Long Drives and Greens in Regulation are over rated (part 3) Heartgolf and the secret

Eric a.k.a DGman recently posted "what is the mental game?" and talked a little about the HeartMath technology that he has been using to get a better picture and understanding of what kind of role the heart and brain and nervous system can play in performance. Learn to recognize when your heart and brain and nerves and what ever else may be involved are all out of synch, then use certain techniques to get everything together, in synch, in the coherent state. I know a little bit about it all but I am looking forward to a session next week with Eric to learn more.

One thing I do know, as DGman mentioned, is the one of the greatest golfers that ever played the game, Annika Sorenstam, was into the whole HeartMath thing and that her coaches use it regularly with their high profile players and in their golf schools.
They call it Heartgolf and it's a philosophy that goes a little beyond the use of the HeartMath technology.
The ideas behind Heartgolf are that every golfer plays the game for different reasons. Reasons that you know deep inside your heart, are what brings the enjoyment to the game for you. I think about the story that they tell about the guy who just loved to beat balls and beat balls and beat balls on the driving range because chasing after that perfect shot is what he loved about golf, but when he went to the golf course it was never the same and he was always stressed and didn't enjoy it because it was much too difficult. So, he decided to stop playing golf on the golf course and just stick with what made him happy, what made his heart happy, looking for the perfect shot on the driving range.

For some golfers, yes, it's about the long drive and when you see other golfers just bombing that thing 250 or 280 and you get that crazy feeling and start imagining what it must feel like, and what it will feel like when you can finally hit it like that, well there is no denying that that is where your heart is. If your heart tells you that the long ball is what brings you joy in this game than who am I to tell you that long drives are over rated.

I used the words Over Rated in the titles and in some of my posts because I knew that it would generate some great debate, conversation, and ideas about the game from all angels. So far I have really enjoyed this weeks discussion on the long drive vs. other parts of the game. I have also learned a lot abou how I can become more aware of the wants of my current and future students.

I used the words Over Rated because according to my own personal Heartgolf, I'm really not interested in how far I am hitting it but more like how straight I'm hitting it and even more important than that, where is my mental focus and how am I scoring.
My little library at home consists of what I consider to be the best books on technique from the likes of Pelz, Utley, Haney, McLean, Hardey, Hogan, Nickalus, and many more, and the list goes on to the what I consider to be the best books on the mental gamefrom the likes of Valiante, and Fred Shoemaker, Joe Parent, Lynn Marriot and Pia Nillson and of course Bob Rotella (who just became a lot more popular after some serious Open Championship coverage working very closely with Darren Clarke).
From the technique books I have learned a whole lot about my own golf swing, and the nuts and bolts of how and what to correct and teach to other golfers. From the mental gurus I really feel like I have found the secret to playing good golf, and it all has to do with mental focus.
My practice routines have a little bit to do with working on technique, using video and trying out this new idea or that new idea, but mostly revolve around routine and mental focus. That way, when I am on the golf course, I am confident that as long as I am committed to a certain mental focus, the one that i have practiced and practiced, the swing and the putts and all of the shots will be pretty much automatic. No swing thoughts, just 100% committment to "the secret."

So, according to all that, and according ot my own Heartgolf, if you ask me, I say........

Still Over Rated!

Have a good evening!

Looking forward to my game at the new JCC tomorow(which by the way is pretty awesome and a lot of fun to play, and if you have not played it yet, please join me for a game sometime), then Serapong on Friday morning.

Brad, nice posting which I fully agree. Enjoy the game tomorrow - presume you are teeing off with Chris and Paul. I'll be two flights ahead of you.

Cheers!

One more thing,
if certain situations in your golf, your life, work, wife, traffic, bills, whatever, cause you stress and your brain and your nerves and your heartbeat ever get out of synch during the day. From what I do understand about the HeartMath technology and techniques, a visit to the den and a little session with DGman may do you wonders.

Maybe start out from a golfers prespective (after all, it is more important than all those other things isn't it?), and then learn how to use it with the other stuff too.

Nevertheless, I really enjoy watching brad hitting the range balls over the net at jcc ... Cheers.