Mental Tips to Reach Zen While Golfing
Zen and mental tips for golf go together like peas and carrots, like clubs and socks, like championship golf courses and memorable rounds on the 19th hole. Any golfer will tell you the benefits of relaxing and focusing simultaneously, and how each mental state works to improve your golf game. Achieving focus and relaxation simulators is Zen.
Zen is an all-encompassing term that gets thrown around a lot these days, especially by gurus and self-help books. There’s a “Zen and the Art of [insert hobby]” book for almost everything it seems. Though it’s true that reaching Zen is something that you could probably achieve in any industry; it’s not always essential to reach Zen, nor is it always helpful.
Golf, however, is a little different. Reaching Zen while golfing is essential to playing a good game of golf, and golfers on championship golf courses have been doing it for centuries. They may have called it something else, being in the zone, tranquility. Whatever it’s called, it’s vital for a good game.
There are 4 facets to archiving Zen while golfing, and 5 mental tips for golf that go hand in hand.
Peace
Performing under pressure is a skill, make no mistake about it. Tiger Woods was renowned for his ability to handle pressure and his strength under pressure contributed to his legendary golf game.
To achieve peace under pressure, you need to practice under pressure. Next time you feel rushed or you have a game changing putt or stroke to come, us it as an opportunity to attempt to reach Zen while golfing.
- 4-7-8 Breathing: Breath in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 and blow out for 8. Count them out in your mind. This will ground you firmly and positively, back into the moment.
Creativity
A playful mind is a mind at peace. Creativity is an essential to the game, regardless if players reach Zen while golfing or not, you should be creative.
Learning creativity on the golf course is not as tough as it may be to learn how to paint or how to play music. Creativity in golf can be learned simply through practice and time.
- Go to the local driving range. Use one club for an entire bucket of calls. Hit high, low, far and short. Build an idea of how each club works and you will know how to use them creatively.
Vision
Focus and Zen while golfing has a lot to do with visualization. The most successful athletes use visualization to build confidence and prepare for every part of the course.
Visualizing is not difficult, but it can feel like a useless or even cringe-worthy task in the moment. If all the most successful athletes do it, then you can try it even just once.
- Turn off any distractions. Your phone, your car radio, the television. And sit for a while in the silence. Now imagine your game, from start to finish. Every putt, every tee off, everything – and most importantly, imagine winning the game.
Stamina
Feeling as aware and awake on the 16th green as you did on the 2nd is just not that simple.
The effects of mental fatigue are much worse than the effects of muscle fatigue. Learning how to maintain stamina is perhaps the most difficult mental tips for golf, because it differs from golfer to golfer.
- Get more sleep the night before; during play, be sure to eat and drink healthy foods and water.