Effective visualisation is one of the key golf psychology tools for improving your golf score and your enjoyment of the game. It's also one of the secrets of hypnotic golf. However, for most people, including me until recently, that visualisation tends to be two dimensional, a bit like looking through the viewfinder of a camera or at a picture on a television screen. Yes, I know that I could imagine some depth perspective, but what if I couldn't actually see the bottom of the pin over that high lip of the bunker at the front of the green. That meant that I was looking at the lip of the bunker in my minds eye and then having to mentally add some more for the distance between the lip and flag. That's too complicated for my golf mind!

You may remember my recent article about mental foursomes practice with golf hypnosis the other week. Now shortly after writing that I was watching a rerun on television of a recent US PGA Tour event and enjoying the overhead pictures from the blimp, when I had a sudden flash of inspiration. Why not visualise my shots in 3D and incorporate an overhead shot of how I visualised the shot I was about to play. It sounded difficult until I realised that if I can see it on TV, then surely I can visualise it. After all, I already had the overhead view on the course planner, so why couldn't I incorporate it in my pre-shot routine visualisation and mental golf practice.

So, later that evening I took myself into a light trance using self-hypnosis and played an imaginary round of golf at Beaconsfield, my home course. I visualised playing every hole and every shot in 3D, even the putts. It worked great and I couldn't wait to take the idea to the course. That Friday, I got the chance to use it in my pre-shot visualisation on the real course and it worked amazingly well. Initially I found that I got the best results from visualising the shot normally, as a picture in 2D, and then "seeing" it again as if from a blimp, just as I stepped into the shot. By the time I'd played a few holes, visualising the shot in 3D just became a natural part of my routine.

What surprised me most was that it gives me so much more confidence, especially when hitting over a hazard or trees to my target. Instead of seeing the trees or hazards and estimating how far to hit past them, I'm finding myself seeing the whole shot from above. I'm getting a much clearer idea of the shot I'm playing and that's taking away a lot of the normal doubt I normally have when playing these shots.

Vivid visualisation, using all the senses, is an essential part of the pre-shot routine you should be using when physically playing golf. I'm sure I don't need to remind you about what Jack Nicklaus says about how he never played a shot without having first watched himself execute the swing perfectly and seen the ball flying or rolling to his target before finishing up, "sitting there and shining white on the bright green grass."

So try this out when you're next out playing on the course and on the practice ground, especially when you're practicing your golf in your minds eye. Maybe you'll see a new low score up on the leader board - in 3D.

Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.

Visit his website for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it is about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that is played in the 6 inches between your ears.

Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com/ and get your free 25- minute Your Own Virtual Caddy golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.

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Being a golf nut it was natural for me to collect a number of books on the subject. In fact I have thirty two. This collection is eclectic in the sense that it covers about every aspect of the game that has been written about. Some of these books were given to me, but most were purchased over my years of chasing this crazy game. (Or is it the game makes you crazy?)

For the interest of other golf nuts looking for a good book on the game to read, I have categorized my collection by subject. Admittedly, you can argue about my categorization, but it should provide some help to anyone looking for a particular aspect of the game. Below my collection is divided into the following categories.

• Historical (Old writings on the game)
• Collections of Commentaries and Quotes by Writers and Players
• Instruction
• The Mental Side of the Game
• Course Architecture
• Humor

Historical: These are reprints of three of the oldest known books on the game.

Rules of the Thistle Golf Club by John Cundell, 1824. This is a copy of the first book on golf, which contains an attempt to set down a history of the game, as well as the rules in force at the time the book was written.

A Few Rambling Remarks on Golf by Robert Chambers, 1862. This book is the third book on the game ever published and gives Mr. Chambers thoughts on instruction as well as the playing rules.

Tee Shots and Others by Bernard Darwin, 1911. A collection of Bernard Darwin's essays. Darwin was a first rate player who never lost his passion for the game. He was known for never quoting a player. Once when asked if he was going to attend an interview of a new British Open Champion, he huffed, "My readers want to know why I think he won, not why that fool thinks he won.

The next category is a collection of writings, commentaries and anecdotes by and about golfers of all kinds and shapes.

A Passion For Golf, edited by Schuyler Bishops, 1998. A collection of pieces written by the best sports writers of the last fifty years revealing the inseparable relationship between this game and life.

Great Golf Stories, edited by Robert Trent Jones, 1982. A comprehensive collection of writing about the game. It offers the best that has been written with a running commentary from one of the greatest course architects.

"And Then Jack Said to Arnie", edited by Don Wade, 1991. Don Wade has been covering the professional tour and collecting true stories about the players and the game since 1970. This is a collection of his stories.

The Quotable Golfer, edited by Gary McCord, 2000. This book is a rich compendium of quotes that reflect the history, tradition, agony and thrills of the game from Will Rogers to Tiger Woods.

Golf Instruction. No collection would be complete without books on instruction. I never kept all of the books on instruction that I bought, but these few that I have left include a couple of really good ones.

