Enlightened Golf

The Enlightened Golf program is indeed an amazing leap forward for golfers. In a sport which is mostly a “mental game,” peak performance skills are the difference between winners and losers; and at higher levels of competition, these mental skills separate the professionals from those destined for the Hall of Fame.

Yet golf is not the only sport which is primarily played in the mind — ALL sports fit this description if you ask those who excel in each of those sports. More specifically, sports involving targets — both moving and stationary — such as balls which must be struck with some sort of stick, club, or racket, or fixed targets, such as a goal, hole, or mitt, ALL require specific mental skills to dependably hit the target.

Furthermore, the mental and physical mechanisms involved in all of these endeavors are exactly the same. Throwing an object at a target (a dart, ball, etc…) requires a specific set of programs; we’ve all heard the phrase, “You throw like a girl!” Typically, girls just don’t throw balls when they are growing up; as a result, they have not acquired the programming to do it smoothly and effectively. When people use that phrase, what they are truly saying is, “You throw like someone who wasn’t programmed to throw very well.” Trust me, if you have ever watched college softball, you know that a girl who has been properly programmed to throw can throw much faster than a man in certain situations.

Swinging a stick in a trajectory designed to intercept and redirect a smaller object, or catching a moving object with a glove or some other device, all require a tremendous amount of programming. But this is just the first step; these programs, to be effective, must be able to run under pressure in order to generate the desired results.

Pressure is the kind of stress athletes typically feel — the pressure to succeed, the pressure to perform, the pressure of getting in and out of tight spots, etc… Pressure is also programmed into us from early childhood; and it typically increases as the “stakes” are raised — but it is still pressure. All such stress can impede your performance programming until it is neutralized or removed. Some athletes are naturally able to redirect the energy of stress into performance modalities. Such people are called, “Naturals,” or are said to “handle the pressure well,” or do well “under pressure.”

Still there are others who learn these skills — all of which are mental, and all of which can be learned. In the end, the only difference between a “Natural,” and someone who has been trained with peak performance mental skills, is that the “Natural” probably can’t explain why they do so well — and the person who learned these skills can probably teach these skills to others pretty well having recently learned the process by which all sports skills unfold.

We commonly work with baseball players, football players, tennis players, and golfers — as well as Olympic and Pan Am athletes in various endurance sports. All of these individuals are target-oriented, goal-oriented, and driven to succeed; and all of these individuals must master their own mind if they are to perform at peak levels. Even endurance is a mental skill; the ability to focus on something other than pain, for instance, is critical in the fight to KEEP GOING!

Whether you use mental skills training, or not, you still must use mental skills in order to succeed in sports. How honed those skills are will determine how far you go in your own sport. So, here are a few tips to help you along your way:

1. Focus on your desired outcome — not what you have been told is likely to happen, not on statistics, not on what you are afraid might happen, etc. Keep your eye on the prize.

2. Breathe in deeply through your nose — filling your belly — and out forcefully through your mouth. Repeat this until you feel relaxed; and then re-establish your focus on your goal.

3. You can only take one swing at a time, or throw one pitch at a time; so get completely into the moment. This swing, this pitch, are the only ones you can affect in this moment.

4. Before going to sleep, and immediately upon waking, mentally rehearse your performance as if it were a prayer to live this “dreamed of” victory in your physical reality — it is and this works!

5. Relaxation is critical to peak performance; and visualization is essential in creating specific outcomes.

6. Don’t think about, or comment on, problems — or current realities that you don’t want to maintain. Keep your mind open to creative solutions; it can’t be if it is full of the problem.

7. Never, Never, Never speak negatively about your body, skills, abilities, luck, or possible future outcomes; all of our words have power to alter our subconscious perception of ourselves and our situations in such a way that our greatest fears often come upon us.

Life is a game. Play.

Golf is a mental game; many of the components of golf, therefore, can not be purchased in a pro shop. If you were to simply watch golf, you might see balls and clubs and golf shoes, etc; it is natural for most people to see these things and think that golf is a matter of having the best components and clothing, or that if they acquire the appropriate gear, the rest will come naturally.

While it may be true that there are “naturals” at golf, what they are truly “naturals” at is the use of their mind and mental faculties and skills — specifically the types of focus, concentration, visualization, and emotional mastery needed to execute the various skills golf requires. Even Tiger Woods had to learn and be coached to do the things that make him great and set him apart from the “average” professional golfer.

