It is important to be "in the now" in order to be fully aware of what we should be aware of whilst on the golf course. Perception involves all the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas. Once a person has perceived something they will make sense of that "reality" in their own way - they will make a judgment, come to their own conclusion about the "reality" of the situation. Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived. If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then it follows that they will differ in levels of motivation, acquisition of skills and in their reactions to situations.

There are many ways in which people differ. On a physical scale, we differ in height, shape, weight, fitness, flexibility, and so on. And our golf swing will differ from one individual to another because of these obvious physical differences. Golf is played from the platform of you, the person, and you are unique, and thus you will have your own unique swing. And yet so many golfers try to imitate someone else's swing which they perceive as perfect; and it probably is perfect...for that other person - it suits their individual characteristics, both physically and psychologically.

On the psychological side, some of us are more relaxed and easy going whilst others are more easily excitable. Some of us do things slowly and deliberately, whilst others do things at great speed. Some of us are very controlled, others not. Again, our golf will reflect such individual characteristics.

Awareness is the first step on the journey to mastery of anything in life. If you are aware of your individual methods of perception and the judgments that ensue, then you can change your reaction to situations, you can change your levels of motivation and also your ability to acquire skills. And golf is a game of reactions, motivation and skill.

If you are aware of reacting as "Mr. Angry", for example, you can do a little work on this and learn to respond in a different way. I can hear you saying "but this is how I am, I always get angry because I care" and so on. But the fact is you don't HAVE to get angry, you CAN learn to react in a different way, and you CAN take control, so long as you WANT to. And so, with a little effort on your part, and maybe a little help from a hypnotherapist or golf psychologist, you can change your reactions to all sorts of situations on the golf course. Wouldn't that be useful?

Not only can you change your reactions, you can raise your levels of motivation, overcome negative thoughts and feelings and take a more direct route along the road to mastery. Once you are aware of your own unique characteristics, you know what skills come naturally to you and what skills require a little attention, and as you attend to these mental skills you will find that you can acquire them in a relatively short space of time. Let's face it; if you are good at your long game but not so good at chipping, you know that if you work on the chipping it will get better. Taking the same approach to your mental skills will work just as effectively. They simply require a little attention on your part.

One particular aspect of personality, however, will always remain pretty constant and unchanged, and to fight this aspect would be a complete waste of time and effort. There is an individual tempo of the personality. There is a natural tempo with which we all perform any deliberately willed action. And if there is one thing which is vital in golf is to have a good rhythm, a good tempo.

This does NOT mean that you have to have the same tempo as Tiger, or Ernie or Phil. Your best rhythm, your best tempo, is your OWN natural, instinctive tempo or rhythm. You don’t have to slow your golf swing down or speed it up; simply become AWARE of your natural tendencies and swing the club accordingly.

Ask yourself these two simple questions and you will easily work out your own best golfing tempo: Do you speak quickly or slowly? Do you walk quickly or slowly? Next time you swing your golf club, become aware of what tempo feels best to you. As Gary Player says "There is a definite "feeling" and this feeling is to be developed and looked for". Instead of trying to swing at the speed you think you should, allow yourself to become aware of the feel of your golf swing and discover for yourself what feels best, and you will find that your own most comfortable swing speed, your most comfortable rhythm and tempo, will in fact simply reflect your personality type. By swinging your golf club with the rhythm and tempo of your own personality you will produce your best results on the golf course.

You will never become a master of someone else's golf game, but you can become a master of your own game. To quote Pia Nilsson, "Trust your swing; it is your signature".

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view the golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

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The most important thing that a golfer should acquire is a proper golf swing that is near perfect. It should be the endless effort of both veterans of the game and the novice to get a better swing at the next eighteen holes. The number of books on golf and the instructional videos available could confuse a beginner and no matter how many times or how many books you read or the DVDs you watch, they will be of no avail if the basics of the game, that remain the same for every golfer, is not properly understood and assimilated thoroughly.

The Set-Up

One of the things that makes a golf swing go off tangent is not the swing in itself but the set-up of the golfer. When we say set-up, we could refer to the golfer’s club, his accessories and clothes etc. It is the opinion of some golfers that a good set-up can offset a bad swing, which, of course, is patently incorrect. It does not matter if you have designer clubs, accessories and swank clothes or just off-the-rack clubs. It is the proper golf swing that is ultimately going to win you the game.

Spending too much time on set-up than on a game is a common mistake beginners tend to commit. Some golfers think that if they know all the technical names and terms of the game, they can just go about hitting the ball however they want. It may work for a film star in a film but it will not work for the average golfer and his bad swing.

But it is essential for you to keep in mind that when we talk about set-up we should mean the game and not the clubs, the accessories and the clothes of the golfer. It should pertain to the set-up of the golfer’s position, stance, balance etc. prior to the proper golf swing.

