You play golf as much through your hands as through your mind. And it’s not just the strength of your swing power, it’s your mental power that helps you overcome on-course obstacles and read difficult sloping greens. No matter how much you practice, all those hours at the driving range and the putting green will be wasted if you don’t work on your focus.

There have been numerous studies on the concept of mental power over physical ability. Lucky for you, we’ve done all the reading so you don’t have to. We wanted to see if this ‘mind over matter’ theory really has anything to it. And science suggests mental training may be as important as your physical training in practice. Who knew?

Managing Performance Stress

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If you’ve ever felt the pressure of standing over a tee while other golf members watch in anticipation, then you’ve experienced what’s known scientifically as ‘performance stress’. A study in 2005 by the University of Alberta explored the strategies that help top youth golfers to manage performance stress. Findings showed that ineffective coping was linked to golfers trying to “force their play” and effective coping resulted from gaining a sense of control. In managing performance stress effectively, the elite youth golfers would:

- Maintain a positive mind-set - Focus on the next shot at play (rather than dwell on previous play) - Stayed relaxed through regulating breathing and stretching - Sought reassurance from their caddies - Followed their playing routine

One of the key observations was that, when asked, a large majority of the golfers actually did not even attempt to cope with performance stress, despite being aware of its importance. They relied on their technical ability alone which had got them playing to that high standard, and the scientists believed work on their mental skills could “help them transition from an elite youth player to an elite adult”. Dr Holt, a professor of Physical Education and Recreation at the University commented on the findings saying “In a lot of sports people focus on the technical side and the mental side is neglected. But like the technical skills, you have to learn mental skills and practice them.”

Internal and External Mental Imagery

Visualisation is a common technique used by top athletes from around the globe in all aspects of sport from basketball players visualising a free throw to gymnasts making the perfect dismount. And scientists suggest there is more to the power of focus than you think. Dr Guang Yue at the Kessler Foundation has been using mental imagery and visualisation in rehabilitation. Dr Yue says “evidence suggests that mental training without physical or muscle exercise can improve voluntary muscle strength”. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the same parts of the brain are activated through mental rehearsal and real physical exercise. Interestingly, imagining you’re lifting weights can increase your muscle strength by up to half as much as if you’re doing it. So perhaps the power of your brain and imagination is more powerful than you think.

Miraculous Performance

We’ve all heard stories about miraculous feats of strength, that usually involve ordinary people lifting one tonne cars off of vulnerable, trapped children. In these moments of need, these everyday ‘heroes’ seemingly gain superhuman strength after no previous training or experience with lifting weights. Dean Radin, a senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, suggested that if the people suffered no physical symptoms after completing the feat, then “something much more intriguing may be happening that could involve a mind over matter effect”. One such ‘miracle’ was reported in December 2009 when 32-year-old Nick Harris, lifted a sedan off a 6-year old girl trapped under the wheel of a reversing car. There were no witnesses apart from the girl he saved, but if this really happened then there is no real explanation for it other than mind over matter. Of course, you can’t expect to be lifting golf carts and hitting 400-yard drives off the tee just through imagining it. But there certainly is a strong argument that with the right focus and time spent on mental training improvements can be made to your game.

When applied to the golf course, you should consider creating your own pre-shot routine to centre your focus. And practice visualisation techniques before addressing the ball. Perhaps most importantly, don’t psych yourself out and find your own way of managing performance stress. Because ignoring it or not attempting to cope with the stress is only going to make your shot more likely to fail. It’s all about composure and preparation. Of course, none of this matters to you if you just want to get outside and enjoy the walk. But most golfers would enjoy playing well, so it’s up to you.