Those “things” that help Tiger rise above the rest are not “visible” to the eye; you can not hope to play like Tiger simply by investing in Nike Golf gear, or mimicking mannerisms — unless, of course, you understand the thought processes BEHIND the mannerisms. For instance, when Tiger stares down the fairway before teeing off, he isn’t simply daydreaming or “Zoning-out;” he is “Zoning In” and loading up the targeting information for that hole. The only difference between what he is doing before teeing off, and what he is doing when you watch him line up a putt, is in the particulars, or requirements of the particular shot.

In both cases, however, Tiger is using his imagination to visualize the ball going exactly where he wants it to go. After loading up the targeting data, the next step is to move your focus to the ball and perform your set-up routine — which, for golfers like Tiger, involves calming the nerves with an “Emotional Mastery” technique and settling into a relaxed state. Then, as the physical swing begins with the back swing, attention, concentration, and focus, are essential mental skills. Your target, at this point, is the ball — not the hole!

The golf swing happens so quickly that you can not make conscious adjustments to it once you have started it — not without losing your ball in the woods, anyway… If you aren’t looking at an empty tee after your swing, then you allowed your focus to shift — your concentration wavered just prior to striking the ball. If you aren’t looking at the spot where your ball was lying just after you strike it, you had to have started moving your head and eyes during the swing.

Many people think that slicing a ball is a physical problem with their swing; but the mechanical problem is the result of an improperly programmed mind and nervous system, or a failure to achieve and maintain focus and concentration for the few seconds it takes to swing a club.

Here are some helpful hints for working on your mental and energetic game of golf:

1. Always visualize your shots whether a tee shot, a putt, or something in between.
2. Start with the “Big Picture” and then Zoom-In to your target — the hole, not the green.
3. Imagine the flight, bounce, and roll of your ball — including the drop into the hole and the sound it makes.
4. As you approach the ball, take a deep breath in your nose and allow your muscles to all relax as you release the breath. Do this as many times as necessary to achieve a calming effect.
5. Always visualize your swing and the flight of the ball again as you stand over your ball.
6. Always take a practice swing — and again visualize the entire result of the swing as if it were real.
7. When standing over your ball, focus on your ball and relax; when your focus “softens” you are in a good zone to begin your swing. Many golfers use a “key” at this point to signal the start of their swing in order to not have to think about it and come out of their zone.
8. Practice keeping your eyes on the spot where the ball was resting until it is gone.
9. After an errant shot, express any emotion you want to express; but then take as many “calming breaths” as you need to in order to return to your pre-shot calmness, and then take a final, corrective, practice swing.
10. As you walk to your ball, enjoy the scenery and relax; that’s why golf courses are so beautiful — besides, there is not a single thing you can think about at this stage that will help your game, unless the thought is a relaxing thought. Try not to think about your score or the outcome or what you need to shoot on the next hole to achieve a certain outcome.
11. Repeat this process as necessary — usually at least 72-times…

You learn to swing a golf club at home or on the driving range; golf courses are for PLAYING golf and learning about the specifics of playing on a golf course. Relax, have fun, and enjoy yourself; it really does help you keep your eye on the ball and lower your score dramatically.

As I wrote in my last post, I have been working on getting an e-book online — The Belief Formula. The Belief Formula is a book about the mind, and how to use it to create what you want in life. This book will help anyone see the process of thought becoming thing unfold before their eyes — including a lower golf score! Improving your golf game with physical practice alone will take you so far and then you’ll hit a plateau (WALL…). The only way to make real progress is to develop a mental game; and the only way to do that is to develop an understanding of the mind. The Belief Formula will give you that understanding in a very unique and interesting way that will change your life for the better.

The Belief Formula offers perspectives of some of the tools used in the Enlightened Golf program, such as Hypnosis, Self-Hypnosis, and Emotional/Stress Management Acupressure techniques. The Belief Formula also explains how and why visualization works, and how using some form of visualization, or mental imagery, technique is essential in creating any outcome you desire. If you “get” the Belief Formula, you will definitely understand how to quickly lower your score, improve your health (and every other area of your life…), and get more enjoyment out of golf and life!

The Belief Formula comes with several FREE gifts, including the e-book, “As a Man Thinketh,” by James Allen (Inspirational speaker Tony Robins’ favorite book!), and a Hypnosis audio mp3 designed to improve your self-confidence, self-esteem, and belief in yourself and more positive outcomes! The audio alone is a $19.95 value, and will definitely reduce your stress levels and improve your performance!

To watch an inspirational video Jennifer made for The Belief Formula, just visit:
www.TheBeliefFormula.com/movie

To read more about The Belief Formula, to purchase The Belief Formula, or to download the first two chapters of The Belief Formula for FREE, just visit: www.TheBeliefFormula.com

Perception is reality; it’s all in your head; it’s the thought that counts; as a man thinketh,
so is he; as you believe in your heart, so it is done unto you; if you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right; and, Imagination is more important than knowledge.

