Chapter 19. The Mental Side of Golf

The game of golf is a perfectly natural one to play. Unfortunately, many people make golf difficult to learn, principally through their failure to understand the procedures used. Most often, the inability to succeed in golf stems from a lack of comprehension rather than from a lack of the proper physical equipment in the player. For example, people who excel in other sports do not always perform well on the golf course.

Perhaps the failure to understand golf can be blamed on the players, who may be unable to make the necessary effort to learn, or perhaps it can be that the game is presented to them in a confusing manner-but none of this will be discussed here. The author will simply try to clear away some of the cobwebs to help lead the reader to a more understandable and more enjoyable game.

Understanding the Game

As a rule, men are inclined to create problems for themselves on the golf course. The average male becomes egotistical because of the success he has attained in mastering the complexities of life's battle. He has had to work hard to attain his position, so when it comes to golf, he is inclined to want to take it in his stride. Why should he stop to make a problem of the simple matter of playing a game, particularly something as simple as hitting a ball with a stick? Many a strong, virile, brilliant man has become fouled up on a golf course to a point where disappointment, irritation and confusion cause him to give up the game in disgust. This is one of the reasons for their failure to make good pupils. Knowledge of a few elementary facts could have prevented this situation.

Women players, on the other hand, are inclined to depend too much on others for guidance, and they fail to work out in their own minds an aggressive plan of action, so necessary in the game of golf. Because women are good pupils, however, they do develop good form and golf style, and they become comparatively better players than their male competitors.

Because of its very nature, golf demands understanding on the part of the player. As we noted in an earlier chapter, golf is unlike most games in that it is played with a stationary ball. In practically every other game, the ball is put into motion, usually with intentional deception. Consider, for example, the serve in tennis, the pitch in baseball, or the pass in football. In these sports, if the player does not have the intuition to sense the play or the instinctive ability to get into position for the play, he soon finds himself sitting on the sidelines.

There is no deceptive delivery in golf, and there is no opposing player to interfere with the play. The ball is on the ground, waiting for the player to act, and the player can take as long as he wants, use whatever club he desires, and follow any method or style he chooses.

So, why shouldn't golf be easy? As it turns out, this free choice of time, equipment, and style is the very thing that proves so often to be the undoing of the golfer. Uncertain of the club selected, and perhaps a bit more uncertain of the manner in which he is going to use it, the player has a tendency to become deliberate and doubtful. In short, he develops a mental block and a physical tension which destroys his confidence and his ability to execute the shot.

Because golf is played with a still ball, it requires a definite plan and style of action on the part of the player. Although the lie or position of the ball does not always find it setting on top of a nice tuft of turf, at least it is stationary and in relatively the same position to the player on every shot. In games other than golf, the ball is not always in the same relation to the player, and he must act instinctively for this reason. But in golf, the player trains himself to act routinely. He develops a style, a definite plan of action, and he needs this plan to start and finish each shot consistently.

No one should rush into golf. A plan should be worked out, and when this is done, an understanding of what to do and how to do it soon develops the confidence essential to good performance. By placing himself under the guidance of PGA professionals, a player will hasten results and guarantee performance.

Confidence and Relaxation

A most important necessity in any undertaking is an attitude of confidence. This is particularly true in golf, because the player must depend on his own efforts to produce a desired result or effect. Confidence is not something that can be assumed. It is not something a person can wrap around himself as he would a cloak.

Confidence is a state of mind that can only be developed through thought and study. When someone thinks a thing through, so that he thoroughly understands it from every angle, then he has gained a knowledge of that thing. It is a knowledge of what is required, how to do what is required, and most important, that he himself can perform what is required. Once this is accomplished, confidence is his. Demonstrations of his ability to produce the desired results will cultivate more confidence in the person, and therefore it can be retained indefinitely.

Confidence, therefore, is the result of knowledge, and knowledge, as far as golf is concerned, is of three phases- what to do, how to do it, and proving to yourself that you can consistently produce the desired result. Until you prove it to yourself, you can never have the confidence necessary for a good performance. In this respect, you can fool a lot of people, but you can't fool yourself. The only way confidence can be acquired is through thought, study and practice.

Once confidence is developed, relaxation is a natural consequence of it. Relaxation is a prime requisite in any physical endeavor, but it comes only through confidence. In a game such as golf, where judgment, direction, a delicacy of swing on short shots, and a speed of motion on power shots are necessary, the successful performer must always be at ease and relaxed.