Bad Posture Can Destroy The Proper Golf Swing

If you are the kind of golfer that is not paying attention to the posture you adopt during a swing, then you should seriously think of chucking the game and taking up another. Golf is just not the game for you. You should know a good posture from a bad one and avoid the bad one. The key factor of a proper golf swing is the proper alignment of your head and your neck. This is the factor that is going to dictate the development of the force that will drive the ball and its flight. If you hunch over the ball, you will either hit it to the side or it will far short of the green than it should. It does not matter how hard you hit it.

Next comes balance. Not that it is in anyway inferior to posture. A good balance is required to deliver the required thrust to your swing. If you are unbalanced, you cannot hit the ball with the force that it should be struck with. If you have not perfected your stance, you will feel uneasy during play and the uneasiness will be obvious in your shot. Keep your footing on solid ground and keep it firm but not tensed up and heavy. Proper balance and posture can be cultivated by constant practice. It should become so ingrained into yourself that you should be taking up the correct position the moment you step up to tee off.

Chicken Wings

When we say chicken wings we do not mean the kind that we eat and relish. This variety can best be left at home or reserved for a victory dinner. It is the act of letting your arm and your wrist go limp when putting a ball that is known as a chicken wing. It is a bad habit and should be overcome by strict discipline and practice. If this limp action is allowed then your arm will fly up and all the power developed will get dissipated.

Golfers who do not pay the necessary attention to their swing tend to commit this so called chicken wings. Chopping or slicing will be the result of losing power and executing a chicken wing.

Learn the good aspects of the game and practice them to perfection. Learn the bad things about golf and strive to avoid them.

The author Ian Bell says that improving on your game of golf need not be difficult or frustrating. And if you are serious of moving your game up a notch, then you can read many more articles on how you can improve your golf swing too with hints, tips & videos on developing a proper golf swing. Sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive a free golfing ebook and 7-day E-course, visit: www.GolfSwingBlogger.com

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If I were to ask you what you do between shots during a round of golf, you'd probably think I was missing the point. After all, golf psychology and teaching should be all about helping you to hit better shots and putts during a round of golf or in practice, shouldn't it? This applies whether you're working with a teaching pro helping you with your golf swing or with a golf psychologist helping to improve your mental approach to golf.

So what do you actually do in the time between assessing and hitting your shots and putts? It really should take a lot less than a minute on average to size up a shot, decide on how to play it, set up to the ball and hit it. I seem to recall from somewhere that the US PGA allows 45 seconds for all this per shot and very few people take that long over a short putt. So all that should add up to a maximum of 54 minutes actually playing golf to go round in 72 strokes and 72 minutes to go round in 90 strokes. If you take just 4 hours to play a round then you're not actually playing for approximately 3 hours in every 18 holes.

What many people do in this spare 3 hours in every round is to get down on themselves mentally. Just watch how many golfers trudge between shots with their heads down and seemingly just staring at the ground a few feet ahead. Many of them are talking to themselves and often what they're saying is not usually fit for publication. Thankfully, they normally keep the voice inside their heads, but I'm sure you've played the odd round with a playing partner who berates himself loudly during the course of a round - I know I've done that in the, hopefully distant, past and I'm not proud of it.

So what's wrong with keeping your head down between shots? Well just watch how people typically stand when life is on the up. Yes, they stand erect with their head held high. And when they are feeling down, their heads tend to be down. Psychological research also demonstrates that this works the other way too, so if you walk between shots with your head down and your shoulders a bit slumped, you'll automatically feel down. In the same way, you will feel like things are looking up if you're walking erect with your head raised high.

Have you ever noticed how depressed people seem to be in many nursing homes and how many of them walk around in a bent over posture? Well I met a husband and wife recently, both doctors, who are incorporating NLP concepts into posture management. They've found that they can improve the posture and, more importantly, increase the level of happiness and optimism of patients in nursing homes by simply replacing the lounge chairs with ones that encourage a more upright sitting posture and hanging televisions from the ceilings rather than sitting them on the floor. Those simple changes lead to wholesale improvements in people's posture, health and happiness.

Next time you play golf; try walking between shots with your back straight and your head held high. You could even use golf hypnosis to help you to remember not to forget to do it when you play. However you're actually feeling when you start and regardless of any bad shots you hit, I suspect you'll be amazed at how much better and more positive you'll feel as the game progresses. It may even have an impact on your enjoyment of this wonderful game of golf and, who knows, you may even score better.

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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Golf, undoubtedly, is a favourite sport; a reason why it is broadcast on TV. Your game may not be up to the level of Tiger Wood’s, but to become good at it, there are just three helpful golf swing tips to attain the proper golf swing.