The Belief Formula is not a book about religion — it is a book about thought and the mind. Many of the really good wisdom teachings in this area have been adopted by the world’s religions over the years, but these teachings always were and always will be about the mind and thinking — if they produce no fruit, you are either using them wrong, or not using them at all (which is also the wrong way to use your natural ability to create your own life!).

Think about what you want in life, and nothing else. If you do differently, it is because you were taught differently. If you don’t have everything you truly want in life, and you are not content, then you have found the source of your problem — you just weren’t instructed properly in the use of mind and thought. Who teaches these things, anyway?

Initially, our parents, teachers, etc… All well-meaning people who only know what they were taught, and don’t spend their time studying the mind, or the effects of certain ways of thinking and being in the world. Then, religions offer many ways of thinking about life — some of which produce fruit while others do not (each individual must determine these things for themselves…). Then, teachers are sought out. Teachers who are aware of the things taught in schools and churches and culture, and who are aware of other things as well through “chance,” study, searching, and finding higher levels of instruction and experience.

Listen to the great voices from our past and learn to think for yourself. ***Here’s a tip to get you started: If you hold the same opinion millions of other people hold, it isn’t really your opinion… If you play like everyone else, you probably believe all the same things they believe, too… This is the meaning of “The Wide Path” and remarks about flocks and herd-mentality… Anyone can buy the stuff Tiger Woods plays with, and lots of people have hit more golf balls — but nobody else thinks exactly like Tiger — or they would play like him…

The secrets of life will be found in the details — in the things that are invisible to most people.

Pete Koerner
Author of “The Belief Formula”

I have not posted any new articles to this site recently due to several projects that required my time and energy. One of those projects was the release of a new E-book called: The Belief Formula. This book is a 358-page e-book which will amaze you and change your life! Students of the mental game will be particularly interested in the sections on Emotional Self-Management and Hypnosis/Self-hypnosis — the book even includes the same progressive relaxation exercise we use with many of our Enlightened Golf clients.

The subtitle of this book is “Unlocking the Power of Prayer;” but this is not a book about religion — it’s a book about the human mind and thought processes. The Belief Formula clearly illustrates how thoughts affect every aspect of your life, and how you can increase positive outcomes while minimizing or eliminating negative outcomes. Jennifer put together a short, inspirational video to help promote the book, and it is very relaxing and uplifting!

If you would like to watch The Belief Formula movie, simply go to: www.TheBeliefFormula.com/movie, or visit www.TheBeliefFormula.com.

More to come soon. Feel free to submit your own articles, comments, and questions…

If you’ve been to our home page, you’ve probably seen our friend “Backkom Bear.” If you know this bear’s history, you know that he has a way of making things more difficult than they need to be — oftentimes even down right painful. But what that bear doesn’t know is that there is a cost for each of those outbursts, and perhaps an even bigger toll for other emotions which aren’t expressed. If you, or someone you know (wink, wink…), has a tendency to throw things, hit things other than golf balls with golf clubs, kick, scream, or otherwise throw tantrums on the golf course — even justifiable tantrums like Backkom Bear’s — then a slightly more “enlightened” approach will not only lower your score dramatically, but may even save your life.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has estimated that perhaps 95% percent of all visits to the doctor’s office are due to stress-related complaints. So where does the stress come from? The fact is that if you are angry, frustrated, or experiencing any uncomfortable or negative emotional state, you are experiencing some version of the stress response. When things don’t go the way we want or need them to go, it is a natural part of our being (specifically, our brain and nervous system…) to “sound the alarm” and get our bodies ready to respond or run away — this is why the stress response is sometimes called the “fight-or-flight” response. The feelings and emotions you experience during stress are signals for you to change something, or change the way you are viewing and experiencing something.

The signals are uncomfortable, distracting, and even painful, because they demand immediate attention. Continuing to allow a game, such as golf, to elevate your blood pressure and stress hormone levels is without a doubt a very dumb thing — the kind of thing that will not only shorten your life, but will diminish the quality of your remaining years with health problems and a poor temperament. Don’t fool yourself; anger does not help you focus, or concentrate — it actually makes those things very difficult. If you are not in control of your emotions, you are not in control of anything — especially your health and performance both on the course and off. Stress is a killer; and if you are smart, you will learn to recognize emotional outbursts as life-diminishing events (as well as performance-crushers!) and take definitive steps to avoid them altogether. It isn’t your fault you get stressed out; everyone does. But if you want something more, or better, for yourself, your golf game, or your life, you must take steps to learn how to recognize and release stress — not just cope with it. Coping with stress only leads to bigger problems later.

