Applying Zen Wisdom on the Golf Course

Develop a strategy before you hit the ball. Good preparation produces clarity of mind, concentration, and composure -- the ingredients of mental golf wisdom. In addition, it is a strong testament of your full commitment, which ensures golfing success and breeds self-confidence.

Clarity of mind enhances your mental image of your shot -- how it should be played, the target aimed at, and the path intended for the ball.

In mental golf wisdom, concentration frees your mind from any distracted thoughts that may arise from the self or from the environment.

Composure, a result of both clarity of mind and concentration, creates confidence and focus, which are necessary for mental golf success.

You should focus on sending the ball to a target, rather than targeting on hitting the ball. Targeting the ball is often a problematic perspective.

When you visualize the image of sending a ball to a target, you swing becomes more spontaneous, free from any self-conscious interference. Remember, a too self-conscious swing, due to the fear of making mistakes, often inhibits a free, full swing, leading to a poor shot.

But how do you visualize a vivid image of your shot?

Practice the Zen’s awareness of your sense perception to enhance your vivid image created in your mind’s eye. Fully utilize the power of mental golf.

Sit upright, your feet flat and your hands palm  down on your knees.

Turn your awareness to your sense perceptions, one by one.

Without moving your eyes, notice as much as you can within your field of vision.

Turn your awareness to your sense perceptions, one by one.

Without moving your eyes, notice as much as you can within your field of vision.

Notice their color and shapes.

Notice the extent of your vision by shifting your eyes up and down, left and right.

  

Gradually, shift your awareness to notice your bodily sensation, such as your breathing and heartbeats.

Remember, focusing on only one sense while letting the others fade into oblivion helps you deal with any distracting thought during your swing routine.

Before each swing, develop a good image of your ball flying to the spot you wish it would land, bounce, and roll to a stop in the right spot on the fairway. Even if the ball has landed at the place you least desire, avoid having a negative attitude about yourself.

In golf, as in life, you have to make decisive decisions. How do you shape your shot? Do you hit the ball firmly, sending it through the break and past the hole, or hit the ball softly, making the putt fall off below the hole? These are some of the crucial decisions you may have to make on the fairway.

Your decision and the action that entails are determined by both your conscious mind and your subconscious mind.Your conscious mind is the thinking mind that plans, while your subconscious mind is the mind that coordinates your body movements. Your planning mind sends a message to your coordinating mind, giving your body an image of what your body is supposed to do. Unfortunately, if you do not make a decisive decision, your coordinating mind receives “two” different images, and thus becomes “confused,” rendering improper bodily movements that may derail your shot.

So, be decisive. However, it does not mean you should go ahead and hit the ball anyway. Avoid the anyways, such as having the wrong club for the shot and hit it anyway, feeling too close or too far from the ball and hit it anyway, or the ball is teed up too high or too low and hit it anyway. These anyways suggest only inadequate commitment on your part. These anyways do not reflect mental golf wisdom.

Once you have prepared mentally for your shot as best you can, with a vivid image of the outcome, you mustcommit to it with your body. However, it is important to remember that commitment does not guarantee successful outcome: it only gives you the best chance of success.

Therefore, pre-acceptance of the outcome, whatever it may be, is essential to golfing success. Why? Because golf is a game of percentages. You can still score well with good misses. So commit to your shot -- giving it all the best you can do -- even if it misses. And learn to be forgiving of yourself for those misses too!

In addition, pre-acceptance prepares you for any negative repercussion of stepping into the unknown future.

Just take your best shot and deal with the outcome.

Commitment is essentially an expression of your unconditional confidence in your golf. Commitment is not something that can be taught: it is acquired through pre-acceptance. Having dissipated your fear of undesirable results, commitment often comes as a second nature to you.

Right before the swing, your mind may become distracted with “internal conversations.” Do not fight them. Remember, your thoughts are not you, and you are notyour thoughts. Just empty your mind, or let your random thoughts come and go, without being perturbed by them. This is mental golf. Train your mind to treat your thoughts objectively. This is mental golf wisdom. Learn to relax to play golf, not playing golf to relax. Relaxation is attained through awareness and meditation. This is also mental golf wisdom.

Practice awareness, in particular, your awareness of any tension.

Lie on your back, close your eyes, directing your awareness to each part of your body, beginning with your toes, your feet, your ankles, your legs, your fingers, your hands, your arms, your shoulders, your lower and upper back, your neck, your mouth, your nose, your ears, your eyebrows, your eyes, and finally your hair on your head. Awareness is mental golf wisdom.

Repeat the awareness practice while sitting down. Then do it while standing up on the golf course, starting at the top of your head, your scalp, face, jaw, and neck, then to your shoulders, arms, and hands, your chest, upper back, lower back, belly, pelvis, legs, thighs, knees, calves, feet and toes.

The only tension you need is to hold your posture and hold onto your club for mental golf success.

Practice your awareness until you master it. Do it before each shot. Tension tends to build up in your jaws, shoulder tops, hands and deep belly.

In addition, enhance your awareness of your body’s center of gravity, which is the source of movement and energy. When you make the swing, you will feel your body’s center of gravity located a few inches below your navel. However, note that your state of mind affects your body’s center of gravity. That is, if your mind is full of distracting thoughts and tension, your body’s center of gravity will shift accordingly towards your head.

To diffuse any tension before and during your swing, learn to breath deeply and fully. Correct breathing enhances your mental golf.

What is a deep and full breath?

Stand with good posture, close your eyes, breathe gently and slowly through your nostrils. Visualize your breath filling out your lungs and the rest of your body.

Here is an illustration of putting Zen wisdom on the golf course.

Stand approximately eight to twelve feet behind the ball. Look straight at your aim line. Make a decision on how you will swing the ball. Conjure up a vivid mental image of your swing and shot.

Take a full and deep breath, inhaling gently and exhaling through your nostrils. Upon completion of your exhalation, approach the ball.

Walk mindfully by directing your awareness to the feeling of your body, as well as the ground as you walk. Meanwhile, continue to breathe slowly and fully.

Take your stance. Make your transition into the takeaway: you need to feel set, clear of distracting thoughts, and ready to swing from your body’s center of gravity. Take a last look at the target. Do not rush, but do not delay. Stay in the flowing tempo -- only you know what you feel best and what that tempo is like. If you feel yourself out of flow of the tempo, take a time-out, go back behind the ball and begin your approach once again.

For a perfect golf swing, your body and mind should be synchronized in the present moment, thereby instrumental in preparing you for mental golf wisdom. Remember, your mind not only directs your body but also gets feedback from your body. Learn to trust your swing and enjoy the game.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau