USGTF GOLF PSYCHOLOGY DIVISION
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Dr. Gregg Steinberg
Dr. Gregg Steinberg is a long time USGTF member and sports psychologist. He is also a distinguished speaker and author on the subject (Mental Rules of Golf). Currently, Dr. Steinberg is an associate professor at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. |
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By Gregg Steinberg
USGTF Level III Member, Tampa, Florida
In my last article, we discussed the “A” principle in how to teach your students the “ATM” system for pressure-proof golf. This “ATM” system is featured in my new golf psychology video called “Be Money on the Greens.” But, the “ATM” system can be applied to all aspects of the game.
To refresh your memories, the ATM system is:
“A”tune yourself to the green. We attune to the green with a green reading routine and using our dominant eye.
“T”riggerize your game. We need to trigger to become reactive.
“M”akes no difference. When we are not worried about the outcome or making the shot, the pressure is reduced.
The current article concerns the “T” and illustrates how to teach your students how to “triggerize” their golf games.
Triggerizing our game, that is, having triggers in our game, will place us into a reactive state of mind. The basic premise is that when we are reactive, we play our best. We know in sport psychology research that golfers who are in the zone will be in a reactive mind set. On the flip side, when we over-think, we can suffer from the infamous “paralysis by analysis” and usually perform poorly.
One of my favorite stories about the need to become reactive and avoid over-thinking deals with the true story of Ralph Guldahl’s career. Ralph was on top of the golf world in the late 1930s. He had won the 1937 and 1938 US Opens and the 1939 Masters. According to one of his contemporaries, Paul Runyan, Guldahl had control over the ball that was unmatched for a few years. Given his dominance, a publisher asked him to write an instructional golf book. The problem was that the golf swing came very natural to Ralph; he did not have to think too much about swinging his club. Ralph was in the reactive mind. However, when he started to write his book, he had to break down his swing piece by piece and analyze his every move. He switched to thinking about his game, and when the book was finished, so was his game.
Here are some teaching tips to help your students become more reactive and not suffer from the same fate that befell Ralph Guldahl:
Develop a trigger for your putting and full swing. For putting, a trigger can be an event such as starting the backswing of the putting stroke as soon as your eyes have tracked back from the hole to the back of the ball. That is, as soon as they hit the back of the ball, you take the putter back. The problem is that many golfers freeze over the ball, and this can cause a loss of rhythm and feel. Your students need a trigger so that they do not freeze over the ball when putting. You should teach a similar trigger for the full swing. For instance, when your students’ eyes track back to the ball, they start their back swing.
Develop a routine with the same amount of looks at the hole or down the fairway. Do you know how many times you look at the hole when you putt? Do your students? Ask them. Most likely, they will not know. Have them develop a routine with the same amount of looks at the hole. It should vary from one to three. More than that number is too many. Do the same for the full swing. This helps with consistency and prevents over-thinking.
Move from the think box to the play box. On the tee box, visualize a line about two feet behind the ball as it relates to the hole. This is the think box. Have your students take a practice swing and they can have one or two swing thoughts. However, when they step across this line toward the ball, they are now in the play box. They cannot think about their swing mechanics, but rather they have to react to the shot and feel the shot. If they begin to think about mechanics in this box, they need to start their routine over. By having a think box and a play box system, this helps your students shut off their analytical mind and move into a reactive mind, which is needed for every shot.
Dr. Gregg Steinberg is a professor of sport psychology at Austin Peay State University and author of the Washington Post bestselling book, Full Throttle: 122 Strategies to Supercharge Your Performance. He was ranked by Golf Digest as one of the game’s great sport psychologists and has been the USGTF sport psychologist for more than a decade. You can visit him at www.drgreggsteinberg.com to see more about him as well as see a clip of his new golf psychology DVD “Be Money on the Greens.”
Here are a couple of links to some more of Dr. Steinberg's articles:
Golf’s Rocketman
The Self Conscious Student
Get Real With Your Students
