If you’d like the kind of mental focus in your golf that other players talk about – and delivers great satisfaction for you - then consider individualised tuition via one-on-one coaching.     

We also offer workshops for groups of players or corporate teams – as a one-off customised exercise or as part of business retreats or pre-conference programs.

We endeavour to be as flexible as possible with our customised tuition and the following is an indication how we charge and time services.  Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Fee structures:

Individual sessions are timed by the hour, with a minimum booking of one hour. Cost depends on your preference for the number of sessions.

Group workshops costs are based on the number of participants and the corresponding session duration; minimum session lengths apply.

Our session and workshop fees are payable in advance, usually upon booking.  Major expenses such as any travel and accommodation expenses are additional.

To discuss your needs or to ask further questions about our training program, please use this contact form.  We will be in touch as soon as possible.

We look forward to helping you discover the magic of focus in golf, and wish you much enjoyment from your game.

Among the most common of these emotions is depression, along with its sister, anxiety.

Depression can be a difficult challenge, especially if we’re unsure about why we feel the way we do.  Anxiety can also set in as our emotions spiral out of control and we search for something to explain why this is happening.  For men it can be even more difficult as talking about emotions isn’t always easy or encouraged among peers. 

Regardless of how inspired or not you feel to begin to make changes in your life, you deserve to be happy and live a fulfilled and happy life.  There are many empathetic people out there ready to help, and the path to feeling better may mean you reaching out to them and what they offer. 

First off, let me say that if you are not feeling yourself in any way at all and it’s an ongoing situation, seek out the advice of a qualified medical practitioner who will help you find the right path to rebalancing your feelings and get you back on track, where a sense of contentment can return to everyday life. 

Some things to consider:

Mindfulness meditation is one of the non-clinical strategies to treat depression and anxiety – and you can find information here on THIS WEBSITE, along with some resources on this.  You can also try it right away: download a three-minute mindfulness meditation by signing up at our homepage.  

An excellent book and CD by two of the most respected experts of mindfulness and depression is here:

The Mindful Way Through Depression – Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness [with CD].

As for resources on dealing with depression that you can download immediately please read on.  Here there are materials and other resources from people who have been down the depression path and found their way back.  Their motivation in creating these materials is to help others do the same.  Remember please that none of this is designed to replace professional advice.

This resource – Emotional SOS – is from an Australian called Damian Masion who struggled with depression for over 15 years. 

Click here to read more about Damian’s offering

It comes with some very impressive testimonials in the field of experts on treating depression such as Dorothy Rowe, and sportspeople such as John Eales, former captain of Australian Rugby team.  Damian offers a free e-book:  Top 7 Depression Tips, as well as his indepth online program which currently costs $47 (usually $97), and has a 60-day money-back guarantee if you do not find it helpful.

Another resource immediately available online that you may want to check out is by American ex-depression sufferer.  Christine Taylor used the method of Dr Richard Green which involves the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - a highly effective method of emotional balance for many people.   
The program is currently discounted down to $19.97 and has an optional bonus book Mind Food. 

Click here to find out more

Mindfulness meditation is one of the most effective non-clinical ways of addressing stress, pain, depression, and anxiety. 

Its gentle, unconditional ability to build self-awareness in people from diverse backgrounds and for many applications, has seen it become one of the most talked about and studied modalities in modern medicine, and in particular, the area of mental health.

In essence, mindfulness meditation is a set of techniques and concepts which, when applied during our practice of focus-building or concentration meditation – such as when we need to improve our inner golf game - allows us to improve and maintain that focus to gain the greatest benefit. 

Its many practical, insightful and life-affirming strategies help us deal not only with the distractions that get in the way of our meditation and focused mind state, but also the experiences and challenges we have day-to-day in our lives, away from meditation practice.

Resources and for more on mindfulness meditation and ways to improve your focus and concentration:

1)  To get immediate access to a free MP3 of a 3-minute Mindfulness meditation
- ‘Being Present go to our home page, and enter your name and email address.

2)  Q&A on meditation and mindfuless

3)  Watch and follow this 6.5 minute video to experience mindfulness meditation:

 
4)   Download a free 7-minute MP3 audio for dealing with difficulties such as physical body problems or emotional stresses: 
Meditation-Working_with_Difficulties  (Right click > Save Target As; 3MP file - 4Mb)   

5)  Resources for learning and practicing mindfulness meditation many of which are free to download and gain access to now.

