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| The Belly Putter Trend - Photo via PGA.com |
It's a form of mind control that seems counterintuitive at first glance because it relies on ... well... a kind of reverse psychology that you impose on yourself.
P.I. can be applied effectively in myriad situations where negative thoughts or persistent fears repeatedly surface... and result in lack of confidence and poor performance. Does that sound like golf to you? It does to me and, I sususpect, to many golfers... both amateur and professional... particularly where it really counts: on the putting green.
Negative thoughts, lack of confidence... both seem to play a part in the current belly putter boom on the PGA and European Tours.
When Adam Scott began transitioning to a belly putter it was about building confidence at a time when his his career seemed stymied by self-fulfilling putting insecurities. Sergio Garcia, famous for periodic putting struggles, once called his Monza Spider a "safety net"and carried it in his bag along with his more conventional Rossa Monaco.
If the aforementioned golfers had used paradoxical intent, they may have been able to conquer their performance anxieties without reaching for the "long stick".
In a recent article on IrishTimes.com, psychologist and author, Padraig O'Morain described P.I. as a technique where you "pretend to want the thing you fear":
"So if you have a fear of blushing you actually tell yourself before going to a party that you have every intention of blushing, so much so that you are actually going to light up the room on your own. When you do this, the fear is no longer crippling. It seems to me that this technique is based on not suppressing thoughts but allowing them and, instead, having a laugh at them."Mr. O'Morain talks about the how technique might be applied to problematic behaviors in that can arise in various areas of our lives, including sex, substance abuse... and golf.
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| "I'm not going to miss!" Photo: Golf Girl Media |
I've always found it strange that my putting... and my game in general... almost always seems to be substantially better when I'm sure it's going to be really bad. When I feel like I haven't been practicing enough, when I'm playing at a difficult course or simply when I'm feeling a little off... I almost always play well.
In retrospect that's not so strange because, in fact, I'm using paradoxical Intent. Having resigned myself to playing badly, I'm not obsessing about it... an early mistake doesn't devastate me, an OK shot thrills me and I'm just having fun with it. In a totally counterintuitive way my "cavalier attitude" quickly leads to increased confidence. That's the power of Paradoxical Intent and i's definitely something to think about... or not.
Denying your Desires Makes Them Stronger
I had an instructor who had me intentionally putt poorly a few times before I set out to actually hole the putt. I was skeptical at first and didn't want to hear about it at all. Then I tried it a couple of times when I was desperate and it really worked. I think it's just another way of relaxing the mind which in the end is what you need to do
ReplyDeleteI've got to try this... on a few of my vices. Including golf. ;)
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ReplyDeleteunless you practice, putting will always yield an elusive and erratic result from weekend to weekend
another factor is practice putting greens are typically different than the actual greens on the course
hogan saw putting as the great equalizer as a missed short putt could negate a series of well played shots up to that point
and conversely a lucky long putt holed can make a duffer save a hole
it certainly launched karsten solheims career in founding ping and no doubt will continue to invite technological updates
of course the original "Schenectady," named by inventor Arthur F. Knight after his hometown in upstate New York, and used by walter travis, is among the most sought after lost putters in the golf world today
frankD
ftliquordale soFLA 33316
I've tried positive thoughts and paradoxical intent neither made a remarkable difference for me. I just hate practicing putting, that's my problem. I'll have to look into "Schenectady" putter. :\
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