You can go in three directions. Move yourself mentally into the Grey corner and focus only on your techniques, or move into the Result corner, take some chances and speed up the play, or move into the Developer corner, experiment and follow your intuition. See if you can shoot a movie in your mind that includes the images, actions and feelings you can use when you want to make conscious choices, independent of other people’s expectations and good opinions. As first priority, I recommend you to try the results direction. Take for example the key word Ambitions in the Red corner. Find a situation where the outcome was not in accordance with your ambitions. What did it look like then? What would the ideal outcome look like? What kind of thoughts, pictures and feelings does the ideal outcome bring to you? How do you look when successful? What are you radiating? How do you feel? Now, take these nice thoughts, pictures and feelings and put them together, make a movie and run it on your inner metal screen. As I said before, once you have run the movie in your head often enough to play it clearly and in sharp focus, sitting comfortably in your armchair, then you have also made the necessary psychological contract with yourself. You are mentally prepared to choose more result oriented solutions on the course. This means you have also accepted that it might not be the fantastic round you had hoped for – and perhaps it is precisely this acceptance and focusing on Results golf that will make it come true.
Padraig Harrington: Relieves the pressure by talking
Focused Golf. ©Finn Havaleschka
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