6)  Like to try an alternative way to improve your concentration and memory? 
       Click here … 

Yoga introduces qualities that have direct influence on your golf because it helps you create a more aware relationship with your body. The physical postures and movements are coupled with a simple pattern of breathing which enhances your mental and physical relaxation, and builds the muscles’ capacity to release their tightness and to extend stability and strength.  Back pain and other muscle stiffness is gently stretched and eased. 

This translates to better balance during your swing, a higher resistance to body stress factors and an all-round healthier way of living.  Lots of physical activities build your muscles and strength but often parts of your body are left out.  Because yoga is a full-body workout, it can help to check any imbalance in your muscles and differences between the two sides of your body. In helping to increase flexibility, you may be less susceptible to injury during your swing as well.

And don’t be concerned that you’ll have to try to twist yourself into a pretzel to enjoy the benefits of yoga.  One of its most endearing qualities is that a good yoga teacher will encourage you to recognise and work only to your current physical limits and any particular issues you have at the time.  The other benefit from this approach is that while it’s important to start off slowly with yoga, after just a short time you’ll be amazed by how you can move deeper and fuller into the postures and experience a great sense of achievement from that. 

Some tips on getting started

• Wear comfortable clothing that won’t restrict your stretching.
• Bare feet are ideal when you practice yoga, both for the traction they give you for standing poses, as well as the workout your feet will get.
• If you don’t have an exercise mat, use a thick towel but avoid anything that will slip on the floor.
• It’s important to make sure your muscles are warmed up before you begin your yoga routine. Never force your body into a posture or try to go beyond your limits as you could strain your muscles.
• Using the correct form or style of yoga is also key to getting the most out of your yoga experience, so talk to the instructors before to get an idea on what the style involves, or try a  class to see if it’s right for your (whether you’re a beginner or an expert).
• And, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher for help – yoga recognises everyone has their own physical and mental limits and that these can change from day-to-day.
• Learning the correct way to do each pose is important for overall mind and body development.
• If you are feeling sore, you’ve probably overdone it, so take warm bath and do some very gentle stretching.
• Get an online or DVD program so you can practice in your own time as well, or if you’re taking a golfing vacation.

When to practice

Yoga can fit easily into your schedule – taking 10-15 minutes each day to practice can make a difference (just make sure to wait at least an hour or two after you’ve eaten – longer if it was a heavy meal)

Where to practice

Find a quiet spot where you won’t be distracted. You’ll need an area that’s large enough for you to stretch upwards as well as to the sides.

How to practice

Always warm up first. Plan a well-rounded workout that includes lots of different positions from all of the major muscle groups. Most importantly, remember to breathe – inhale when you try upward and expanded movements, and exhale during downward or forward bending motions.

Focus your attention on each position. Move slowly making controlled movements until you feel your muscles slightly tensing and resisting (you should feel your muscles stretching, not straining).

Think of each pose in yoga is an experiment, so go slowly and listen to your body.  Know when you are pushing yourself too hard or need to challenge yourself a little more.  Relax between poses if you wish.  

Finally, remember to take 5-10 minutes to relax your body at the end of your workout. Traditionally, this is done lying flat on your back. Apart from relaxing the mind as well as being a nice reward for the body after the work-out, this will help to prevent soreness building in muscles and keep them supple and ready for your next game.

If you seek out a yoga class, remember there are a few different styles, so check your local directories and have a chat to the teacher about your requirements and ask any questions you have.

Yoga resources for golfers

We’ve done some research and can recommend you check out the following links to some resources specifically designed for golfers interested in the many benefits of yoga to their mental and physical game:

The Yoga Tutor is an innovative 21-lesson online yoga training program designed by Yogacharya (left) to help you learn the fundamentals of yoga and develop the understanding and confidence to practice yoga, at home, on your own.
For an introduction to the program, which features a class-by-class e-book and instructional videos, click below for a full outline of the program.
Aside from a low cost, this program offers a number of valuable bonuses. 

Click here to for a full outline and sample videos from the Yoga Tutor, and watch the following short example of the videos from practical The Yoga Tutor program.

