Using NLP In Golf
Every golfer knows that the hardest 6 inches on the golf course is that which lies between their ears! And yet, many are unable to make the mental game changes that are needed to improve their game...some are not even aware that they have within them the capability to improve their game by changing the way they think.

How many people think that they can improve their game by buying new equipment? Perhaps that €500 driver may give me an extra 10 yards? Maybe that new set of clubs is just what I need to knock a couple of shots from my handicap? Or the latest putter.
STOP! NOW! THINK! How about investing a little in the thing that makes the real difference…YOUR MIND

Test yourself – how strong is your mental game?

Do you play better in practice than on the course? - Do you get angry, or frustrated on the course? - Are you frequently distracted whilst on the course? - Have you ever blown a good score…or … missed a really short putt? - Do you limit your performance by doubting your ability? - What do you see as you look down the fairway? Do you always see the hazards? - Do you want to improve your game, and lower your handicap?

How NLP can help your game:

Before the game:

Goal setting – identify SMART goals and what you need to do to achieve them, then putting your goals into your timeline to realise them.

Beliefs – whether you think you can or whether you think you cant you are probably right..

Motivation – knowing what you want and being focused on achieving exactly that..

Mental game practice is as important as the physical game. Strategies and anchors can keep you focused and in the right mental state to play your best golf.

During the game:

Staying focused – in the zone – is the key. NLP techniques enable you to maintain a positive emotional state throughout. Timeline therapy can help you get rid of those limiting beliefs that were holding you back. Anchoring can help you feel confident as soon as you step onto the tee.

Swish patterns can help you feel great when you have a good score…and go for it. Put those bad shots behind you and get on with the game. And, strategies can allow the distractions to enable you to focus even more on playing great golf.

After the game:

Most golfers I know reflect on the things that went wrong – and that’s OK to learn from those experiences…and then you can dump the negative emotions that may be associated.

Richard Bandler and John Grinder initially created NLP in 1975 that began by developing models based on top communicators of the time. Their goal was to discover why certain people produced excellence and then to create models to allow other people similar behaviour. Initially they studied the likes of Milton Eriksson, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir but over the years many other have contributed to the growth of this field.

From these models grew a host of techniques for rapidly and effectively changing thoughts, behaviours and beliefs that previously had limited a person’s development. These techniques are what are commonly known as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

NLP is a set of guiding principles, attitudes and techniques about behaviour in real life. It is NOT a scientific theorem. It gives individuals choice; to choose their behaviours, emotional states and physical states of well being by understanding how the mind works. And removes limiting beliefs..

NLP explores the relationship between how we think (neuro), how we communicate both verbally and non-verbally (linguistic) and our patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes).

NLP enables us to programme our minds to achieve specific outcomes. You are in charge of your mind and therefore the outcome. If one person can do or achieve something, then it can be modelled and learnt.

We all have the resources that we need to achieve our desired outcomes. We just need to learn to access them