An article from Dr. Bob Rotella
Dr. Rotella is a world renowned sports psychologist and author of golf book greats like Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect. He works with PGA Tour players including Rory Mcllroy, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. Dr. Rotella also works with the Virginia golf programs as a volunteer assistant coach. Internationally known for his work in the area of applied sports psychology, he is consistently recognized as the Top Sports Psychologist in the world. The following is an excerpt from an article he wrote for Golf Digest that we thought would be a great introduction to this month’s Teaching Times.
Golf is a game of confidence and competence. I am not about to tell anyone that a player who lacks physical skills can transform overnight into a winner by changing his thinking. If you trust a bad swing, it's still going to produce bad shots. (Though it will produce fewer of them than if you don't trust it.) You have to attain a level of physical competence to play well.
Having said that, I believe it's impossible to overestimate the importance of the mind in golf. There is no such thing as "muscle memory." Your muscles have no capacity to remember anything. Memory resides in your head. Therefore, no matter how long you practice a golf swing, no matter how skilled you become, your muscles alone can't remember it and execute it when the need arises on the golf course. Your muscles and the rest of your body are controlled by your mind. Unless your mind is functioning well when you play golf, your muscles are going to flounder. If your head is filled with bad thoughts, your scorecard is going to be full of bad strokes.
Having control of your mind and using it properly can separate you from the competition, whether it's at your club or on the PGA Tour. I believe every golfer has the potential to be much better than he or she is, and that using the mind is one essential way to improve. You will never know if you have the ability to be the best player in the world, or the best player in your club, unless you commit yourself to developing both your physical and mental skills.
Lesson Opportunities at Lake Valley
Junior Golf Registration at Lake Valley is NOW OPEN! We have a fantastic program this year with a better teacher to student ratio, an extra hour of time each week, and of course more fun! Whether it is our Junior Sports Academy for 4 to 7 year olds; or the PGA Junior League for ages 8 to 13, whatever your child’s age, we have something for them. There is a load of information on our website about these programs so please visit http://www.lakevalley.com/Golf-Shop/Junior_Golf.aspx. You may also contact Jeff McNair [email protected] for more information or to sign up.
With the golf season looming, we feel that this would be a good time to keep you up to date with your PGA Professionals’ lesson opportunities. Each has his own prices and philosophy but all are dedicated to making you a better player and making sure you have fun doing it. There will be various clinics throughout the year but for now, here are the individual lesson prices for adults:
Cameron Morton, PGA Head Professional
$60.00 1/2 hour
$100 1 hour
$250 Series of 3
$400 Series of 5
Tyler Winslow, PGA Apprentice
$35.00 1/2 hour
$60 1 hour
$125 Series of 3
$225 Series of 5
Jeff McNair, PGA Apprentice
$40.00 1/2 hour
$65 1 hour
$175 Series of 3
$275 Series of 5
Talk to your professional about individual junior price, playing lessons and much more!
Your body is present, is your mind?
What do you consider to be a solid pre-shot routine? Does it involve a practice swing? Lining up behind the ball? A few waggles of the club? Some people might say that a good routine involves all of these, but PGA Tour pros see it in a very different light. . . The following article will delve into what a solid routine actually feels like. One secret I will let you in on now is that it involves a lot more than what goes on in the time between selecting your club and setting up to the ball.
OSVEA. . . gibberish right? WRONG!! This is an acronym for the basic mental routine all good players go through on every single shot. O.ptions S.peculation V.isualization E.xecution A.cceptance. Let us go through and explain each one of these steps.
· Options: What are the options presented for this shot? Can you hit it right at the flag or should you go for the center of the green? Is the green even a possibility? What club and shot type should you use? Do you lay up to a certain yardage to make your next shot easy? This is the step where every possibility and outcome should be considered.
· Speculation/Selection: This is where you consider the consequences of the option that you chose. Where will this shot leave me? What do I need to focus on? How is this ball going to get to that target? This is also where you must WHOLLY COMMITT to the shot at hand. These first 2 steps will tend to blend together as you speculate upon the options.
· Visualization: Probably the most important step in the entire process is how you visualize the shot you have selected. Everyone has a different way of visualization, but people who are best at it see and feel as much detail as possible. During this process, they feel the elements of weather, the ball coming off the club face, the clothes on their back, the ball flying, bouncing, rolling, etc. Visualizing is like a mental rehearsal of the physical activity and all physical activity happens in the brain first anyways so there is really nothing better you can do for your game than detailed, consistent visualization.
· Execution: This is where a good player lets their mind go quiet and allows their body to do what it is prepared to do. Allowing the swing to happen rather than making the swing happen is the key here. Executing a motor pattern as complex as a golf swing must be a product of autonomy (what most people think of as ‘muscle memory’) and not forced movements.
· Acceptance: Another incredibly important part of this process is understanding that the result of a shot must be accepted absolutely. Once you start brooding about your next shot or about the poor execution of your last, you have taken yourself out of the present moment. It is important to keep your mind in the same place as your body; your body is here, is your mind? People who are skilled at this understand that golf is a game of mistakes and believe that the only shot in existence is the shot at hand. Accept whatever the outcome and you will enjoy your round more and play better golf.
We are very excited about the newest addition to the Lake Valley Golf Shop; the Edel Fitting systems. For those who are not familiar with Edel, they began as a putter manufacturer in 1996 and have been growing ever since. David Edel and his staff are highly acclaimed and hold numerous patents including one for the single length iron set Bryson DeChambeau played last year. We recently acquired Edel’s fitting systems for wedges and putters and will soon be getting the iron one. Once we do we will be the only place in Colorado to all have all three! What this means to you is that we have now have the most comprehensive putter fitting available. For more on the putter fitting click here.
Please take advantage of this technology as many members have already. Almost everyone who has gone through a fitting has immediately seen the benefits. We are confident that it will help you with your golf game.
Everything is totally customizable from colors to stamping and so much more! Come visit us in the shop for more details.
