THE QATSPY GOLFER’S PAGE
By: Charles W. Boatright
In my article last week, August 17, 2016, Don’t Just Expect to Have a Great Golf Game, Actually Prepare to Have a Great Golf Game, http://goo.gl/xNHFHM, I discuss how the golfer uses the conscious mind to practice (WHAT) as a starting point and the subconscious mind (HOW) to actually play golf on the course. The golfer cannot practice ‘X’ on the practice range and expect to play like ‘Y’ on the golf course. The only problem with that the approach is the subconscious mind, or Psyche, is not engaged during the practice sessions, only the conscious mind.
What this sets up for the golfer on the golf course is that the subconscious mind isn’t going back to the practice range to execute the golf shot. It’s going to a point in time where it last performed that particular shot under similar course conditions. The mind, particularly the subconscious mind, does not correlate between practice and performance well. This is the main reason for the disparity between ones practice and playing performance. If there is a conflict between the conscious mind and subconscious mind, the subconscious mind wins the contest every time. The conditions on the practice range do not allow the golfer to use their golf practice on the course. NOT THE SAME SITUATION!
A similar situation can occur in public speaking. An individual can practice the speech for hours on end, on their own in a nice quiet room, but unless the person can create similar conditions while standing in front of an audience, it will be almost like they did not even prepare for the speech at all. I call it white-out effect, where the speaker’s mind goes blank, and they aren’t able to use their notes or memory of the speech. You might have experienced this on the first tee box before. The mind perceives the conditions as a different set of circumstance than how they prepared or practiced the speech.
The biggest obstacle the speaker has standing behind a podium, as well as the golfer standing over the golf shot, is engaging the subconscious mind (psyche). The biggest asset both speaker and golfer has is their psyche. This is the (P) of the PACE. Practice on the range is like not conditioning the body for hot and humid conditions you will be running a 10K under. If you don’t prepare and train under the same conditions that you can’t perform in those conditions. Training, not practicing, engages the strongest strength a person possesses, the psyche.
In public speaking, the goal of the speaker is to establish rhythm. Rhythm is established with a training routine. I like to use a personal story as an ice breaker in starting my speeches, as this develops my rhythm or cadence. Cadence is important in golf as well. There are two things a person’s psyche needs, rhythm and sequence. The mind works best following a sequence. In golf, I established three very simple elements as my routine- SYNCH, PRESET, and YAW in my golf swing. This provides me confidence to make a consistent golf swing.
The second asset the golfer needs is being relaxed and this breeds confidence. Anticipation or conditioning is being prepared for a situation that you can respond to, instead of having to react to. Reaction cause tension, while responding is awareness of a preconceived condition. Anticipation is the (A) of PACE. One technique in golf and public speaking is the that harder the shot or the subject is, the slower I proceed. If you think you are going too slow, you are going at the correct pace.
The third asset the golfer needs is consistency. This is the (C) in PACE. Having a consistent golf swing requires following a well-defined sequence, like the sequence I use, such as Synch, the Preset, and Yaw for developing confidence and consistency. There’s no substitute for confidence or consistency.
The fourth asset the golfer needs to establish is elements. This is the (E) in PACE. Speeches, and especially the golf swing, consist of a well-defined golf swing sequence or routine involving elements. Even in the Olympics, like gymnastics, the athlete is judged on the elements and how well the athlete performs each element in sequence. Points are either given or deducted based on the performance.
In summary, the acronym PACE is used to improve your golf swing where:
- P= Psyche, the subconscious mind is the golfer’s strongest component.
- A= Anticipate obstacles and conditions for confidence and relaxation.
- C= Consistency based on routine and a well-defined sequence.
- E= Elements that the golfer follows religiously, without fail, in a sequence.
The best method to develop PACE in your golf game is using a scrimmage-type training drill. As you noticed, I did not say practice. Training consists of performing under the same or worse conditions that the golfer will face on the course. This is a part of the anticipation component in PACE.
The 405 Training Drill in Section 7 of my book, The ESPY Golf Coach, involves repetition under similar playing conditions like football coaches use to prepare their team for the season or game. In public speaking, this is similar to having a few of your close friends to sit-in on your dry-run presentation to offer suggestions and comments and provide an audience setting to deliver your speech to. This will provide you with the (A and C) in PACE.
You never would consider your golf game as a help to your education and public speaking skills. But this is exactly what golf does for people, especially school-age kids. Golf is great for Homeschooling and outreach for churches for providing confidence and an athletic component in a student’s curriculum. Please refer to my article on Homeschooling http://goo.gl/siJtdc. Your child might even earn a golf scholarship.
The ESPY Golf Swing Book
By: QATSPY GOLF Approach
Charles W. Boatright
Madison, MS
1-888-514-1228
The ESPY Golf Swing Coach– Price for Paperback $15.75 and E-Book $8.99, Hardback is also available on my website: www.espygolfapp.com/store OR your local bookstore and also:
Lulu Publishing: The ESPY Golf Swing Coach, Charles W. Boatright
Amazon.com www.amazon.com/The-Espy-Golf-Swing-Coach/product-reviews/1483416356
Barnes & Noble.com http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-espy-golf-swing-coach-charles-w-boatright/1120604749
Check out my full library of BLOGS @ www.espygolfapp.com/blog or purchase your copy of “The ESPY Golf Swing Coach” @ www.espygolfapp.com/store.
Facebook – The QATSPY Golf Approach
Twitter – @cwboatright
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Once you learn WHY, you don’t forget HOW!
YouTube Videos:
https://youtu.be/ZGVNrIw_wlo (Cam & Cam-over elements)
https://youtu.be/K2FDHZ3AX9w (Figuring your proper swing plane)
https://youtu.be/TO82PMO6G8M (Developing muscle memory)
Two decisions that you can make for yourself and your kids are to get a copy of my book and place the book and a golf club into their hands. You will never look back, but only forward. You will not miss with this for yourself and/or your kids.
A Recommendation for your Golf Game:
I would like to recommend a wonderful radio program that I regularly listen to on my I-Heart Radio app on KARN 102.9 FM station, out of Little Rock, AR. They air a golf show called “Arkansas Fairways and Greens,” at 7:00 AM CT each Saturday morning, hosted by Bob Steel and Jay Fox. Bob occasionally has on his show a guest named Shawn Humphries, a Professional Golf Instructor from Dallas, Texas. One thing that Mr. Humphries stresses is the mental part of golf, not focusing on the results but the process.