Finally you may think, an article teaching you how to rid yourself of the dreaded yips. You're about to be freed from the uncomfortable feelings of knowing you're not going to hole the putt, but somehow feel helpless in being able to remedy those feelings before taking the putter back.
You can and will restore confidence in your putting. From this moment on, I want you to think of the yips in the following way:-
Y- ou can choose to and will
I- ntuitively
P- utt
S- moothly and soundly...
So how can I back up this psycho bable sounding Golf Psychology banter?
Well, in addition to having experienced similar feelings with the putter in the past and learning how to free myself from such nonsense I want to sell you on a new way of thinking about your putting. You see, a golfers performance on the greens is largely dependent on how they view the art of putting. For example, one golfer may view putting as not important and boring, while another golfer may view the art of putting as easy, important and enjoyable. I call this 'framing your putting experience' and it has a profound influence on how well you will perform!
You Can Choose How You Frame Your Putting Experience!
I want you to complete the following exercise:
1) Find a quiet place to sit where you won't be disturbed, and grab a pen and 2 pieces of paper.
2) With one of the papers, fold the paper in half, and on each half of the paper, draw a square just inside the boundaries of the paper, you can use a ruler if you feel like neat.
3) On one half of the page, I want you to write just outside the square marking 'How I've viewed putting in the past', and on the other half, write 'How I now choose to view my putting' again, just outside the square marking.
4) Think of how you have thought about putting previously, and write down all the beliefs you had about putting in the past. For example, one golfer might write 'putting is difficult' 'putting makes me nervous' ''putting is more difficult under pressure'. Take your time, and write down whatever beliefs you have about putting in the past that come to mind. This exercise is not a race, it should take you about 5 minutes to write down everything important that comes to mind.
5) Next, think about how you want to think about putting. Pretend for a moment that you have complete freedom in choosing how you want to think about putting. Now take your time, and write down how you want to think about putting. What beliefs do you want to have about putting? How do you want to articulate your putting experience? What written description do you want to give for how you want to view your putting? Again, take your time and spend 5 to 10 minutes writing down whatever comes to mind.
6) Put down the pen and piece of paper, and take a short 10 minute break.
7) Upon finishing your break, fold the paper in half so the half with 'how I now choose to view my putting' is facing you, and I want you to take the other piece of paper. Look at what you have written about how you now want to view your putting, and think about what needs to happen in order for you to think that way about your putting. Write these things down in a list on the 2nd piece of paper. For example, one golfer may write 'I will need to practice for 10 minutes twice per week' or ' I will need to purchase a new and improved putter', or ' I will need 3 more lessons on putting technique from my golf pro', and so on.....take your time, and spend 5 to 10 minutes writing those things down.
8) Finally, re read how you now chose to view your putting, and re read your list about what needs to happen in order for you to think that way about your putting. Make a quiet commitment to yourself that you will think about your putting in this new way from this moment on, and that you will commit yourself do doing what you need to, choose to, or want to do to allow yourself to think about your putting in that way.
You may also like to check out my article on 'Perceiving negative self talk as a 'signal'' as it relates to this topic. Putting can be enjoyable and pleasurable. It is an aspect of golf that has the most influence on your final score, and in my view, is something that almost every golfer can become good at regardless of their sex, age, height, weight, strength or past playing standards.
To get your FREE copy of chapter 1 of my Golf Psychology Drill Book, visit
http://www.stevenlathamgolf.com