There are two types of relaxation in golf. One is the strictly muscular type, the kind that depends upon the mechanics of the physical movements that constitute the swing. The other is mental relaxation, the proper frame of mind, and it develops from the confidence we have been discussing. Of course, if the physical mechanics are incorrect, no amount of urging, no amount of practice, is going to do any good. But when one knows what to do and how to do it, and when the physical aspects of the swing are correct, then progress can be made.

In all physical performances, there are certain levels of learning, just as there are grades in school. It is the same in golf. Each phase is a natural, orderly sequence of development. Confidence and relaxation are two things all good golfers must acquire.

Teaching to Two

Whenever it is possible or practical, I prefer to teach two people at the same time, with one pupil sitting on the bench and listening to what is being said. This gives each pupil a chance to work the pattern out thoroughly in his mind before trying to execute something he does not understand clearly. That is one of the problems encountered in teaching golf. People are out trying to do something before they know thoroughly what they are supposed to do. It is no wonder that they get all fouled up in their movements and develop so many bad habits that the game becomes difficult or unnatural. Practice is of no value unless the player understands what he is to do. A little guidance from a professional can be very helpful in this respect.

The Mental Side of Learning

The author is reminded of a certain lady who, because she was lefthanded, felt that golf lessons would not do her any good and that she just had to work it out for herself. She practiced for hours at a time, and one day after a lengthy practice session, the lady returned to the clubhouse completely exhausted. From her appearance it was evident she was having difficulties. Hoping to give her some encouragement, I asked how her practice had developed.

"Well, Joe," she replied, "I accomplished one thing today for sure. I've reached a definite conclusion. I'm convinced that my clubs have rubber handles and I'm playing with an iron ball."

Here we have one mental aspect that can be developed in golf. This lefthanded lady golfer is not alone with the idea that it is the clubs and the ball that are wrong, not the player.

Another peculiar quirk was related by a national golf champion when he, among many others, was asked to submit a series of questions and answers on the game. A national newspaper service used the results in a syndicated column. The question of playing a fade was brought up-fade being the technical term for a shot in which the ball is deliberately curved to the right. A fade is employed to curve the ball around an obstacle such as a tree, and it is a shot that stops very quickly on landing.

The description this national champion gave on how to play a fade shot was interesting. "When I want to play a fade," he wrote, "I simply think a fade. Furthermore," he continued, "if I want to play a hook (curving the ball to the left), I simply think a hook. That proves to me," he concluded, "that golf is entirely mental. So if you want to play a good game of golf, simply have confidence in yourself and go to it."

On first analysis, this idea may appear rather weird, but here are the facts in the case. This golfer started to play the game as a youngster, and like a lot of other players, he acquired the knack of hitting a golf ball entirely by imitation. He actually did not learn to play golf -he just grew up with it. He was accustomed, no doubt, to handling and swinging a golf club for many hours each day. As a consequence, he developed a sense and feel of the club, and from experience he learned that a certain way of handling the club produced a slice and another maneuver resulted in a hook. It was second nature for him to move the club to the position which would give him the desired result each time. For this golfer, the game really was entirely mental. He played by habit pattern, and did not try to explain how he positioned the club to get a slice or a hook. With no lessons or instructions, he acquired a golf game entirely through imitation, and executed his good golf shots completely by instinct.

This method of learning golf is not available to everyone. It is possible to acquire the knack of a golf swing through imitation, but this ability to imitate generally is restricted to youngsters, for it takes a long time to learn the game this way. In addition, if the knack gained through imitation is lost, it is quite easy to become confused and never regain proficiency.

The Positive Formula

A 13-year-old girl who took lessons was taught what to do and how to do it, and after several instruction periods she began to hit the ball naturally and quite well for a novice. During one of these lessons, she played a drive that sliced to the right quite badly.

"Well, what happened there?" I asked.

"Oh, my club just got off the beam," she replied. "Please let me have another ball."

This incident proves the value of having a plan and understanding that plan. Here was a girl who did not get upset because she happened to miss a shot. She knew exactly what caused the error, and all she wanted was another ball to prove that she could drive a straight shot. This attitude in golf can be developed only when the person has a positive approach to the game.

