Golf instruction for your personality is vastly un-recognized and under-utilized for improving performance, yet it can give you immeasurable personal direction for growing, and getting the very most from your game in competition.
As you know, your personality is unique to you, and it follows that you bring your own unique combination of core mental strengths and weaknesses to golf. Just by being you!
Understanding your own unique approach to the game is a minor part of what golf instruction for personality skills can do for you. It can help you quickly target real causes of lost strokes, eliminating much wasted time and energy on countless "symptoms", which is common practice for most "non-enlightened" golfers.
Here is a "for instance"..
Say you are playing great but you are missing a lot of makable putts in competition. You're making these putts in practice but not in play. Why?
Is you stroke changing?
Probably.
So do you work on your stroke? Change your grip? Change putters? Move the ball in your stance?
You might find that any of these things work....for awhile.
But if the real problem causing you to miss all those putts has its origin in your personality, you are only addressing the symptoms when you try to solve the problem with trying yet another putter. You will soon be facing the same problem all over again!
And in the mean time, you will be giving up some really low scores and all the rewards that come with them.
How can golf instruction for your personality skills affect your golf?
Lots of ways!
Here are some examples.
--If you naturally have an extroverted personality, you will loose many strokes because you are easily distracted and have a focus that is simply too wide over the ball.
...for example, you could be standing over that putt with your mind still on a conversation you just had about missing so many makable putts. Or you could be pondering whether the special person back home will be checking your scores on the internet. This--and more--all while you are trying to make this putt!
--If you are naturally low in confidence, you will tend to loose strokes to self-doubt, negative self-talk and ultimately a lack of committment.
...for example, you might be standing over the makable putt with your mind more on how embarrassed you will be to miss yet another makable putt than on actually feeling a smooth stroke.
-- If you are naturally very submissive, you will tend to loose strokes to being too conservative or careful.
...for example, you feel you dare not hit out on the makable putt for fear of missing yet another one. So you unknowingly hold on and punch the putt short of the hole, rather than roll it with a smooth, confident, firm, stroke.
The list of personality weaknesses--and all the possible combinations of them--are many. But there are simple and effective solutions for each of them.
So, let's get back to our example of missing those makable putts in competition. You could be missing them for any of the above reasons. Or, it could be that you are simply an excitable & enthusiastic personality, conditioned to get a good shot of adrenaline over makable putts.
If so, changing putters may distract you for a bit, but it is not going to help you for long!
The real solution starts with finding the origin of your challenge so you can apply the solutions.
First you will change your attitude about makable putts to uncondition your excitement about them and treat them like any other putt--they all are executed with an emphasis on a good mental routine.
Second, you will learn simple techniques for quieting your mind and relaxing your body over makable putts to help you accomplish the first step. Soon, both will become a habit and you will be making many more makable putts!
We encourage you to make golf instruction for personality an important part of your preparation for competition. You will be rewarded with powerful changes that can improve your game exponentially....with results that will last.
So where do you start?
Right here!
And you have several choices.
1. You can book mark or add this page to your favorites. We will be regularly posting articles on this exact topic in this section of competitive-golfer.com. Check back often for new articles, or to review previous ones.
2. Sign up for our free e-zine Golf Gimmees to keep you on top of great tips and techniques for improving your game. It's easy--just click the nav button on the left to enter your name and e-mail address.
3. You can read the book, The Eight Traits of Champion Golfers It explains each of the important personality skills for golf and gives easy but effective recommendations for strengthening them.
4. If you to jump in and get to work on comprehensive golf instruction for your personality complete this questionnaire offered by GolfPsych. It comes with a profile comparing your personality skills to champions and a personalized e-book for strengthening your weak ones.
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