So let’s have a look at an example. Quickly read the next sentence and see what you think it says.

Now raed tihs snectene aagin slwoly to see waht it auctlay syas hree in balck and wihte. I ssucept taht it may be vrey dfreneift.

If that one’s a bit too easy for you, have a go at this next one. It’s one of my favourite quotes from my golfing idol.

“I neevr hit a soht, not eevn in paccirte, whiotut hainvg a sahrp, in-fcous pcirtue of it in my haed. First I see the blal wehre I wnat it to fiinsh, ncie and wihte and siinttg up hgih on the birght geern garss. Tehn the secne qcikluy caeghns and I see the blal ginog tehre – it’s ptah, tacejorrty and sahpe, eevn its baehiouvr on ladinng. Tehn tehre is a srot of fdae-out and the nxet snece shwos me maikng the knid of sinwg taht will trun the peioruvs pctruies itno raeilty.”
Jcak Naciklus

So what’s happening here and what’s does all this have to do with golf? Well, firstly it suggests that you don’t need to have the spelling absolutely correct for our message to be understood. However, we do have to have the right letters in each word and the first and last letters of each word have to be correct. Secondly, it says that we are unconsciously very good at making a well informed guess about what we are seeing. So why shouldn’t the same skill apply to reading a shot or putt on the golf course?

Well, of course it does. When you throw a ball to someone, you look at your target and, without you thinking consciously about any precise measurements, your mind makes the necessary assessment of what you’re asking your body to do and simply does it. If on the other hand, you were executing a similar “throw” with a cannon, you’d be wanting to know the exact distance, the wind strength and direction, the temperature and all the other factors you’d need to assess the trajectory, direction and amount of gunpowder you’d need to send the cannon ball to the target. It can be the same when you hit a putt, if you trust your unconscious mind to do all the necessary calculations for you without you consciously analysing things too much.

But what about a full shot, don’t you have to calculate the distance precisely before you hit the shot? Well yes you do, especially if the distance can be deceptive, for example with a blind shot. Knowing the distance also helps with choosing the best club to use. However, note that I said the best club. The better golfers can hit the same distance with a wide range of clubs. I remember playing years ago with a group of people who would always look in my bag to see what club I had just hit. I remember totally confusing them one day by hitting every shot I could, from 100 to 220 yards distance, with my 2-Iron. That sure confused them! I also remember that the scores in club competitions where you’re only allowed to take 3 clubs and a putter always seem to be just as good, if not better, than when people have the full 14 clubs.

So remember that you have an amazing computing resource in your head that bases it’s assessment of what you see, feel and hear not on precise measurements., so trust your unconscious for better golf.

Just in case you found the scrambled quotation difficult to read, here’s what Jack had to say about visualisation.

“I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. First I see the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting up high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes and I see the ball going there – it’s path, trajectory and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there is a sort of fade-out and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”
Jack Nicklaus

Well today is different, as the man who can give such an effective putting tip that it helps Phil Mickelson to win the Tour Championship just has to be seen and heard. So here’s a brief video of Dave Stockton describing his approach to putting.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t worry, as I’ll be back on track with Golf Psychology and Golf Hypnosis in my next article.

If you need some golf mind help while I’m away then remember there’s lots of interesting material here on the website and in the golf articles section under the resources tab. You will also benefit from listening to my "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis programme that’s available free when you subscribe to my Golf Hypnotist Ezine.

Finally, if all else fails, just watch and listen to this soothing and relaxing video, full of positive suggestions for your golf, from one of my mental game colleagues in the US. And yes, I know that it flashes up their website address half-way through – I’m not afraid of competition, am I now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Apologies if you are among the 3 million people who’ve already viewed this on YouTube.

As I’m writing this as the US Open at Bethpage gets under way – or at least under water at the moment – I decided to avoid commenting on the swing changes being undertaken by any of the competitors and to focus on a superstar from another sport who’s golf swing change has been in the spotlight lately.

Now for my readers from the US, you’ve probably already guessed that I’m talking about Charles Barkley and you know all about how he’s been changing his golf swing under the watchful guidance of Hank Haney.

