Minjee Lee
I have played golf for some 44 years now. In recent years, I have transformed from tournament player to Mental Coach and Mentor. The more I explore the ways to help other golfers to improve their game the more I realise the parallels golf has to life. By Jenny Jones (formerly Sevil)
W
e golfers can understand how to improve our golf game from discovering more about ourselves, our character defects and assets. Often how we react to good and bad golf shots can be the same way we react to every aspect of our life. If you do everything fast in life you will find that you play golf fast and probably swing fast. GOLF is an analogy of LIFE itself. The game of golf appeals to people from all walks of life, all ages, men, women and for many reasons. The reasons why you play golf and the type of person you are all contribute to how you play the game. Let’s take a look at some different personalities, their golf game and how the mind game strategies can benefit each and every one of these individuals. Remember GOLF doesn’t change but the player, the players’ life, experiences, thoughts and emotions do, therefore their outcome will differ. MEET DOUG
I would describe Doug as a student of the golf swing and a passionate golfer dedicated to improving his game. Doug’s career requires he understands how things work scientifically and he approaches golf very much the same way. A sportsman from a young age, a sprinter he tells me, he sometimes swings the club at the same speed quick. Doug has embraced the game of golf and I take my hat off to him for the time and research he has invested in creating a swing he technically understands. Knowledge is power. I believe this is why Doug has found instant results from the knowledge I share with him on the mental and emotional aspects of the game too. Doug has built his golf swing under the instruction of Graves Golf Academy using their single plane solution technique derived from the theories of the great ball striker Moe Norman. I work with Doug on reinforcing these concepts and I never teach a student that there is just one way to swing the golf club. As mentioned, Doug has a very analytical mind and when I started working with
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Ladies GOLF Summer/Autumn 2019/20 • ISSUE 26
him realised he embraced the technical side of the game with every ounce of his being. I believe I have slowly added to Doug’s understanding of the importance of visualization and just feeling shots too! This is how I can get Doug to slow down –the golf swing is not a sprint! I believe he is testament to being able to take his game to a new level using his technical understanding with a more aware mindset. If we are too technical, we lose the flow of the swing and the trust process. Doug is getting amazing results due to his constant commitment to checks up – Check-ups are beneficial in life whether it’s the gym, a doctor, recreational time out, a psychologist or nutritionist etc. Doug Grose: Lakelands Golf Course Member. “I find working with Jenny very easy. Jenny is good, not only on the technical side, but always emphasises how important your thought processes and routines are to get the best swing outcomes. Within two lessons I won my first event in many years. I won because I kept the right thoughts over the short but miss-able putts and the shots where I would normally feel pressure. With Jenny’s’ coaching I now seem to “keep my head in the game” and not start getting negative with myself when something goes wrong. I now visualise the shot first, concentrate on positive thoughts and then let my mind do the job of executing the shot as I visualised and practiced it. We work on processes and routines which are all very helpful when out on the course in competition. My new swing was actually working well, it was my thinking that needed fixing and that is something Jenny is a real whiz at doing! Golf professionals are just the same as any golfer, with similar obstacles to overcome to achieve their goals. MEET JOHN
One Saturday afternoon I had a phone call from John. He introduced himself, probably out of desperation and frustration, after having just played in a pro-am and not playing anywhere near how he wanted to. He had just spoken with his son, also a talented golfer, who www.ladiesgolfmagazine.com.au
