Mental Game Tip: U.S. Women’s Open Champ Doesn’t Think About Winning… and Wins!
24-year-old pro golfer Na Yeon Choi recently won the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open (at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin). It was particularly a big win for Choi, as it was also her 1st win at a major.
But what really interests me about Choi is her strategy… You see, she’s PURE mental golf. When she plays golf in a tournament, she implements one of mental golf’s best techniques: stop thinking!
What she does is this:
1. Focus on each shot for 7 seconds (at most).
2. Hit the ball.
3. Not think about playing the game until the next shot.
That’s it! In between shots she distracts herself. How? By making small talk with her caddie.
You see, Choi’s strategy is not to let ANY foreign thoughts interfere with her already pristine golf game. She’s practiced and practiced and practiced. She knows how to play her best. But how can she do it every time? By not thinking about it.
So she interrupts her negative thoughts from getting in the way by distracting herself. And then when she does need to focus the shot at hand, she tunes in with just enough time to let her body play for her (without giving enough time for anything else to creep into her mind).
That secured her win.
Now, Choi is not the only one who does this. Many pros use this mental golf tip of playing automatic golf. And when they apply it on the course, they see results… You see, every golfer (even non-pros) has played good golf at one point.
So what’s stopping many golfers from playing their best consistently? They’re not working on the mental side of golf! They work on swing mechanics. But they’re not considering how to overcome the greatest obstacle out there. They’re ignoring what Arnold Palmer frequently quotes (from his golf professional father who said): “90 percent of golf is played from the shoulders up.”
Are you working on your mental game? Start right now!