Tiger Woods - How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods, 2001. Tiger Woods how to play the game. Need I say more?

Classic Golf Instruction by Christopher Obetz, 2005. Lessons by Jack Nicklaus and others featuring the amazing drawings by Anthony Ravielli. Ravielli's drawing reward the reader with incredible vision of the golfing body at work.

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book by Harvey Penick, 1992. Harvey Penick's notebook from his years of teaching. It gives his practical wisdom cutting away the technicalities and helps golfers play their best.

Fit For Golf by Gary Player, 1995. One hundred exercises that will improve your game.
Elements of Scoring by Raymond Floyd, 1998. Raymond Floyd's lessons on how to get the ball into the cup with the fewest strokes.

See It & Sink It by Dr.Craig Farnsworth, 1997. An instructional book on how to improve your putting by teaching you how to see the line better and stroke the ball into the hole.

The Impact Zone by Bobby Clampett, 2007. This book is a unique guide to teach a golfer to understand how to improve his swing to achieve better impact of his club to his ball.

Think Like Tiger by John Andrisani, 2002. An analysis of Tiger Woods mental game based on John Andrisani's experience as Tiger's teacher from age 10 to 18 and his interaction with Tiger's family and acquaintances during those years.

Golf Course Architecture is its own particular kind of design. Here are some books on it written by some of the great masters of the art as well as one from the younger generation.

Golf By Design by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. 1993. Jones leads golfers from tee to green detailing how architects set up challenges and offer the player strategies to meet these challenges.

Golf, As It Was Meant to be Played by Michael Fay, 2000. Scottish born Donald Ross designed more that 400 courses in the U.S. and Canada. In this book Michael Fay takes the reader on a walk through 18 of Ross's masterly designed holes chosen from courses in the U.S.

Golf Never Failed Me by Donald J. Ross, 1996. The lost commentaries of Donald Ross on architecture, course maintenance and everything else. These commentaries were written before 1914, meant to be published then but for some reason were never published. They came to light after Ross's death in 1948.

Sandy Lyle Takes You Around the Championship Courses of Scotland by Sandy Lyle with Bob Ferrier, 1982. Sandy Lyle takes the reader along the fairways and greens outlining the challenges of six of the greatest courses in Scotland. Several photographs and a schematic are shown for each hole described.

The Anatomy of a Golf Course by Tom Doaks, 1992. Tom Doaks discusses his craft and and explains the strategies behind an architects decisions in laying out a course and how he plans for the course to be played.

The Mental Side of the Game. Golf being the game it is does sometimes make players go nuts. It's been said that this game reflects all the positive and negative aspects of life. It's no wonder that this has been written about so much. Here are several books that cover the mental side of the game.

Golf and the Spirit by M. Scott Peck, 1999. In this book M. Scott Peck writes a book for beginners and masters alike. It goes beyond mechanics to explore the deeper issues, ways of managing the emotional psychological and spiritual aspects of this wonderful, maddening, deflating and inspiring game.

The Golfer's Guide to the Meaning of Life by Gary Player, 2001. Gary Player's fifteen lessons from "Why Play Golf" through "Sportsmanship" and "Motivation" ending with "The Game Eternal".

Golf Dreams by John Updike, 1996. John Updike reflects on the game and its mental challenges.

Golf For Enlightenment by Deepak Chapra, 2003. This book is an engrossing story about Adam, who is playing a terrible round, when he meets a young teaching pro named Leda. In seven short but profound lessons she teaches Adam the essence of the game that explains much about life itself.

A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein, 1995. John Feinstein has written an account of a professional golfer's life on the PGA tour.

Links by Lorne Rubenstein, 1991. Links is about the essence and the mystique and intrigue of the game, and the magic that draws people from around the world to it.

Finally, golf humor. If you play regularly, you need to have a sense of humor about the game and particularly about your game. Here are some of the most humorous books on it ever written.

Divots, Shanks, Gimmes, Mulligans and Chili Dips by Glen Waggoner, 1993. The first half of this book is about Waggoner's life on the pro tour as a writer and observer. The second half covers the life of a hacker, club throwing and every thing else.

Golfmanship by Stephen Potter, 1968. Humorous lessons on gambits and ploys a player can use to win.

The Down Hill Lie by Carl Hiassen, 2008. Carl Hiassen's chronicle of his shaky return to the game after a 30 year absence and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem will leave you rolling in laughter. A book for all lovers of the game.

Golf a la Carte by Peter Dobereiner, 1991. A collection of some of the best works of Peter Dobereiner, dean of golf writers and surely one of the funniest men ever to stroke a pen and swing a club.

The Art of Coarse Golf by Michael Green, 1967. Humorous anecdotes about a hacker's experiences on the course.

And probably the prize of my collection of golf humor:

The Golf Omnibus by PG. Wodehouse, 1914. Thirty one humorous tales from the fairway to the putting green from club house to sand trap by the master of comic fiction.

I hope you ejoyed looking through my collection. It should keep you reading about the game for some time, and I hope provide some laughs along the way.

