Feeling at Home on the Golf Course By Wade Pearse

This article is inspired by a client I worked with. He was preparing to play in the Senior US Open qualifier in Connecticut. We worked together closely, yet only over the phone. I assessed his playing style and needs and designed a program that suited his learning style.

The outcome for him was to be in the flow. Not a bad goal for all players. He didn’t like the word zone. I tend to agree with him and I use the word “flow” in place of zone in my work. He hadn’t competed at this level in 8 years so he knew what was ahead of him. It isn’t necessary to cover the processes we went through, yet his experiences and how you can have them as well, are what this article is all about.

He called after the qualifier and said this to me. “I was completely in the flow. I stood on the first tee and felt as calm as I do when I’m playing on my home course. I felt at home. The rough was brutal and the lies were severe. It seems the tougher the shot was the better I played. Unfortunately the easy shots got away from me! I didn’t commit to them as much as the challenging ones.”

“Yet a bogey didn’t faze me. I strolled to the next tee with the same feeling I had after a birdie. One of the most striking things I remember was it felt like I was floating. I was lost in the moment and enjoying every second. I remember at one point having to ask my caddie what hole we were on. I was so absorbed in the process of playing I forgot what hole I was on! When my caddie said we’re on 17th, I couldn’t believe we were almost finished. I was having so much fun playing.”

Are You at Home When You Play?We did several multi sensory, experiential exercises that lead to this state of inner calm and stillness. Getting in the flow is golf nirvana, so to speak, as all players who’ve experienced it can attest. In fact we’ve all been in the flow at times. Getting there more often is what we want more of, don’t we? Do you feel at home on the course? My client was ecstatic at feeling as relaxed as he was when playing a casual round alone on his local course. Even though he was in the cauldron of a Senior US Open qualifier and he hadn’t competed in over 8 years.

Your access to the place in you that allows you to play fearless and joy filled golf is really what all your efforts in golf are geared towards. Your score and your ability to play your very best come from this. Making calm, committed swings regardless of the circumstances is what separates average players from great players. And you can be a great player at your level when you learn to step into the flow.

So how do you go about this? It begins with mental imagery.

Step 1) You want to practice recalling your best memories of when you played your very best and then step deeply into the feelings associated with it. Recall what you see, hear and feel. Recall as much details of everything that is going on around you. Relive the moment and extract any and every sensory resource you are capable of.

Step 2) Next you want to imagine a “future” time when you will be playing. Only now you will imagine yourself playing this future game as if it is happening right now. Fill yourself with the feelings and images of your best golf and project yourself into this future game. Yet feel as if you’re playing right now.

Step 3) In your imagination, play as many holes as your attention will allow. Feel each swing. See the ball flight. Hole putts and let your inner game feel as though you are playing at your very peak and in a state that is most comfortable for you. Do this at night before bed for a mere 5 minutes a night and your game will change. I assure you.

This is a seriously condensed example of an involved mental imagery process, yet you can begin right away. I have several sections of my training program dedicated to the mastery of these inner exercises. Lower scores become inevitable when you learn to integrate these advanced, yet simple to use processes. Use mental imagery regularly, on the bus, sitting in traffic, walking between shots on the golf course and at night before bed. Playing in the flow while you play will become a habit instead of an accident.