 
 
THE GOLFER’S BOOK OF YOGA 
by Drew Greenland

Yoga presented here in a clear and accessible manner specifically with the golfer’s needs in mind.

THE ATHLETES GUIDE TO YOGA - An Integrated Approach to Strengthen Flexibility and Focus
[with DVD]  by Sage Rountree

This book presents warm-up and cool-down routines for workouts, simple poses to specifically target areas of inflexibility and overuse, breath and meditation exercises and recommendations for intensity and volume of yoga workouts throughout the training year.  A ten-minute video is included with the book.

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  MENTAL FOCUS in golf:   Minding Your Game
  Click here  for more on this multi-media program

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  STRETCHING for golf:   One-Hundred & One Stretches for Golf
  Click here

 
Misty Mate is the leading supplier of misters and cooling misting systems for sportspeople. 

 < Click on the box at left to see the huge range of personal misters, including many you can take with as you play for quick refreshment and to keep your cool on the course! 

 

 

  YOGA for golf:  

        The Yoga Tutor  |  Golfer’s Book of Yoga  |  Athlete’s Guide to Yoga 

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  TRAVEL for golf: 

 
    Compare travel costs & deals:     

    Directory of Country Clubs:  www.findagolfresort.com

  

    Online travel bookings:  Click here for the Direct Flights website

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  MEDITATION for golf:

 
 

  DEALING with DEPRESSION: 

       THE MINDFUL WAY THROUGH DEPRESSION
        Freeing Yourself from  Chronic Unhappiness  [with CD]
 
       EMOTIONAL SOS  -  includes free e-book:  Top 7 Depression Tips

       OVERCOME DEPRESSION  – program by Dr Richard Green

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While the mindfulness techniques worked remarkably well for golfers, I also wanted to find a way to introduce and maintain a mind training element to supplement our sessions, or for when players were on the road on tour and/or needed a boost or refresher.  A big part of utilising mind power tactics, however, involves trying to avoid manipulating the outcomes, which can be very difficult when we habitually control all aspects of our golf game. 

A resource I’ve looked at for working in this space is “Minding Your Game(TM)” and I think it might be of interest to you too if finding a tool for improving your mental game.  It’s put together by a Canadian called Wade Pearse who, about 10 years ago, became very interested in golf and wanted to play as well as he possibly could.  At the time he was in college studying the Psychology of Human Excellence and learning about what made people excel in their chosen area of life.  So he took those principles of personal transformation and applied them to his own golf game with fantastic results. 

As they got to hear about the successes Wade was having, golfers from around the world and from all skill levels started to use his training program with similarly great results.  Since then he’s been around the world helping people with his approach in Australia, South Africa, UK, USA and at home in Canada.

I’ve included an engaging short video below featuring Wade talking about his system.  Have a look, see what you think and if you might work for you. 

I’ve also chosen it as it’s very well priced, available immediately online, has videos, audio and e-book components, and comes with a useful package of bonuses.

Watch the video below or  Click here to find out more about the program.

Click here to buy and download the program now.
For more on this MIND-IN-GOLF theme, see our ZEN of GOLF page. 

When you look at the ball, really look just at the ball and keep your eyes on that one spot.  Don’t look at your club to see if it’s squared to the ball.  Don’t let your eye follow the club as you draw it away.  Just focus, focus, focus on the ball – nothing else.

There are a couple of reasons for this wisdom.  First, it makes an ideal way to practice the focus I talked about in a previous article to build the mindful concentration that will make a huge difference to your mental, and hence, physical game.

The other reason is to simply improve your play.  So, when you look at the ball, try to get a bird’s eye view of it.  Your eyes are about a foot above your body’s pivotal center, so raising your shoulders isn’t going to help you see the ball better.  Don’t gaze at the ball along the line of the shaft of your club.  Look down on the ball rather than get your angles along the shaft.  This will give you much better results and you won’t have a tendency to look up too soon.

There’s a natural tendency in everyone to look away when they start to draw the club back.  Ignore that tendency and just keep looking down on top of that ball.  When you’re looking down you’ll notice that (if you’re leaning over properly) the only way you can keep the club head in the line of flight is to keep your hands moving along parallel with that line.  Sweep your hands along with the club head while the ball and head are in contact.