Learn to relax; learn some form of stress management or relaxation technique and use it when you see the warning signs — cussing, kicking, screaming, throwing, biting, etc. Stress is a known causative factor of practically every known disease process and illness; it is also the cause of the “Yips,” “E.D.,” and other performance-related difficulties. (That’s right, America! For those of you who were paying attention, Enlightened Golf can even improve your marriage!) Learning emotional self-management on the golf course can improve every area of your life; being in control of your emotions is the key to any kind of long-term success.

Performance anxiety affects everyone; some people, however, have tools to help them overcome the affects of anxiety and stress. You can go to the Enlightened Golf home page and sign-up for a free e-book and sports hypnosis audio. Listening to the audio program will teach you how to relax. Just remember how it feels to relax, and what you are thinking to feel that way. Then, next time you are stressed, remember the feeling of being relaxed and in control. Think the same thoughts you used to relax, and as long as you don’t let your attention return to the original stressful thoughts, you will remain relaxed and stress-free.

Stress is no joke; but it is easy to recognize and manage with the right tools and knowledge. Don’t underestimate the cost of emotional stress not only in your golf game, but in all areas of your life — especially your health and happiness. Check the Enlightened Golf site regularly for more tips on mastering your emotions and the mental game of golf and life.

Pete Koerner, Sports Performance Consultant

Playing Enlightened Golf requires an understanding of the performance-mechanisms with which golf is played. In other words, golf is a mental endeavor; and playing Enlightened Golf means playing with an understanding of what the Mind is and how to use it to create the outcomes you desire.

Thanks to modern science, and medical research, we can now observe the pathway through which human activity takes place. Interestingly, this performance pathway has been discussed for thousands of years, in practically every culture and religion, and only recently has science and medicine ‘proven’ what the ancients knew: Thoughts become things through a series of energetic exchanges through which energy becomes denser and slower. Einstein was perhaps hinting at this process when he said that Energy and mass were interchangeable, or were the same ‘stuff’ moving at different speeds (E=mc²).

The performance-pathway looks like this: Thoughts arrive in the Brain and create Electrical energy, which travels through the Nervous System, stimulating Endocrine glands to release Hormones which act on the Cells of the body causing them to change shape and function – the collective result of which is all of the activity of the human form. Thoughts become things; “As a man thinketh, so it is done unto him.” Remember, “Golf is ninety-percent mental.”

The Mind-Body-Club Connection is simply a description of the performance-mechanism used to send the golf ball toward the hole. All human action is generated in the Mind in response to a desire; the receipt of thoughts in the Brain begins the physical processes which manifest the action we wish to see take place. Thoughts emerge; our bodies respond; and a club swings.

In other words, when we decide to swing a golf club, our Mind sends a burst of information to our Brain which generates the electrical and chemical messengers which ultimately change the shape of the body so quickly that we can potentially propel a golf ball hundreds of yards with some degree of accuracy – by swinging a golf club. It is amazing to think of the billions of chemical signals required to generate the muscle activity needed to swing a golf club; but those signals also contain the guidance information which can ultimately allow a golfer to hit a hole-in-one if the right conditions exist.

All of the factors influencing the flight of the ball are transmitted from the Mind, through the Brain and Nervous system to the Endocrines, and through the bloodstream to each cell of the body – causing the musculoskeletal changes which cause the body to swing the arms, which in turn swing and position the golf club in a way ‘intended’ to deliver the precise amount of energy and spin to the ball in order to move it to its target. So now that you know, what do you do?

Pete Koerner, Sports Performance Consultant

The world is full of golfers who play un-Enlightened Golf. Playing Enlightened Golf means playing with ‘awareness, presence, and command;’ all of which are qualities you have seen in the eyes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. The qualities of an Enlightened Golfer are taught, learned, practiced, developed, and refined; these qualities are also mental aspects of a game which has oft been called 90% mental. And, they aren’t for everyone. Developing mental mastery is easy, but requires desire and commitment; otherwise, there will be little incentive to learn something new.

The fact is that humans mostly think that they are right; and none of us knows what we do not know. This combination leads to a condition we talk about in the Enlightened Golf workshops called a ‘resistance to new learning,’ or a ‘learning-allergy.’ One unfortunate effect of these learning disabilities is that, instead of trying and benefiting from something new and different, most people sit around complaining and saying really smart-sounding things like, “I ain’t ever heard of that before.” Or proclaiming their lack of insight with such declarations as, “I don’t see how…” or “I don’t see why…” Enlightened Golf can improve your hearing and seeing by teaching you things, and by showing you demonstrations, you have never heard or seen before. Your vision will be expanded; you will be informed. Learning-allergies can be cured.