My advice to anyone who is a newcomer to golf is this: Don't rush your way into the game. Golf is a game that you can play and enjoy all your life, but you must take a little time to learn the few things that one must know. There really is so little to learn that it's a shame to miss the boat. Don't get all bound up physically and wound up mentally, because golf is not that difficult.

How to Practice

After you have clearly acquired an understanding of what to do and how to do it, the next thing is to put what you have learned into practice. Therefore, the golfer should go to a practice area and start getting the form he has studied into effect. This should be done on a small scale at first, the player starting off with a #7 iron and playing short shots to a distance of from 30 to 50 yards.

When the weight shift, hand action, and body pivot can be executed successfully, longer shots may be attempted. As the results obtained become consistent, the player should gradually work his way up the scale of clubs, practicing with a #5 iron, then a #3, and so on. In starting to work with the woods, he should be sure to start with the #4 wood, taking the #3 next, and gradually working up to the #1 wood, the driver.

The reason for starting with the more lofted clubs is that it gives the player a chance to perfect the footwork and weight shift operations first, then the body pivot, and finally the hand action. With the less lofted clubs, a #2 iron or a #1 wood, for example, the field of operation as far as the hands are concerned is very limited. What might produce a fair result with a more lofted club often results in a complete miss with the less lofted club. For this reason, it is wiser to use the more lofted clubs in learning. As satisfactory results are produced, confidence is developed and progress becomes faster.

On the tournament circuit, the professionals practice from one to two hours daily. They hit between 100 and 200 shots before actually going to the first tee to begin their game.

The Bobby Jones Practice Plan

Bobby Jones, the Grand Slam Champion, who earned the title by winning both the amateur and open championships of the United States and Great Britain within a one-year period, had a unique practice plan that got results. Jones started his practice session by hitting a few balls with the #9 iron. Then he concentrated on hitting two perfect shots in succession with this club, and when that was done he put the club back into the bag. He continued this pattern, taking a few shots with the #8 iron and then concentrating on hitting two perfect shots in succession with that club. This procedure was followed with every club in the set.

You could say that the purpose of this plan was to give confidence as well as practice. Regardless of what club Jones decided to use for a certain situation during the game, he remembered that the last two shots he played with that club were perfect shots. This gave him every confidence that the club was all right and working well.

Consider what may have happened if the situation was reversed. Suppose Jones missed several shots with each of his clubs. Obviously, the clubs would not feel right, because when shots are being missed the club is definitely out of position. If it felt out of balance and awkward, such a club would not be the one to use when the going was tough.

The player should go to the practice tee and get acquainted with his clubs, practicing with them and getting used to them. By doing this before each game, he will make better scores and enjoy his game more.

Remember that the golfer who learns what to do, how to do it, and then proves to himself that he can produce the desired results consistently, is the one least likely to encounter the mental hazards which plague so many players.

I would like to include in this discussion the story of a man who constantly developed problems for himself on the golf course. He went out of his way to find trouble. On a certain occasion his caddie, anxious to do well by his player, ran forward so that he could observe just where the ball would go. The caddie was well off to the left, entirely out of range, but in a spot from which he could easily watch where the ball would land. As the player got ready to hit the ball, he took a sharp look at the caddie, made a couple of waggles with his club and took another stern look at the caddie; he then proceeded to play his shot and made a most miserable effort. In fact, he almost fanned the ball, just barely contacting the extreme top, and it popped into the air three or four feet and stopped about ten feet away from the player. Immediately the player glared at the caddie and practically yelled at him saying, "Caddie, why in blazes did you move?" The caddie, frightened out of his skin, whimpered back, "Me ... I didn't move." "Well," yelled the player, "you were going to move."

I cite this example only to show that the failure to reach a conclusion on how the shot is going to be played, a failure to have a routine pattern to follow on each shot, leaves the player open to any and all distractions.

In this particular case the player actually had to wrack his brain to create a distraction, one that never really existed, except in his own mind.

Of course this player was a victim of the custom and convention that there should be no movement or no noise as a golf shot is being played. I just can't agree with this idea that the whole universe should come to a standstill while a golf shot is being played. The universe won't stop, so you might just as well learn and train yourself to play under any and all conditions. I direct this latter remark particularly to the younger players on the tournament circuit-don't let outside distractions spoil your play and rob you of victory.