it is a crucial step for you prior to moving on to week three.

By now you should have a better understanding of your golf game. A more instinctive approach will actually show you where your golf game is. You should now have a good reference point to work from. Manual control, continually fixing your swing and trying too hard doesn’t allow your real game to come to the surface.

I’m hopeful that you managed to play some good golf…if this is the case and you’re happy with the results you can move to week 4 and start taking your golf to the master or expert level of play.

If no, you may need to work on your golf swing a little. I’m not against improving your golf swing. Some technique is important, but it’s the order you do it that is of the most importance. Once you learn to play more naturally you should have developed a ‘natural’ shot…a golf shot that will be more prominent over all others. Sometimes your natural shot will be a poor one…maybe a slice or nasty hook.

If this is the case you’ll need to fix it…otherwise you’ll never be able to play consistently. Once you know what your ‘natural’ shot shape is, this is the perfect time to fix it. Too many golfers get this step wrong. They try and fix or alter their swing before they know what their natural tendencies are. This fixing mentality NEVER allows you to develop a great golf game…they spend more time fixing rather than playing.

How to fix your golf swing:

There are two keys for fixing your swing. The first is finding your natural golf swing, the second is getting the best information and golf instruction possible. I’ve shown you how to find your natural swing. Getting the best information on the swing is not so easy.

I realised that there is so much conflicting advice about the golf swing that it was difficult to know what was correct. It wasn’t unusual to be told one thing, and sometime later to be told the exact opposite. This made making significant improvement both difficult and frustrating.

To help understand the swing better became involved in a scientific study. I wanted to know exactly what happened in the swing and how to fix any errors. BioSwing was the culmination of that research. It is based on a three-dimensional and full body analysis of the golf swing. Muscle activity was also tested simultaneously, giving us a complete understanding of the intricacies of the swing.

I believe that improving your golf swing is only possible with correct information. Bad advice makes learning impossible. If you want to understand the best golf swing mechanics then view BioSwing. It is a complete golf swing model that has been translated into simple language.

Making swing changes:

Making positive changes is easy when you understand the learning process. The main goal has to be to get the changes to the automatic level. You MUST be able to perform the skill perfectly without thinking about it. If you don’t know how to do this your golf game will NEVER reach the highest standard possible. Learning to get changes to the automatic stage should never be taken for granted or left to chance.

Let me explain this in more detail.

Let’s say that you want to work on an aspect of your downswing that is giving you problems. Ideally you would be given the right information and perhaps some drills to correct the fault.

The idea is to perform the drill a few times with full attention. Full attention means that your focus is on doing the drill. You’re NOT worried about hitting the ball, or trying to hit perfect shots…just do the drill. In most cases learning a new move should be done away from the course and without a golf ball.

Now don’t spend too much time focused on the training drill. Repeat the drill a few times, then make some full swings (without a ball) thinking about the new move. The final step is to learn to go automatic. You do this by hitting some shots NOT thinking about the drill or the swing change. Again, don’t spend too much time on any step. A maximum of 10 drills, swings or shots is enough.

To ensure the swing changes get programmed in, repeat the above steps up to six times. Long practice sessions are not necessary. Short sharp sessions are more productive and fun…don’t go overboard!

It’s important to point out that you should only work on one thing at a time. Don’t try and fix your grip, back swing and down swing all at once. Choose one, and then spend 20 minutes or so on that task and move on.

When do you know when you have learned new skill?

This is easy. When you can perform the move without thinking about it. This is the magical step when you can all of a sudden just do something. It is a wonderful feeling that makes learning so much fun. If you follow the steps correctly learning will happen naturally. You don’t have to worry about anything…all changes will be automatically programmed into your system.

Once you’ve learned a new move or skill you are then free to fix another area of your game or go out and enjoy a game of golf. In the final lesson I’ll show you how you can learn to become a real master on the golf course. I’ll show you how you can develop confidence and consistency with each round you play.

Now it’s time to get out and play golf. This is a critical step. Many golfers can perform well in practice but completely lose it once they hit the course. Not good and very frustrating.