To remain uninformed is the definition of ignorance. The definition of Enlightenment is ‘freedom from ignorance.’ There are many things about your body and mind which you have never been taught, and of which you remain uninformed. Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge itself is power.” The absence of knowledge is to play with less than full-power. By full-power, I mean with the full use of your Mental Skills; the truly valuable golf equipment is not in your golf bag. When you play at less than your full potential, balls go in the lake, get lost trees, bury themselves in sand, and do other tricks.

After one of those ‘stupid-ball-tricks,’ most people are too busy doping-up on their emotions – some just for an excuse to drink another beer – to notice what happens as a result. What happens is Stress; the bent clubs, thrown bags, embarrassment, cussing, drinking, and other unbeneficial (but easy to understand) behaviors are simply warning lights on your dash panel – the bigger the display, the greater the stress your body is trying to cope with. Breaking things doesn’t make you a better golfer; and it really doesn’t make you feel better, either – it’s just a sign of stress.

But when your body is coping with stress, you are in the Stress Response. There are some things which ALWAYS happen in the stress response, and none of them are good for you unless you are actually running from a ‘real’ Tiger or something like that… The AMA estimates that up to 95% of all doctor’s visits are due to stress-related complaints; and we know that stress causes weight gain, high blood-pressure, heart disease and heart attacks, impotence, and every other symptom known to man. Each time you play golf, you are either relaxed & happy, or you are STRESSED. Relaxed & Happy plays good golf; Stress ‘sucks’ at golf. Stress also kills; and playing un-Enlightened Golf is guaranteed to cause Stress. Playing Enlightened Golf could possibly save your life!

Pete Koerner, Sports Performance Consultant

If you check out the available instruction on golf swings, you will find a lot of information on what you are doing wrong in and with your golf swing. These perspectives on fixing the golf swing are all mechanical views and fixes for what is believed to be a mechanical problem. Enlightened Golf says to go beyond the obvious and to ask yourself if your golf swing really comes from a ‘mechanical’ place; because if it doesn’t, mechanical fixes will not hit their intended mark – and golfers, on average, will remain at about their current level of play. A golf swing is what your body does in order to move a club-head straight down your target line through the impact with the ball; the swing movements should establish the club-face in the proper position and alignment, at impact with the ball (and just before to just after), to deliver the proper energy and directional guidance to the ball. Your results are the ultimate indication of problems; if the ball doesn’t get where you want it to go, then you have a problem with your swing. But is the problem really with your swing, or is it just ‘showing up’ in your swing? I go back to the original question; “What messes up my golf swing?” The first obvious answer is that you just don’t have a golf swing because you haven’t learned one yet; or if you have learned one, you simply haven’t practiced it long enough to become comfortable, or proficient. If you do know how to hit a golf ball properly, and you still have something wrong with your swing (as indicated by your ball travel), then think it through more than the next step… Most of the flaws typically blamed for poor swings have to do with unnecessary, or unwanted, body movement: “You turned your shoulders too early…,” or “You lifted your head and pulled in your hands…” Obviously, this list is rather long and you’ve probably heard more of it than you care for me to repeat. Don’t worry; I won’t repeat the laundry list of mechanical glitches. But I will tell you that any mechanical glitch, or body movement, which occurs during your swing is beyond you ability to ‘fix’ physically. Like Jack Nicklaus said, “The golf swing happens far too fast to control it consciously…” Once you’ve started your swing, anything that happens either hurts, or helps, your body’s efforts to move the ball to the hole; conscious thinking always hurts at this point. And, any unconscious movement is the result of Psychological and Neurological ‘static’ which can quickly be eliminated with several of the RESET techniques. When I say ‘eliminated,’ by the way, I mean in seconds, and forever. If you move your shoulders, or lift your head, or even squeeze your club too tightly, there will be obvious effects on the swing which will show up in the path of the ball. If you move your body, eyes, head, or hands, we know that to be the result of muscle activity; and we know muscle activity is ‘caused by’ hormonal and neural activity. Neural and hormonal activity is caused by Psychological and Mental activity; this is the Performance Pathway. Physical glitches in your swing mechanics come from unmonitored nervous system ‘glitches’ which are all the result of brain activity. What messes up your swing is always the Mind – regardless of where you try to address it.

Pete Koerner, Sports Performance Consultant