The Golf Tribe

This post is for those Tribers that have made a real effort over the last few months. You know who you are.

It seems the automatic approach can be difficult to obtain for some golfers. Here are some more thoughts on the subject.

1. Automatic golf is not a quick fix. If you’re expecting an instant cure you’ll be disappointed. What is required is an understanding that it is the right thing to do and then perseverance to hang in there.

In my own case it took nearly two years to automate and improve my putting. Sometimes I walk onto the green and it feels terrible - I lack confidence and I’m nervous. But by trusting the system I’m able to negotiate those bad times and pull through. When I’m feeling good my putting is awesome!

The same goes for the full swing, chipping and putting - you need to automate and you need to be patient.

2. It requires constant dedication. Training your system to play golf without a lot of conscious control is a continuous battle. It can feel horrible sometimes - but these are the times that you must let go and play without hesitation. There is no other option.

Talking with friends and clients and using my own experience the problem I see consistently is golfers changing their approach when they’re not feeling good. They play safe - steer the ball or don’t commit. The reality is that you’ll never feel super confident all the time. The trick is to play that way - even when everything is feeling bad.

If you want to play your best golf you need to have an “I don’t care attitude”. This is easy to do on the practice fairway or in social rounds. When it does matter it becomes much harder. But are you able to step up and swing freely and confidently when you’re nervous and playing for $1000 dollars?

The best players, and this includes professionals and seasoned club golfers, are able to play the same way all the time. They don’t let the situation get the better of them - they don’t change their approach and they don’t worry about their swing. They play - that is all they do.

My mate Ev is a great player. He really is. He is still learning he doesn’t need to do anything differently under pressure other than trust his subconscious. In the past he has tried too hard, thought too much and over complicated things. He is nearly over the hump - he has experienced the difference between conscious play and subconscious (automatic) play. He has made some huge progress and looks set for a breakthrough.

The hard thing with automatic golf improvement is that it’s not possible to read about it, watch it or even talk about it. You have to experience it. You have to live it and the only way to do this is to get out there and swing naturally - without fear of consequences or result. Yes the result is important - but you can’t allow your swing to be affected by what you want to achieve. Get out of your own way and swing the club in a way that will allow you to soar. Here’s a few tips:

• stop thinking about your score
• stop thinking about your swing
• stop tinkering with your clubs
• stop tinkering with your swing
• stop thinking about your handicap
• stop worrying about results
• stop making stories up about what may or may not happen
• stop analysing

But most of all start playing. Here’s my basic rules for playing golf:

1. Work out what you want to do. This is vitally important

2. Choose a club that will get the job done

3. Distract your conscious mind for the duration of the shot (this is not negotiable)

4. You should be swinging automatically and naturally

5. Repeat until you hole out on 18 and for every round you play in the future.

It’s fun and it does work. Steady Oz has worked it out - it took him some time but he has achieved a level of mastery that most will never know. He continues to improve and is rewarded by shooting the best score possible.

If you have any specific questions please let me know.

Keep striving,

Cameron

Hi Tribers,

My mate Ev wanted to grill me about my golf and coaching ideas. Thought it would be a good idea to record it. Think you’ll like the below audio.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Cameron

Hi Tribers,

There’s been a bit of banter back and forth of late. This is great and what the whole Golf Tribe is all about. I’m sure those involved have been learning and getting something from it. It’s perfect win-win. You learn, we all learn. Fantastic.

Thought I’d write a quick post on what it takes to succeed with the automatic process. Here’s my take;

It takes commitment. The easiest thing in the world to do is to quit and try something new when it doesn’t work. Adults are like that - we’re impatient and think we can override our own natural learning abilities with conscious thought and control.

But that doesn’t work either! We end up jumping from tip to tip and idea to idea each and every time something goes awry. The end result is a golf game that is all over the place - and leaves us frustrated and confused.

Automatic golf requires a different challenge. You have to put your trust in your natural learning abilities - to have faith that your subconscious can do better than your conscious mind. Yes this can be scary and nervy at first but if you stick with it something magic might come your way.

Let me give you an example.

I played twice over the weekend. The first game was nothing special. I didn’t play that well and missed playing to my handicap by a few shots. No biggie - just an average round.

On Sunday I started poorly. I missed a few shots and felt tempted to analyse and make some changes. I resisted the urge to make a change or start playing safe. I relaxed and kept the automatic process going.