This week’s lesson is all about having the courage and determination to take your natural game to the golf course. I will be honest with you…it isn’t an easy thing to do, especially if you’ve always played under manual control.

Manual control is an absolute disaster on the golf course. The extra pressure of a score card, playing partners and the normal hazards can be enough to send golfers into a spin. It’s for this reason that many golfers can perform OK in practice, but lose it once they get to the first tee.

So you need some discipline, you have to force yourself to “stop trying” and just go with the flow. Play golf…and your natural game will shine through. Don’t worry if you struggle and find this all a bit hard. You are learning here…score is not important. I want you to play a minimum of three rounds for this lesson. If you can get through this stage I will show you a fool proof method of taking your game to the golf course…until then it is up to you to learn the good old fashioned way.

Go for it…the game is waiting for you!

This is the most important skill you will ever own in the game of golf. YES, the most important.

You must learn how to find and then own your own golf game. Why is this important? Because without it you will never know how to improve constantly and become a consistent golfer week after week..

Let me explain more.

What do you think about when you drive a car? Most people don’t really know. After some prompting they will admit to listening to the radio (singing?), talking on the phone or staring aimlessly out the window. Most are driving the car perfectly well, but they are doing so without thinking about how to do so.

Does this make sense? They are driving the car without thinking about how to do it. This is what owning a skill is and is VITAL to playing better golf.

It’s not just driving cars when we learn to be more automatic. Nearly every skill we perform daily is done automatically;

• walking

• talking

• brushing teeth

• eating

• etc

Automatic learning works for us because it requires less energy and is performed by the subconscious. Automatic learning nearly always ensures the skill is performed perfectly every time. We hardly ever make mistakes with everyday tasks, and when we do, they are quickly forgotten about.

Why you must find your natural golf game

You must be able to find your natural golf swing. Without doing so will cause your game to be inconsistent and weak. Most golfers think to much about their technique when they play. This is not a new problem - but one I think is getting worse.

Thinking about your game when you play requires manual control. This is the opposite to natural learning. Manual control gives you a ‘mixed bag’ of results. With the removal of the subconscious, manual control usually ensures the skill is performed well below your full potential.

Further, manual control is not your golf swing. It is manufactured and contrived. It is not consistent and reliable like your walking style. This means that it will come and go. You may hit a good shot, then a poor one. You’ll experience the full gamut of shots possible. I bet this sounds familiar?

When you know what your natural swing is you have a solid base to work from. Manual control does not allow this. How can you fix something when you don’t know what it is you’re trying to fix? You can’t. This is the reason that golf instruction has let you down in the past. With no starting point (your natural swing) you have to guess what it is you are doing. I have not found this approach to be that reliable!

How to find your natural swing

The first step is to stop tinkering and thinking about your swing while you play. Just hit the ball! Sounds easy (it is) but many can’t help but fight for manual control.

I like to say that playing more naturally is like removing the straight jacket. There is no comparison…one method is restrictive, difficult and even painful. The other is free, easy and so much more fun.

The process:

Take some balls to a quiet place on the practice fairway. You don’t want to get interrupted. You now need a change in mind set. Stop thinking about how to hit the ball, what you are doing wrong or some part of your swing. Leave it alone. Just play and hit the ball.

Get comfortable, relax and clear your head. Make some easy swings with a short iron. Don’t concern yourself with where the ball is going…keep swinging.

See how long you can go before you start thinking about technique. Let these thoughts and desires pass you by. Keep hitting and swinging away. Resist any temptation to analyse or control the swing. Remember the goal is to find your inner golf game. If you stick with it you’ll be rewarded with something that will have a profound impact on your golfing life.

Your job this week is to do this with all parts of your game. Putting, chipping and long game. Spend some time with all areas, but still strive to let go and have some fun. This should not be a chore. This should be exhilarating and an enjoyable process.

I recommend a minimum of three sessions on each part of your game. This should give you enough time and experience to adjust to the ‘non-thinking’ approach. I will cover this approach in more detail in later chapters…but it is important that you complete this task…it sets the foundation for the others.