Dr Joe

Ventura County Junior Golf Association 2008

Everyone acknowledges how much of the game of golf is mental. I’m a golf coach, but not the kind that instructs golfers on their swings. I teach golfers how to play “Zen Golf.” Zen means “action with awareness,” being completely in the present moment. By giving you a different way to look at playing the game, you can learn how to plan with your head so you can play from your heart.

The qualities that accompany the Zen experience include expansive vision, effortless focus, a feeling of equanimity and timelessness, abundant confidence, and complete freedom from anxiety or doubt. Interestingly, this is exactly the way champion athletes describe “being in the Zone.” It is also strikingly similar to the way golfers describe the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot, a feeling every golfer wants to have again and again. No matter how sophisticated their equipment or their knowledge about the swing, if golfers don’t know how to work with their minds on the course, they encounter the common mental obstacles that keep them from realizing their potential.

Performance anxiety, emotional reactions, and distractions interfere with golfers’ abilities. Overcoming such obstacles is the key to breaking through to lower scores. To do so, we need to free ourselves from fear and doubt, and activate confidence. The way to maximize confidence is presented in Zen Golf as the PAR Approach™ – Preparation, Action, and Response to results. This system is the foundation of my coaching program for golf schools and corporate outings, for teaching every level of golfer from PGA professional to beginning amateur.

The key factors in Preparation are the three C’s: Clarity, Commitment, and Composure. Clarity is having a vivid image of the shot you intend, both the target and the path the ball will take to get there. Commitment is freedom from second-guessing, doubt or hesitation. Composure is being calm and focused, poised and at ease. These are what you need to be properly prepared to play a shot. When you make the three C’s part of your game, they’ll add up to the most important C of all – Confidence!

The ideal state of mind for Action is confident, focused, and in the flow, with body and mind synchronized in the present moment. This allows you to execute a shot free from the interference of mental chatter or paralysis from analysis. If you turn over control of the shot from your thinking mind to the intuitive mind that runs your body, stay in the present and trust your swing, that course of action will give you the best chance of success. The key point to remember is, take care of the process and the results will take care of themselves.

The best Responses to results are those that reinforce successes and help you learn from mistakes without getting down on yourself. I encourage golfers to develop a “post-shot routine.” Reinforce good shots with positive feelings and self-encouragement, have a minimum of emotional distress around poor shots, maintain a sense of humor and refrain from beating yourself up. Isn’t where you have to play it from punishment enough?

When you learn to play “Zen Golf,” you make your mind an ally instead of an enemy. Staying calm, focused, and confident is the path to less frustration, more consistency, and lower scores.