How Top Golfers Tap Into Peak Performance

By: Stephen Ladd

There is a brand new mental game technique out there that most of the top players would rather keep a secret. It?s called ?tapping?. Currently golfers all over the world are using this technique to eliminate tension and anxiety, fear and self doubt and enjoy the game again. Tapping can help with everything from first tee jitters to the yips to anger management issues. In this short article you will discover and experience this simple technique that delivers results almost immediately ? results that you will feel in your body and see on your scorecard.

What is Tapping?

Warning ? It is a little weird?but give it two minutes and experience the results. Do yourself a favor and suspend disbelief for a short time, and test out the demonstration detailed below. The chances are good that you won?t care that it?s ?unconventional?.

Tapping is simply a do-it-yourself form of acupuncture, except you don?t use needles. Instead you simply ?tap? on a few ?clearing points? while focusing on the negative feeling or emotion. Let?s get right to it!

Step One: Visualize a Stressful Golf Scenario and Rate the Intensity of Your Feelings

Sit down comfortably and close your eyes. In a moment I will instruct you to imagine yourself out on the golf course. Not some generic course, but rather one you know very well. You will imagine yourself on the toughest hole, or possibly the most challenging shot you have ever had to execute.

Is it a tee shot over water, a deep greenside bunker, or a tricky chip onto a sloped green? Whatever it is, I will encourage you to fully immerse yourself into that scenario and to vividly imagine yourself standing over the shot.

While you are performing this mental exercise, make a note of what particular negative emotions (nerves, anxiety, fear) or physical symptoms (butterflies in stomach, sweaty palms) arise, and give them an ?intensity rating?. We will use a simple scale of 0 ? 10
(0 = no intensity, 10 = very high intensity).

For example, fear at level seven.

Please go ahead and do that now. Take a couple of minutes if necessary.

Write down your ?intensity number? on a sheet of paper. We will use it for a subjective test in a few minutes.

Step Two: Tap the Clearing Points (Negative Focus)

Next, you will tap three points approximately ten (10) times each while focusing on the negative emotion or physical symptom you identified above. It is important that you focus on the negative while tapping

Point One ? Collarbone

You will use an open hand to tap this area. Technically speaking, it is not the collarbone, but rather the two boney notches at the base of your neck (the location of the knot of a necktie). Tap it lightly ten times while focusing on the negative emotion.

Point Two ? Under Eye

Use the tips of your index and middle finger to tap on the bone about one inch directly below the eye. Tap it lightly ten times while focusing on the negative emotion.

Point Three - Double Wrists

Simply tap the insides of both of your wrists together (about the area that you would wear a watch). Tap them together ten times while focusing on the negative emotion.

Interesting (sort of) side note: this wrist point is the one that can reduce sea sickness. If you have ever been on a cruise ship, you may have used one of those wrist bands for your queasy stomach. The truth is, those bands are designed to stimulate these exact wrist points. The manufacturers often times don?t tell you that because it seems too weird!

Step Three: Tap the CB Point (Positive Focus)

Now tap the CB Point once again with an open hand approximately 10 times while repeating (aloud or silently to yourself) the phrase ?Let it be easy?.

Step Four ? Take a DEEP BREATH.

Step Five ? Imagine the Exact Same Scenario Again and Check Your Intensity Rating

The chances are very good that the intensity of your emotion or physical symptom will have decreased substantially or disappeared completely.

If you experienced a decrease but there is still some intensity remaining, or if a different emotion or symptom surfaces, simply perform another round or two of this method until you feel calm, confident and as if you could take on Tiger himself!

Question: Will this calm feeling actually carry over to the course in the same situation?

Answer: Usually. The subconscious mind doesn?t know the difference between what you imagine and what is ?real?. However, if you experience any negative emotions/symptoms while ?live? on the course, simply apply this technique on the spot and eliminate them in short order.

The above demonstration is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the enormous potential inherent in these techniques to lower your handicap and increase your enjoyment out on the links.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

Stephen Ladd is a Golf Performance Coach pioneering breakthrough energy psychology techniques, and the creator of Tap In Golf ?. Visit www.tapingolf.com for free reports, newsletters and products to catapult your game to a new level today!

Can You Improve Golf Swing Speed With Training Aids

By: Trent

Golf swing speed is one of the key factors in hitting your drives as far as possible. Golfers of all ages and abilities are always trying to get more out of their drives?aren?t you? But what?s the most effective way to achieve higher swing speed?

