Entering The Zone
Players look for an edge to help them play better. Golf is at least 80 percent mental once you have learned the basics. Unlike reactive sports, in golf you have plenty of time between shots to overthink, over-analyze, get scared, or scold yourself for the last putt you missed. Today, amateur and professional golfers seek the advice of sport psychologists in addition to coaches or instructors. Sports psychology focuses on enhancing athletic performance. It’s about teaching people the good habits of thinking while breaking the bad habits of thinking. Self-confi dence, self-composure, focus, trust, and flow are parts of the everyday language used by consultants.
At one time, you have probably played in the zone, even if it was only for a few holes. One of the keys to playing your best golf is being aware of how you think and act when playing your best. This is the mindset you should strive to recreate. You obviously can’t force yourself into the zone, but you can set the foundation to enter the zone more frequently. Based upon my research and work with tour pros, the following are seven basic elements to entering the zone and playing your best golf:
1) High self-confidence
Knowing that you are a good player and you can hit good shots is a precondition to playing well. It’s rare when you play well without self-confidence. Self-confidence is your level of conviction about how well you can play or how well you will hit a shot. Confidence develops from physical practice, playing well in the past, trusting your mechanics, or just knowing you are physically talented. The key is to understand how you gain confidence and then work on the areas in your game you can control that will lead to greater confidence.
2) Immersed in the task
The ability to totally focus on the task is necessary for peak performance in any sport. It means playing one shot at a time and not getting ahead of yourself. Too many amateurs lose focus by thinking ahead or thinking about what just happened. If you often think about the last putt you missed while playing a shot, it’s a good indication that you are not playing in the present.
3) Narrow focus of attention
Focused concentration is another characteristic of playing in the zone. Your attention varies from broad to narrow, and you need both to play well. An example of a narrow focus is looking at a specific target. A broad focus is taking in several pieces of information, like all the factors that influence club selection. You play your best golf when you can narrow your focus on one thought or object during execution.
4) Automatic and effortless execution
An automatic and effortless swing is another feeling associated with the zone. You first have to learn the basic mechanics of the swing and then “groove” that swing. When you develop a strong memory pattern, it feels effortless to swing the club. This gives you a feeling that the swing happens automatically and easily, because you don’t have to think about how to swing – it just happens. Instead, you can think about the shape of a shot or the flight of the ball. Problems start when you think too much about how to swing the club.
5) Emotional control
Another ingredient of the zone is the ability to control your emotions. Too much excitement (or over-arousal) causes you to tense up and steer your shots. Likewise, becoming angry or frustrated is also negative. Golf requires a balanced emotional level and arousal level.
The key is to tread the line between excitement and anxiety. Excitement helps you play better, but tension and anxiety ruin your game. To find your optimal level of arousal, compare the level of arousal you feel on your best performances to that of your worst performances.
6) Enjoyment
Another quality of the zone is fun and enjoyment. Golf is intrinsically rewarding. You should learn to enjoy playing golf for the pure sake of playing without it being dependent on rewards like praise or money. It’s easy to enjoy golf when you’re playing well, but the challenge is to have fun when not playing well. Learn to have fun on the golf course when playing good or bad. You will have a better experience and play better golf.
7) Clear mind
A clear and decisive mind is also important to playing in the zone. You must be clear about what you want to do and how you want to do it. The more doubt and indecision that enters your mind, the more you confuse your body. For example, if you doubt your club selection often, you’re hurting the chances of hitting good shots. This means it is important for you to have a clear picture or thought of what you want to do with a shot, and be resolute with that thought on each shot.
Editors’ note: This is another in a series from the archives of Golf Teaching Pro magazine, and first appeared in the Fall 1994 edition. Dr. Cohn is still actively working in the field of performance psychology, and operates Peak Performance Sports in Orlando, Florida. Parts of this article were based on Dr. Cohn’s book, The Mental Game of Golf: A Guide to Peak Performance.