Don McCobb is a retired international oil executive and CPA currently promoting Online Money Making Opportunities. His blog, http://marketingourvisions.com, is full of interesting ideas on internet marketing and other stuff. His website is http://www.workingforourfuture.com.

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Golf brands introduction: TaylorMade

When it comes to the world golf brands, we can not to ignore the TaylorMade, but do you really know this brand too much?

In 1998, three of the biggest sports equipment brands merged: TaylorMade, Salomon and Adidas. Adidas produces sports shoes and sports clothing, and has sales that are over six billion dollars a year. It is best known for football. Salomon meanwhile is best known for its contribution to the world of snowboarding and skiing. And TaylorMade is of course, best known for golf clubs, now considered the No.1 most used driver in the world of men's professional golf.

 

Together, these companies gave birth to Taylor Made golf clubs, of which the r580 woods, the RAC series of irons, and Rossa Putters come to mind.

 

Early last year, players using TaylorMade drivers recorded a total of 18 victories on the 5 men's tours-statistics which have never been matched to-date by any other brand!

 

By mid-2004, golf luminaries Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Hale Irwin, Natalie Gulbis, Kenny Perry, Fred Couples and Se Ri Pak started showing up in competitions with their TaylorMades. TaylorMade also manufactures fairway woods, irons, wedges and putters.

 

PS: You can have a driver from TaylorMade, fairway woods from Callaway, irons from Mizuno, wedges from Cleveland and a Scotty Cameron putter-but this might affect your consistency in the game.

 

So, the question come here again, which brands do you want to choose? Nick? Callaway? Ping? Or any brands? Waiting for you comment for your favorite golf brands on our website.

 

 

Southwest, to find the best.

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Now in the Northeast/MidAtlantic region of the U.S., the weather has cooled and golf season is winding down, or is it?  Maybe you won't be able to play your local golf course (Top 10 Strangest Golf Courses) once the biting chill of November hits, but that is no reason to cease working on your game!  From now until about mid-December, the weather will still be reasonable enough in the southern MidAtlantic, and still close enough to take a long weekend to play a little golf.  After that, as the season wears on, the further south you must go.

If you don't have the opportunity to get away for a few days, find your nearby indoor golf range to hit a few balls (Winter Golfing Tips) and maybe work on your short game.  Or, check out where you can play a round of golf on an indoor golf simulator.

Most importantly, this is the time of year to work on body improvements that can help your golf swing.  As we get older, we tend to lose flexibility and strength if we do not keep up with our workouts. 

I believe that this time of year is the best time to really go to work on your body and your golf swing!  By combining strength training, stretching, and golf specific exercises along with a thorough understanding of what you want to do with your golf swing, you can make significant improvements in the off season.  Then, when Spring arrives, you will have full confidence in your swing, and you can focus on your short game, where you will be able to drastically reduce your scores! 

Go see your golf instructor now to set up your plan for Winter Golf Training!

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Golf is a magnificent game of concentration and skill, you need both to be working in harmony with each other in order to succeed and hit the ball exactly where you want it to go.  There are times though that even the most seasoned pro golfer can hit a poor shot and it can go wildly out of control into the rough, or worse.

Sometimes a miss-hit shot can cause damage to other people’s property such as a car parked in the club car park or the old favourite; a neighbouring greenhouse.  It’s no laughing matter though as many golfers can hit the ball high and long which gives the ball plenty of momentum to cause serious damage.

Another possibility is that you hit another golfer out on the course.  All golfers know the convention of waiting for the player/s on the hole in front of you to finish and vacate the green before you take your shot.  Unfortunately though with some courses doubling back on themselves and many holes packed into a small space you could hit or be hit by another golfer’s ball if you, or they, aren’t careful.

It used to be the case that you could warn others of a miss-hit shot by yelling the word “fore!” it isn’t a legal responsibility to warn other players but many players subscribe to the thought that it should be and so you will often hear players doing each other the common courtesy of yelling “fore” when hitting a poor shot.

If you are unlucky enough to strike a fellow golfer with your  ball there’s a good chance they will require medical attention and perhaps even a spell in hospital.  Medical bills will need paying by whoever was at fault.  In order to make sure that you are not left out of pocket as a result of this a specialist golf insurance policy may be the answer.

Golf Insurance may sound odd but you’d be surprised how expensive golfing could be without it.  Your clubs for instance can be costly to replace especially if you are an experienced golfer and have invested in some cases over £300 on a single club alone.

Golf Insurance can cover the medical costs that could happen as a result of a miss-hit golf ball, as well as any damage to homes and property if you’ve hit a bad shot.  There are many other instances where golf insurance can be useful as some policies cover golf buggies as well as cover for your golf clubs if they are stolen.

If you’re a golfer and you value your clubs and being able to be free of worries whilst you play golf then golf insurance is for you. You’ll be able to forget about any distracting thoughts and worries and concentrate on hitting the ball straight and true. Check out any 2 for 1 golf offers to save even more money too.

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