There are many new training aids on the market promising more distance and higher clubhead speed, but out of most of them, there are only a few that succeed. I say this, because the one limiting factor is your current physical status. If you don?t improve your golf specific strength and flexibility, you?re ?dead in the water? no matter what!

Training aids can only do what your body will let them!

So that leaves you with a combination of the right training aid for golf swing speed improvement and a program focusing on core strength and flexibility to get you to move that club faster and in control through impact. Does that make sense to you?

Just picture it! You are not in very good shape and you step up to the tee with the intention to kill it! What usually happens? Do you get that distance on the shot you hoped for? Did you keep it in the short grass or did you blow it in the woods?

Golf swing speed means nothing if your swing is out of control, and some of these new training aids don?t mention this. All they focus on in their advertisements is faster and faster swings.

Excuse me if I?m not correct, but ball-to-clubface contact is one of the key factors in maximizing distance. If you have a heel or toe shoe, doesn?t matter if you?re swinging at 140 mph, the ball isn?t going anywhere, or at least anywhere you want it to go!

So next time you see a television commercial or read an ad in one of the golf magazines for a training aid that promises higher golf swing speed, does it talk about swing efficiency and control at the same time? If it doesn?t?move on to the next training aid.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf performance experts in the country. He is the founder of 8 golf performance and information websites, including his new golf swing training aid review site. For more golf swing speed advice visit his site today.

Short Game Secrets That Will Change the Way You Score from Inside 50 Yards

By: David Nevogt

In the next 15 minutes, I am going to change the way you play your shots from inside 50 yards. If you spend 15 minutes before every round of golf on these four tips, I guarantee you the strokes will fall off your scorecard.

We are going to cover putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots. Before I get to my four short-game secrets I need to lay a little groundwork first.

From the putting green in front of the clubhouse at Ft. Myers Country Club, where I grew up playing, to the practice putting green at Starfire Golf Club, and all points in between, for 35 years, I have heard the same problem. ?I putted so poorly today. If I had putted halfway decent I would have shot my best round ever!?

But?every time I pass the practice putting green where I teach, ALMOST NOBODY is practicing before they tee off. But here?s the thing- every single professional golfer spends at least 15 minutes - 1 hour on the practice putting green before they tee off. That?s not the tip. I just wanted you to get an idea of the time that it takes to get better.

IMPORTANT TIP: 90% of all putting greens in the world are built low in the front and high in the back. There are two reasons, in case you are wondering.

First, it holds the shots that are coming onto the green and secondly for drainage purposes. The reason I am telling you the greens are built low in the front and high in the back is for you to understand the idea that the majority of putts hit from the front of the green going to the back are going to be slower than putts hit from the back of the green going towards the front.

Since this is true, when you are facing the green, putts from the right side of the green will have a tendency to break to the left and putts from the left side of the green will have a tendency to break right. With this idea in mind lets move on to my TOP FOUR SHORT GAME SECRETS!

Secret #1: Putting ? Focus on Distance not Direction

Do you know why most amateurs three-putt more times on their first nine holes than their last nine holes? By the time they get to the last nine they have the feel of the greens! My colleagues have always agreed that in order to become a great putter you must have the ability to read greens. However, I have always believed you must also have GREAT TOUCH.

I have just given you an incredible tip. You have to develop your touch in order to control your speed. I can not tell you how many times I have asked an amateur golfer after they hit their putt if they thought the putt was going uphill or downhill. Most amateurs reply with, ?I completely forgot about the speed!? Most of them struggle more with speed more than direction. So how do you apply this advice?

Always look towards the front of the green so you can decide if you are going uphill or downhill. Empty your mind of every mechanical thought you have and just stroke the ball. FORGET the mechanics when putting. Don?t ever hit a putt until you have visualized your golf ball going into the hole first. Make it in your mind before you hit it. Secret #2: Chipping ? Keep Your Weight on your Front Foot in the Backswing

A chip shot is a short shot around the green that has minimum airtime and maximum roll time. Another way to describe it is 1/3 air, 2/3 roll. You can use one of the following clubs when chipping: 5-iron, 7-iron or 9-iron. Common complaints that I receive from amateurs about chipping are that they top the ball, hit the ball thin, hit the ground behind the ball, blade the ball over the green or completely shank the ball.