Mastering the skill of seeing the ball clearly until you hit it is true of every kind of shot.  Whether the ball is in long grass, on an up or down slope, no matter what’s around you – the main thing is to see the ball clearly to hit it accurately. 

Very few golfers stand still when looking at the ball and concentrate their attention on seeing the ball clearly.  A lot of the times people will give a glance in the direction they want the ball to go, then they look back at the ball, and then back again.  Yes, you need to know where you are hitting the ball, but once you have that locked in, go back to the ball and stay there.  Many golfers think they already do this, but would be shocked to find out that they don’t stand still and keep their eye on the ball.  The truth is, the second your gaze shifts from the ball during any part of the swing, problems occur.  You can hit the ball well when you can clearly see the ball at every point in your swing from start to finish. 

If you want to wipe out one of the worst golf faults, learn how to focus – especially on the ball.  Determine that from the top of your swing until you hit it you will keep your eye clearly on the ball.  You’ll find your golf game improving so significantly and quickly that your friends may start asking you for lessons!

Many golfers tend to think that to improve their game they must centre on the physical aspects: train more, find a new instructor, watch more golf videos, play different resorts and country clubs, change those clubs.  But one of the often overlooked and most important psychological aspects of the game is mental focus or the concentration you apply to eaach task at hand. 

What is focus in golf?
Focus means being fully in the present moment, concentrating our mind on a single point or object, or a particular circumstance.  To begin to understand what the impact of focusing your mind will have on your game, think about how you currently approach your golf.  Do you hurry up to the ball, confront it rather than address it, prepare almost on auto-pilot, and then rush the shot?

Being focused here means you’re already building awareness before you even walk onto the green.  You are fully aware of approaching the ball.  You are totally ‘in your body’ as you prepare the shot.  You maintain this focus, this awareness, fully on making the shot, and then while you are doing it.  You then maintain this focus right to the end of the shot - even while yo lower the club.  Only then do you begin to think about the next shot (and the next shot only!).

This all sounds quite rigid, but like everything else to do with improving your game, you need to think about it step-by-step and then practise to build familiarity.  It is often very difficult to abandon old ways – especially mental habits - and suspend the temptation to think about the whole shot, indeed the whole game from the outset.  But I recommend you discipline yourself to try this approach as you may be amazed at the immediate result it can have on all aspects of your golf game, including the distance you can manage to hit the ball.  It also helps to deal with the nervous and ungrounded feelings you may experience as you select a club, and set up and take a shot. 

I have had players increase the distance of their tee-off by up to 100% in a matter of minutes by learning what it feels like to only focus on one part of the game at a time.  And feeling the focus is an important and powerful way of helping your mind to adapt and discipline itself to maintaining focus to sustain the results. Once you have experienced the sensation it can bring a level of freedom you’ve never enjoyed before in your golf.

This freedom comes from something tangible.  If you have practised and refined your swing then you can trust your body will remember how to hit the ball well, and if you get out of its way by focusing elsewhere, it will do so in a more natural flowing way.  Likewise, if you can put aside preoccupation with your physical game in this way you can free up your mind to enjoy golf in a way perhaps you never thought you would.

How to develop focus
It’s better to make ten truly focused swings than 100 quick, thoughtless ones, so begin your skill-building before you even get to the course. It’s very important that you begin to develop mental focus away from the course as well as on it, as it’s much harder to apply mindfulness discipline to only one area of your life, that is, your golf. 

 The inner game is played out on a daily basis, and you bring that to golf.  Besides, focus and self awareness are skills of grreat value to your work and family life as well as your sport. 

So, to the exercise: set aside some time to relax; maybe find a quiet spot to sit by yourself. Now find an object that will become your object of concentration – choose something plain and mundane, and one that will not move around – for example an apple or piece of the wall in front of you.  Make sure what you choose as your object is easy to rest your eyes on for a while and doesn’t have emotional affiliations as these will just make it harder to clear your mind and focus on just the object. 

Now take a calming breath and just rest your eyes on the object - keeping your attention focused on that thing.  All kinds of thoughts and distractions will naturally flow into your mind, but try to maintain your eye and mental focus on the object – this is where the benefit is.  The objective of the exercise is to continually bring the mental focus back to the item you are focusing on and, each time your mind wanders off, simply bring it back to the object.