The first one is that you should have a good shoulder turn to hit the ball dead centre and get it as close to the hole as possible. Easier said than done. Most people labor under the misconception that by lifting the heel high off the ground, they can do what is to be done in golf.

It boils down to this – turning of the hip is good as long as it does not create any recoil. The lesson to be learnt is not to turn much creating recoil – but not by how far the person turns when taking the shot.

The second lesson is not to let your chin rest on your chest. This will make it hard for the left arm to swing back when executing the backswing. You have to keep the chin up to allow the arm – the left one – to move across the chest unhindered. This will result in the formation of a wide arc that is required to strike the ball and send it off in the right direction.

The third lesson is to relax. If you are tensed up, you cannot think properly. If you do not think properly you will forget the two tips given previously resulting in a disruption of your rhythm. Consequently you will not strike the ball in the correct way.

To relax is a bit difficult when you are playing a real game of golf and want to win, but that is what separates the chaff from the grain – the boys from the men. Block everyone around you out of your mind, concentrate and imagine that you are in your “happy place”.

This is exactly what Adam Sandler’s character did in the film “Happy Gilmore” and won the game despite the odds.

Of course, you might not be able to master all the three tips overnight but by constant and regular practice you will soon get the essence of the advice. Jut keep in mind that professional golfers do not always win and that they also commit mistakes.

This thought should give you a good chance to win a competition, but you have nothing to lose because you are at a disadvantage and not expected to win. But the situation changes when you perform well throughout the tournament and everyone expects you to perform even better than you did.

When everything else fails, try to recall the third tip and relax. The difference between a win and a lose is nothing but attitude and relaxation is a kind of attitude. Continue your practice till you get the proper golf swing. Practice at home, in a range or out on a golf course.

The three tips given above are nothing but technique and attitude. The game starts from the moment you tee off. That is why your swing counts. If you get it right at the start, then the final putt, just a few yards from the hole will be relatively easier.

If you are really lucky, you might even do a “hole in one”, a rare occurrence and something that happens only once in a blue moon. But if you do, you have to move to the next hole, which might be more challenging than the one you just completed.

When you are out there on the course, success can be assured only if you follow the three tips outlined above.

The author Ian Bell says that improving on your game of golf need not be difficult or frustrating. And if you are serious of moving your game up a notch, then you can read many more articles on how you can improve your golf swing too with hints, tips & videos on developing a proper golf swing. Sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive a free golfing ebook and 7-day E-course, visit: www.GolfSwingBlogger.com

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A golf swing slice can be very frustrating for the passionate golfer. To improve your game and lower your scores it is very critical and important to know how to correct a slice and fix it as fast as possible. If you really want to better your game and fix your slice then read on and use these 3 tips and techniques.

The first tip I would like to show you is the easiest one. Simply film yourself or ask a friend of yours to film you. Do your swing and after your training session have a look at the movie and analyse your moves. This is very helpful and you can see what went wrong with your golf slice. Like I said, it is simple and funny too.

Let us go on with the next tip. You need a good stance to stop slicing. Your shoulders have to be up and aligned to the ball or target. The right foot has to be pointed straight ahead and your left foot slightly to the left. Such a stance can make big difference to your game. A proper golf stance can lower your scores and your golf swing slice will be fixed quite fast.

The third tip I would like to give to you is a proper golf backswing and downswing. A proper backswing has to be a smooth move and starts with your arms and then the shoulders. Keep your eyes on the ball. Downswing is followed with the hips and arms. Again keep your eyes on the ball and do a proper golf swing.

If have listed some 4 bonus basic tips which you can use to lower your scores.

1. Doing some sports outside your golf game. As I mentioned above fitness is important to get a good stand while swinging. I would suggest to go cycling or play tennis. Just something you are interested in. Fun is a big point here. I like playing soccer.

2. You need your own clubs. Try a few clubs that fits to your needs. Are you tall, then you need longer ones. Do not expect good results when you use your friends clubs! So, get a own set of clubs.

3. When you buy clubs you have to consider the shafts and the materials. This depends on your needs like height, weight and swing speed. There are quite a few more factors you have to take care of.

4. At least but not last, your mental fitness has to be good. Concentration during a game is crucial if you want to beat your competitor. There are some good guides that may help you. Some of my friends are doing yoga, but that is not for me.

You see the right training can stop your golf swing slice. Regular training systems can do wonders.

Next, you want to go on and see what kind of training guides and methods are available to correct a slice.

Mark Langer has helped a lot of people to improve their golf swing and showed them how to swing a golf club. Marks Free Online Course and his recommended Golf Swing Guides are jam packed with golf swing tips and techniques. Take advantage from a Golf enthusiast here http://www.golf-swing-guide-reviews.com

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