You can spend hours and hours working away on the range, but what matters is how you play when you are on the course. We all know this and bemoan this undeniable fact of the world of golf. Any keen golfer knows the difference between range play and golf play.

The keener you are the more you practice and the more you play. I played golf yesterday with a couple of ladies who passed comments which I am sure you too have heard.

One lady hits an awesome ball; it is immensely long and straight with what I would call a medium trajectory. It's a wonderful and inspiring sight to see...when she connects correctly with it, that is! When she doesn't hit it "just so" we spend a long time carrying out search and rescue missions in the undergrowth! Long distance shots are great when they stay on course but when they go astray they are a lot harder to find.

So yesterday she was hitting that ball straighter far more frequently than usual, which needless to say was commented upon by our trio. Her reply was that she knew it too and she knew why it was so. Our head pro, Mark, had given her a tip. When you are taking your shot stop thinking so much; just pick your target and hit the ball. This tip, simple as it is, is probably the most important factor in hitting a successful golf shot.

Why is this the case? The answer is easy. When you are thinking about your grip, stance, ball position and so on you are taking your mind away from the ball and the target which are actually the two things which matter most. If you do not aim correctly the ball has absolutely no chance of going where you want it to go. If you were playing tennis and your mind was on your racket position and grip how would you manage to hit the ball inside the court? In baseball if you were busy thinking about how you were holding the bat, would you expect to see and hit the ball?

Another lady golfer had undergone an extensive course of weekly lessons for over a year in duration to rework her swing but eventually gave up as all she could think about was her body movement and just could not feel comfortable when standing over the ball. I have been there too. It is not a good place to be. You look at the ball and you just don't know what to do; nothing feels right. And the subsequent ball flight confirms and reinforces your feelings. Your golf confidence is zero at that point.

If your feel comfortable, the ball tends to fly well, in the main because you have stopped thinking about unnecessary factors and have focused instead upon your aim. Your mind works upon end results. If you can see in your mind the end result you want to achieve it will instinctively direct your body to do its best to achieve that mission. And so to stop thinking and start visualizing is a vital part of unleashing your own golfing tigress.

As you visualize a perfect shot you create a good feeling which in turn builds your confidence and this is what is vital to playing good golf. It is a totally different pre-shot routine than the "question, question, question, worry, worry, worry, what if?" mental routine which many golfers are all too familiar with. One builds golf confidence whilst the other demolishes it.

The real golfing tigress will relax, visualize, aim and swing. When you are on the course, it's as simple as that!

Roseanna Leaton, avid golfer and specialist in golf hypnosis mp3s and author of the GolferWithin golf mind training system.

P.S. Discover how to strengthen your golf mind, stop over-thinking and win more of your golfing tournaments. Check out my website now.

Author's Bio: 

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