The mis-played shots I just described to you are usually the result of an incorrect set-up. There are three positions in chipping that are the foundation of a successful chip shot. Let?s review them:

The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance Place 75% of your weight on your left foot (right-handed golfers) The grip end of the golf club points to the middle of your left leg. Grip down on the golf club to the END of the grip. The reason you want the golf ball in the middle of your stance is for a more consistent impact. If you place the golf ball too far forward in your stance, you will have a tendency to hit the ball thin, or top the ball and you will pull the ball to the left. If you play the ball too far back in your stance, you will have a tendency to top or shank the ball and push it to the right.

When you place 75% of your weight on your left foot, you are ensuring yourself that you will hit down on the ball and not up. Make sure you keep the weight on your front foot in the back swing.

Gripping down on the golf club will ensure a cleaner more controlled hit at impact. If you are struggling with hitting thin shots or topping your chips, when you move your handle further to the left (across from you left leg), you will allow the clubhead to hit the ball on a descending blow and not ascending.

Secret #3: Pitching ? The Clubhead must Stay Low to the Ground After Impact

Choose one of the following clubs when you attempt a pitch shot: pitching wedge, sand wedge or a lob wedge. A pitch shot has maximum air time and minimum roll time. In other words, the golf ball has 2/3 air time and 1/3 roll on its journey to the hole. Just the opposite of a chip shot.

Airtime is very difficult to create if your technique is off even in the slightest. So, if you are tired of topping, sculling, and hitting the ground behind the golf ball when you pitch, this is the pearl for you.

Low Follow-Through = Maximum Airtime

If I had a dollar for every amateur that told me that they are trying to follow-through high after impact so that their pitch shots will go up in the air, I would be set for life.

Most of the time, a high follow-through after impact will force the ball to be hit on the upswing which results in a top, scull or ground-behind shot. If you setup to the golf ball just like you were going to chip, you are halfway there. Remember:

The golf ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance Place 75% of your weight on your front foot The grip end of the golf club points to the middle of your front leg. Place your grip HALFWAY down the grip of the club The back swing is usually longer than your chip shots. If you keep your weight on your left leg - you DO NOT need to transfer your weight. As the golf club begins to swing down into the ground, make sure you follow thru LOW to the ground after impact. You want to feel as though you chopped the back of the ball with the club head.

Secret #4: Bunker Play ? The Backswing is a Full Swing Just Like Your Driver

This tip will help you sleep well the night before a big golf tournament. Your ability to play successfully from the sand weighs heavily on technique and a small amount on strength. If your technique is correct, you do not need to have a lot of strength. The two mistakes that hold amateurs back in the bunker are a line drive hit or leaving the ball in the bunker.

Most of the time they are afraid to swing too hard because they are afraid of the line drive shot. So, you end up swinging so slow that the ball only moves two feet. First and foremost, set up correctly.

The golf ball should be positioned across from you left heel Place 75% of your weight on your front foot The grip-end of the golf club points to your BELT BUCKLE. Do not transfer any weight. Stay on your front leg. What you are trying to do in the bunker is hit the sand not the ball. This setup will ensure that this happens.

The reason you play the ball across from your left heal is so the clubhead will swing DOWN into the sand at impact and not up.

Placing weight on your left foot ensures the clubhead swings down at the bottom of the swing. Placing the handle of the club across from your belt buckle allows the bounce on the bottom of the clubhead to impact the sand at the correct angle.

I promised you in the first sentence, these four short game tips that would change the way you played from inside 50 yards. Make yourself a promise to spend 15 minutes before every round this year practicing your short game and you WILL watch your scores fall.

Again, my name is Bobby Eldridge and I am the Head Professional at GolfSwingGuru.com. My one and only goal is to make you a better golfer this season.

We teach a very unique swing method that WILL lower your scores, and have you playing great golf in no time flat. Our DVD?s are presented by Kyle Hallberg, the Director of Instruction at GolfSwingguru.com.

If you have been struggling with your game and you would like to improve, our unique system can help you. We are so confident that it will help, we GUARANTEE that you will Drop 7 Strokes From Your Average Round of Golf.

That is completely possible if you let us help you. We hope that you will learn more about our unique way of swinging the club, and we look forward to hearing your success story.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of “The Simple Golf Swing” which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction.