Golf is the perfect game to show the benefits of sports hypnosis because when a player completely unravels on live television, the cause is obvious. It’s all in the mind!
The Master’s is the jewel amongst the Majors and every youngster who takes up the sport of golf, dreams of one day putting for the win in Augusta.
Rory McIlroy is a 21 year old phenom from Northern Ireland. When I first saw him play and win on the European tour, I thought “he is a Tiger killer!” Rory has the perfect swing and plays all out like a typical youth. But he is different. He is a really good kid! McIlroy is respectful and friendly. He is also open and honest. These are ideal qualities for any man, especially a golfer.
The first day in Augusta, McIlroy rocketed into the lead. He continued to capitalize on his skills the second and third day as well.Rory McIlroy led the Master’s for three straight days and came into the final round with not only the lead, he also had the proven ability to win.
Let’s stop here for a moment and think about playing on the PGA tour: When you step up to the tee, there are thousands of people looking at you. They have all hushed and you are left to your thoughts and your ability as a golfer. Most people, when in similar situations, like public speaking, become nervous and weak feeling in their knees. Imagine trying to swing a golf club correctly and hit a ball 300 yards down the middle of the fairway on some of the hardest courses ever devised to torture golfers and test their skill when your arms and legs feel like jelly.
Now, add in the pressure of a major. Instead of crowds of 10,000, triple it to crowds of over 35,000. Each hole is wall to wall people. All looking at you. Watching every move you make.
Rory started his fourth round 4 strokes ahead of the field. This means that if Rory would play just average golf, he would win the Master’s.
His first nine holes were shaky. Then, on the back nine he had a meltdown. On 10, he hooked his tee shot off of a tree and placed it between cabins that were well left of the fairway. Then on 13, he drove his tee shot into a creek. I could go on and on recounting each errant shot, but the shots aren’t what matters. His mindset is what matters. His shaken belief and confidence in himself and his inability to get his mind back in the game are the reasons he shot an 80 and lost the Master’s Tournament.
Imagine what was going through his mind on the first hole when he stepped up to the tee. What was he telling himself? Was he saying “I can do this! I am going to win!” or was he saying, “hold it together! Just get through this!”
Ask any Sports Psychologist or Sports Hypnotist, there is a difference in affirming statements. When we want to create something positive in our lives, we must be specific and bold in our self-talk. We can’t hope. We can’t try. We are! We do!
The problem is that people pay too much attention to the world around them. They look for evidence in the outer world to prove that what they are telling themselves is coming true. This is not confidence! Confidence is knowing you will succeed. Confidence is believing in yourself to the point that you refuse to accept what the outer world is telling you until it tells you that you are a winner.
Athletes are trained for competition. Competition is a finite thing. It is timed. It has a beginning and an end. This makes it feel different than when you compare an entrepreneurs self-confidence and belief in themselves to succeed. But it’s not different. It’s exactly the same.
Sports hypnosis teaches you how to control your mind and act “as if.” If you were going to win, what attitude, what habits, what mindset would you have to have in order to win? If you train yourself to maintain these thoughts and beliefs, and generate positive internal self-talk, you would be in the best possible position to win! Would you win? Maybe, maybe not, but you would be mentally in the best possible position to win.
This is exactly the same as physical training. Do you have the skills to win? Maybe, maybe not, but you will continue to train your body so that your physical skills are the best they can be. Your mind needs to be trained just as hard as your body does.
As Atlanta’s premier Sports Hypnotist, I help my clients train their minds to get into the zone at will. I also teach them that peak sports performance can, and must, be achieved in short bursts. No human, animal, or machine can operate at peak performance indefinitely without breaking down. That’s why, it’s not only important to learn how to access the states of confidence and belief in ourselves instantly, it’s also important to access states of calm and relaxation instantly as well.
Golfers have to be masters of their minds as well as their swings. Sports hypnosis can help all athletes, especially golfers. As Bobby Jones said, “Golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears.”
I really respect Rory McIlroy. He seems like a great young man and he has a great career ahead of him. He has a great swing and plays golf on par with Tiger. What he needs is to train his mind with sports hypnosis.
