Can’t play under pressure? Try a hemispheric Heimlich.
How many times Have you heard someone say they can perform well on the practice range or while playing with friends but fall apart when playing in a tournament or in a corporate outing? What allows some golfers to thrive under pressure while the rest of us cave?
Research by sports psychologist and LPGA teaching pro Debbie Crews suggests it’s not the level of anxiety that determines performance but rather how the brain processes the increased activity in the mind and body. For example, in her research lab, Crews found that golfers who “choked” under pressure had more left-brain activity, which is associated with analysis, facts and details. When operating mostly from the left side of your brain, you become more self-aware and focused on mechanics or stuck in reanalyzing your last shot and what you think you did wrong. This is what many refer to as “paralysis by analysis.” That kind of thinking while you are addressing the ball usually leads to trouble.
Crews found that golfers who performed well under pressure experienced the same amount of anxiety as the “chokers,” but they had equal amounts of brain activity on the left and right sides of their brains. So what were these golfers doing to stimulate that part of their brains? Activities like visualization and target awareness, for example, are created in the right hemisphere. Music, kinesthetic movement and emotions are also mostly processed in the right hemisphere. Not surprisingly, your brain works best and you play better when both sides are active and communicating with each other.
The key to playing well under pressure appears to be knowing when to use each side of the brain on the golf course. A good pre-shot routine can be very helpful in this process. For example, Crews recommends that thinking should take place behind the ball, prior to address. This is when you want to think about yardage, target, lie, wind direction, club selection and so on.
Once you have analyzed all these aspects, it’s time to commit to your decisions and switch over to the right side of the brain.
To engage the right hemisphere, you can try several different approaches:
• Visualize the ball in the air, landing and rolling to a stop.
• Focus on developing a feel for your tempo or rhythm by taking several practice swings. However, it’s important to keep your intention on the feel of your swing rather than on mechanical thoughts.
• Focus on and connect with your target. Be specific.
• Create a positive feeling by remembering a time when you felt confident, happy or calm.
• Put a smiley face on your golf ball to remind yourself to smile and not take things so seriously. Suzann Pettersen used this technique and just won the McDonald’s LPGA Championship!
By Denise McGuire
Denise McGuire, Ph.D., founder of Get in the Zone, uses mind-body techniques to teach all golfers to optimize performance. Reach her at 303-355-0321 or getinthezone.net.