Try to maintain the focus as long as you can, keeping it in the present moment, on the object … each time bringing back your attention when your mind wanders (as it will!).  The skill and the benefit comes from being able to remain in the present moment, in focus, as long as possible. 

To help out, I’ve provided a static object that might work for your exercise here - click on this link or the image and open it in your browser’s full screen for the best effect. 
It’s an image of a lit candle (left), but the more you focus on the flame it begins to appear to be flickering.  This picture might be a good place to start as your object of concentration, and then you can choose your own object to focus on depending on where you are.  Remember it’s not the object you focus on, but the exercise of maintaining your attention on it, regardless of any distraction, that delivers the outcome you’re seeking.

I suggest you try to focus on this, or the object you’ve selected, for about five minutes at first, increasing the length of attention and concentration over time to a period that you feel is the most beneficial, which may be up to 20 or 30 minutes.  Just remember to keep your breath free and your body relaxed while you’re doing it.  Oh, and turn off the phone!

Yes, it will require persistence and a bit of work, but once you’ve experienced the results in your golf, you’ll be inspired to continually enhance your ability to focus – not only for the sake of your game but many other aspects of your life. 

Using focus in the game
I suggest to pro golfers that they always do their concentration exercise before they leave their rooms to go play their round.  This helps to clear their mind and reminds them to carry on the level of focus they need during the game – shot by shot.  It’s also a good idea to do it at night before bed to shift the imprint of the day’s play from your head, ready for a better night’s sleep.   

Having focus in and on your game doesn’t mean, by the way, that you keep your head down and not talk to anyone!  Once you develop a focused mind in play, you can interact with others in ways you normally would, but all the time maintaining a part of you that is focused, calm and ‘in the zone’, whether you’re in a PGA event or playing a game of social golf on the weekend.   

When you’re playing, just think about the next shot.  During down time, allow your mind to relax by releasing it from focus and let it wander for a few minutes.  Don’t try to concentrate like this on the entire game or you’ll get fatigued very quickly.  Save the mental workout for thoughtful shot decisions and center on the shot you’re going to play next.

Good mental focus is also very useful for maintaining your cool throughout the game.  In the great game of golf, emotions soar and fall quickly, and you’ll perform more effectively with balanced reactions and responses to the things that happen.  If you can remember to focus your mind on something other than the emotion – moving your mental focus even for a moment – it will give you the precious time you need to take a breath and think through the real cost of your anger, frustration, or whatever it is you are feeling. Emotions seem very real at the time, but when examined rationally are ‘only’ fleeting internal reactions to external stimuli – possibly your own ability to play golf.  In hindsight they are rarely worth what they cost us.

So, by introducing some refined focusing skills into your game will influence and improve every single aspect of it.  Not only that, your life will be more like your game - useful, pleasurable and satisfying – regardless of your score! 

For more on mindfulness meditation and its techniques take a look at my dedicated site on that subject.

Also see our ZEN OF GOLF page, which has more on this theme.

To provide some good background on this area and its role in practise or game strategies, check out this 3-minute video, which features a program run by respected teachers of philosphy and Asian spiritual concepts, including Deepak Chopra, who himself has discovered the power of these in refining the game of golf.  Chopra introduces some challenging ideas which will demonstrate the potential of this approach and help you decide if it might be for you.

After you’ve watched the video, check out the book titles included below written by Chopra and Joe Parent, a popular tutor and author in this area of golf also featured in the video.

Recommended reading:

Golf For Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra

By the recognised leader in mind-body medicine, this is the fable of Adam Seaver, an ordinary person with a terrible game who meets a mysterious young teaching pro named Wendy who, in seven crisp, short yet profound lessons, teaches him things that seem baffling at first: You and the ball are one; Find the now, and you will find the shot; Let the game play you. 
From the moment they begin to put these lessons into practice, what was previously a humiliation turns into a transforming experience, not just for Adam’s score but for his whole life.

Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game by Joe Parent

In his highly original and groundbreaking book, noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor, Dr. Joseph Parent, draws on this natural connection and teaches golfers how to clear their minds, achieve ultimate focus, and play in the moment for each shot.