Before I knew it I was playing well. It’s a hard feeling to describe but by the 10th hole I knew I was going to shoot a good score. My game felt in sync and the ball kept finding the target - on the 16th (a par 5) I hit two of the best shots I’ve hit in a long time, a powerful draw shot from the tee (something that I struggle to do) and a laser like three iron a few metres from the pin.

This is like magic! It feels unbelievable and for me makes the game of golf something special.

The point here is that I know if I let the poor round or a few bad shots get to me I wouldn’t have experienced the magic. The remarkable golf makes the poor golf worthwhile.

My core belief is that we all have the potential to experience our own level of magic - we have to learn to keep trusting and swinging freely - the rest will take care of itself.

That’s the challenge - but it’s one worth winning.

I’d like to hear your comments.

Cameron

Hi Tribers,

Firstly, I’ve got to apologise for not spending much time on the golf tribe - things have been really busy on my end - but I hope to answer more questions in the next few days and continue to add content.

Anyway I’ve been thinking about where to take the golf tribe. There’s a few keen beans that are chatting back and forth - and Bob Mark has suggested some way of posting videos and then the tribe making comments. This is a great idea so here’s what I have in mind.

The website software allows for unlimited users to be able to login and create their own pages. It’s really easy to do and you can write articles, post videos and discuss golf.

All I ask is that you keep things on topic and stick to natural learning - I don’t want this to turn into a technical golf instruction blog. Other than that you’d be free to create content that interests you.

If you’d like to be able to contribute to this forum then here’s what you’ve got to do;

Send me an email to camerons*AT*golfscience*dot*com*dot*au and I’ll create an account for you. You’ll be able to get started right away. Please include your preferred username (nickname) and I’ll do the rest.

Over to you.

Cameron

Another common question that I’ve been getting asked is,

“how do I avoid those two or three holes that destroy my game?” The audio below refers to the last three holes but it can be applied to your entire game.

Click the play button below to listen:

Can’t see the audio button? You can download audio by clicking the link below.

Click here to download…

Righto. This has been a popular question. The following audio tells you my way of curing your golf slice. Enjoy!

Click here to download…

I’m going to answer all of your questions over the coming weeks. I’ve decided to do this by a series of audios. I hope you’re going to like the format and you can listen to the first one by clicking the play button below. If you have any questions use the comment field at the bottom of page.

Enjoy!

How To Hit The Golf Ball Further From The Tee

Can’t see audio button? Try downloading audio from link below:

Click here to download…

This is your chance to ask me any golf question you’d like. If you’ve got a burning question about improving your golf then ask me.

Here’s a few guidelines:

• Keep it on topic. Golf learning and how to improve your golf is what I’m the best at. E.g. “how do I learn to trust my swing under pressure”.
• Keep it short. You should be able to keep it down to a sentence or two.
• If you have more than one question choose the most important. Don’t be greedy
• Make it relevant to you.
• Read the other questions first so there’s no doubling up.
• Be sure to include your details - first name or nickname will be fine.

That’s it. Pretty simple. I’ll collate all the information and get it back to you in some shape or form. (read: I haven’t quite worked this bit out). This will be a powerful and useful finalised product and you’ll all be able to get a copy FREE of charge.

Get to it, ask your questions below.

P.S. I’m getting in first and asking the most likely question that I’ll receive.

After reading the feedback on this page, observing other golfers and from my own experience, I offer the following advice for playing your best golf. I wouldn’t call these tips, but rather a long term commitment that virtually guarantees golfing success.

Here they are in no particular order;

Play your game: Earlier in the month I wanted to be more aggressive with my irons. It sounded like a good idea at the time but I now think it was a poor one. Firstly it’s hard to measure “aggressive”. I really had no idea if I was doing it or not.

The second point is that it really threw out my game. Standing in the middle of the fairway I had to force myself to shoot at the pin. My system didn’t always agree with this. I felt extra anxiety and often made a poor swing. After a few rounds I knew I had made an error.

Playing aggressive irons was nearly my undoing. I was trying too hard and not sticking to what felt good to me. The solution was to follow point number 2. (see below)

Think first and play second: I’ve got no doubt that the best players follow this system (whether they’re tour professionals or the club golfer that has the knack of taking your money each week). The plan is simple; work out what you want to do behind the ball then walk up and execute the shot without fear or hesitation.

