Do You Have Mental Alignment?
by Todd M. Kays, Ph.D.
Alignment is something talked about by all golfers. Swing coaches discuss alignment with their players all of the time. Players consistently ask whether they are aligned correctly - off the tee, approach shot or putts. Some of the best golf devices ever created help golfers improve alignment. Once can go onto any golf product website and find numerous aids to helping alignment.
Just as important to shot alignment, however, is what I call mental alignment. You can be physically aligned, but if you are not in mental alignment, consistent execution and performance will drop.
What is mental alignment?
This simply means having your mind in the most effective space to execute any given shot. This means you have identified a small target and are focused on it. This means you are feeling comfortable over the ball. This means you are 100% committed to the shot in front of you. This means you are in the present moment.
How do I improve my mental alignment?
- Practice mental alignment. When you are on the range, you need to practice putting your focus and mental state in a consistent place. It is better to hit 25 high quality shots with mental alignment than 50 shots without it.
- Back off without mental alignment. If you are on the course and do not have mental alignment, back away and reset yourself. I once saw Tiger back off the ball 28 times in one round of golf! And by the way, he ended up winning that tournament.
- Simplify your mental alignment. Mental alignment is not about creating more thoughts. It is actually meant to help you become more automatic and mentally free. Mental alignment is a simple as picking target, committing 100% to it, then accepting the results - T.C.A. as I call it. Target, Commit, Accept. But you must practice it!!
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