Aston Wood Masters Saturday saw over 120 players take part in the Aston Wood Masters all trying to win that exclusive "Green Jacket", the scoring was of a very high standard with Andrew Hill shooting an amazing nett 64 to win the competition. - First place - Andrew Hill - nett 64.
- Second place - Geoff Price - nett 67.
The ladies also played in the Aston Wood Rose Bowl and again the scoring was impressive with Julie Harrision shooting a nett 69 to take home the Rose Bowl. - First place - Julie Harrision - nett 69.
- Second place - Julie Reynolds - nett 74.
The Open Now back to the minor competition that was played at Birkdale last week, I am sure most of you (like me) were glued to the television on Sunday afternoon to witness one of the best back nine scores I have seen in a Major competition. All the commentators were praising Jordan on his "Strong Mental Strength" to shoot that score especially after carving his tee shot on the 13th hole 40 yards off line. What is mental toughness for golf? Mental toughness is being able to play your best game whatever the situation. It’s being able handle the pressure of competition and not let it take your focus away from what you are trying to achieve. Myths about mental toughness: • You’re born with mental toughness, it can’t be learned. • If you’re mentally tough you act cocky and unfriendly. • You can’t be mentally tough if you don’t feel good about your game that day.
All of these are simply NOT true. So let's focus on how to become mentally tougher and take your game to the next level. Thinking/Self-talk/Body Language => Emotions => Muscle Response This is that what we think, say to ourselves, and how our body language becomes our emotions, and our emotions trigger a response in our bodies. E.g. If your inner voice is telling you that you can’t do something, you will have more negative emotions (fear, doubt etc), which leads to negative physiological reactions (tension, tightness, shaking etc). And we all know what tension does to the golf swing! The good news, is if we can control our thoughts, talk to ourselves in the right way and adopt positive body language, we can elicit positive emotions (confidence, determination, persistence etc), which will lead to positive physical reactions (fluid motion, seamless action etc). Separating you the person from you the player One of the first places to start in building mental toughness and unshakable confidence is being able to separate “you the player”, from “you the person”. From now on, I’d like you to take this a step further and “act yourself” into the persona of a champion. All great athletes do this. They are able to reach within themselves and access their “player-self” regardless of how they feel about their “real-self”. Great competitors can in some ways be thought of as great actors. Act your way into the right thinking In the same way, actors use similar techniques. Research shows that movements in your facial muscles can elicit certain emotional responses, e.g. frowning can produce a feeling of displeasure, whereas smiling can make you feel happier. Try smiling right now just for the sake of it, and see if it lifts your mood, even just a little. Next time you’re on the course, I’d like you act like a champion. Use very confident body language no matter how you’re playing, now you know what an impact that can have on your emotions. Act as if you’re a Tour Player, with a confident walk in between shots – shoulders back and eyes looking up at flag level, not slumped over looking down at the grass. Be aware of your posture and try smiling and laughing as much as you can! Following these techniques will help improve your stress handling skills and your ability to perform under pressure. |