I just seem to keep coming across different versions of what I suspect are a series of articles about hypnosis as a secret weapon for golf and I disagree most strongly with that - now that's a surprise coming from me, the Golf Hypnotist!

Well, I fully agree with the idea of golf hypnosis as a secret weapon for better golf and I support many of the author's opening arguments. If he'd put his name in the article, I'd even go so far as thanking him here.

Anyway, here's some of what he says that I agree with

"Using hypnosis for golf can be your secret weapon on the course. Hypnosis directs your mental focus and harnesses the power of your other-than-conscious. Crystal-clear concentration under pressure is the secret of success of all the great pros….

The remarkable thing is that even though most golfers acknowledge that the game of golf is mainly a mental game almost no one does anything to improve their mental focus."

He even goes on to say some nice things about Milton Erickson - the father of modern hypnosis and the model for much of NLP as well.

So what am I uncomfortable with then? Well, it's the later suggestion that hypnosis can be used and the implication that it should be used in a negative way to somehow spoil your opponent's game. Quoting another of the articles:

"It's great to use hypnosis to improve your own game, but some people take it farther and, let's say, 'help' the rest of the foursome by using hypnosis against them.

When someone uses hypnosis this way, an opponent who's a superior golfer may find themselves somehow shanking the ball, having their drives slice into the rough, making poor club choices, deciding to try to drive the green when they shouldn't, or making any number of other such mistakes."

The article goes on to suggest

"It's up to you to decide the right and wrong of this, but a certain type of hypnosis does give someone the tools to influence their opponent's state of mind in addition to their decisions. Some say 'All's fair in love and war'. Maybe that's true in golf as well."

For me this suggestion goes totally contrary to the spirit of golf and no different than suggesting that you actively seek to use hypnosis to distract or disturb your opponent's play. Apart from any moral consideration, that sort of behaviour is outlawed by Section 1 of the Rules of Golf.

Author's Bio: 

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

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