Golf becomes a great game when you have options. “Do you go for the green or do you lay up?”, “Should I chip out or go for the small gap in the trees?” or “Do I hit the 7 iron or the 6?”.

Great course designers increase the options and choices presented to us. No matter what options are thrown our way we have to choose. Sometimes it can be difficult to choose but you have must decide on one. You can’t pick two (or more) and be successful! When you make a decision on what you want to achieve you set a clear goal. It’s this goal that allows your system to play golf without interference and self-doubt.

In my own case from above I was unclear about my objective when striking the ball. To rectify the situation I had to approach each shot with a clear head and decide on the club and target. Then I was able to proceed to the ball and “whack” it with the confidence I had made the right decision.

I’ll also add that the choice you make is not nearly as important as making a decision. Choosing can make us feel uncomfortable. But choose we must do. Choosing the wrong option (someone else’s opinion) and proceeding with a free flowing an uninhibited swing is far better than making a half hearted effort with a conservative (safe) approach.

Stick to the process: After 20 years of playing golf and working on better methods of golf improvement I make the following statement;

Improvement rarely comes from quick fixes or swing changes. The best progress comes from sticking to a solid system over a long period of time.

By sticking to your guns you maximise your chances of playing your best golf. Those that chop and change after a poor shot or two are making the game harder than it needs to be.

It might sound sexy and exciting to discover the latest “super tip”, a little piece of advice that promises golfing glory, but they don’t exist in my opinion. At least not for any length of time worth worrying about. You can also add a new golf clubs to the list here. A change of golf club will rarely result in long term improvement.

Practise your short game: I know this is a super boring and obvious one, but if you’re going to practise, make sure you spend some time on your chipping, pitch and bunker shots. Grab three or four balls and chip to a different target each time. Avoid hitting the same shot over and over. Make it fun and you’ll learn a new shot each time you do it. Your game will improve. I promise.

Note: I didn’t mention putting not because it’s not important but because many golfers struggle so badly with chipping that it’s more important. Chip first, putt second.

Don’t think you’re special or good enough to avoid automatic: You’re not. Harsh, but true. Learn to automate your game and you’ll never look back. Automation allows you to be the best player you’ll ever be. You’ll have the most fun and put yourself on a learning curve that ensures you’ll keep improving over a long period of time.

Believing you can get away with a mid round swing change or avoid making decisions is delusional. Automatic is not a secret or quick tip but could be the next best thing.

I’ll also add that long driving is not as important as following the steps above. Thinking that long driving is going to improve your score is a myth and ego based. Hitting the ball longer will only help if you can perform the above steps consistently.

Feel free to place your comments below.

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If you’re not sure what this is all about then get your hands on my free ebook (details on home page) or check out this post.

If you want to play you best golf in 2009 then you’ll want to join the Golf Tribe. I think it’s a good time to make a commitment and get motivated to take your golf to a new level.

The Golf Tribe is a group of like minded golfers who are keen to work together and share their experiences with the automatic (natural learning) golf improvement process.

Here’s how it works

If you’re ready to get started here’s what you need to do:

1. Publicly Commit. This might be a bit scary but you’ll thank me later. By committing you’ll be more likely to stick to the process and see results. Add a comment below and briefly tell everyone what you’d like to achieve in the next 30 days.
2. Read the guidelines. I’ve put more detailed guidelines on this page.
3. Report your progress below after each round, practice session or at the end of January 2009.
4. Join the teleseminar. There will be a teleseminar in early February. We can all sit down and have a good discussion on our progress in a big phone hook up. You’ll be able to ask questions, provide feedback and learn.

That’s it. I’m not sure where all this will go at this stage but I think it will be something special. Any golfer can join and it’s free of charge. The only commitment is your time and energy.

See the rules (guidelines) for this 30 day challenge (click here)

My Golfing Challenge:

To kick things off here’s my commitment for the next 30 days.

I’m going to play at least four rounds of golf in January. I’m going to commit to the automatic process and strive to be more free flowing and loose.

I want to play more aggressively with my irons. I’ve been too conservative with approach shots and scared of making mistakes. This will take some practice which I plan on doing by playing two games of golf with my irons only. All games in January I will play each iron shot at the flag and not be concerned about the score (or making a mistake)

Finally, I’ve had some trouble with hip tightness lately. By the end of January I want to be able to perform a full squat. I will stretch my hip flexors each day for a few minutes.

Wish me luck!

Cameron