The Power of the Tongue 

The most powerful muscle in your body, although not necessarily the strongest, is the tongue. The tongue is often described as being sharper than any double-edge sword. The cat can have it; sometimes it wags. The tongue can be used for humor and to uplift, but it can also cause great harm. It is up to you to choose how you want to use your tongue. You can use it to build yourself up or tear yourself down.

The newsletter premise for August through October is the mind controls the body. Therefore, as you think, you become. Mr. Tom Tomasello, a very dear friend of mine who was also an authorized instructor of The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelley, once stated, "Words trigger pictures and pictures trigger action." He continued by suggesting that many poorly executed golf shots were not so much a mechanical breakdown but merely a mental one. His assertion was the things you say to yourself immediately before and after you hit a golf shot will absolutely affect your overall performance.

Can you talk yourself into hitting a good golf shot? Can you talk yourself into hitting a bad one? I believe the answer to both of these questions is yes!! Rather than saying to yourself, "Keep it out of the rough," replace that thought of the negative with focus on the positive,  "Put it right down the middle of the fairway." I often have conversations with my mini-tour players that go something like this, "If you were your own caddie, how would you talk to yourself?" Most of the time they just laugh and state they would probably fire their caddie for the things they say about themselves. This is a very honest and telling answer! Therefore, I recommend you develop the art of positive self talk and use it to keep yourself focused and confident. The key word here is positive!

Speak positive, stay positive! is the mantra of the month.  Try to use words of encouragement in the last five seconds before each shot and first seconds after to create the positive action you desire.  

For more of Ted's classic tips, 

 View previous newsletters here.