For my readers outside the US, Charles Barkley is a very famous retired professional basketball player. Rather than describe him and explain his need for a swing change, I suggest you have a look at the first video below – the "before" swing. You’re more likely to have heard of Hank Haney, currently golf swing coach to none other than Tiger Woods.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m sure you’ll agree that’s quite something and after watching this next clip, I’m beginning to worry that he’s having an influence on Tiger as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now, I’ve heard it said that Charles Barkley’s swing changes are beginning to have a big effect on his golf. You can judge it for yourself by looking at this more recent video clip. His practice swing looks a lot better, don’t you think. Stop it there, if you’re of a nervous disposition. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s more important, in the context of his much reported and lengthy annual swing changes, is that it seems that Padraig’s unconscious golf mind simply knew instinctively how to do it. Sure it took a few tries to get the hang of actually doing it, but he seemed to be learning the technique by trial and error. Not unlike Milton Erickson learning to walk, as described in my earlier article entitled Milton Erickson Learned to Walk as Tiger Woods Learns to play Better Golf.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m really looking forward to watching Padraig getting back into his natural and instinctive unconscious golf swing at Bethpage Black this weekend in the US Open. With the narrow fairways and thick rough, let’s hope Padraig’s forgotten all about playing like Happy Gilmore!

Every week, Ellie posts a standard questionnaire based interview with a hypnotist somewhere in the world and last week, it was my turn to provide the answers for "10 Questions with Andrew Fogg." As her questions are quite direct, my answers go well beyond the information on the About the Golf Hypnotist page on my website and I felt it appropriate to share it with you here.

10 Questions with Andrew Fogg

1. Are you a full time hypnotist, a part-time hypnotist, a professional who incorporates hypnotism occasionally in your other practice, or are you a hobbyist?

I’m a full-time hypnotist focussing on building my golf psychology business. I just love applying hypnosis, NLP, EFT and other mind techniques to help my clients get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf.

In addition to the golf psychology, I practice with a wide range of clients as a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner.

2. Do you specialize in any type of hypnotism?

I generally use a mixture of hypnosis and NLP techniques to match the emerging needs of my clients. In many cases I teach my clients to use basic self-hypnosis between sessions, as I believe that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. To that end, I’m also licensed to teach Adam Eason’s two-day Secrets of Self Hypnosis seminar.

Although interactive hypnosis sessions are my preferred working method, I also recognise that great value can be achieved using golf hypnosis recordings. I am currently developing a number of these recordings to accompany my forthcoming book. “The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf” and the first golf hypnosis audio recordings, “Your Own Virtual Caddy” is available free when you sign up for my Golf Hypnotist Ezine.

3. Is there any form of hypnotism that you do not practice and why (i.e. entertainment, past-life regression, pain management)?

I’m not comfortable doing past life regression with clients as it’s an area I haven’t made up my mind about yet. If I’m not comfortable, then it wouldn’t be professional or congruent for me to do it with a client.

4. Do you use self-hypnosis regularly in your life? If so, how?

All the time! I believe trance is a powerful tool in my life and provides access to all my unconscious resources. I’m a firm believer that a good hypnotist leads the client into trance by going into trance first. I find that my unconscious mind comes up with the best and most appropriate techniques to help the client find the solution to their problems or desires.

I also use self-hypnosis as a tool to help me through many difficult situations and to get the best out of some of the better ones. I just count to seven and I’m there… thanks Adam.

5. Describe your hypnotism office or work setting.

As a golf hypnotist, I work wherever it’s most appropriate to the clients needs. This can include playing golf with the client, working with them during a practice round, on the putting green, on the driving range or in a quiet corner of a golf clubhouse. I also work from consulting rooms, at the client’s home or on the telephone.

6. Describe a typical day in your life.

Currently, I’m a one-man band, so I do everything from hypnosis, which I like, through writing blogs, newsletters, books and making recordings, which I sort of like, to running the business side which I like least. The good thing is that I like them all to some degree, the difficulty is striking the balance.

7. Where did you get your training in hypnotism and are you certified by any organization?

I first got interested in NLP as a means of becoming more consistent in the most important areas of my life: my family interactions, my golf performance and my work – in that order! I did my NLP Practitioner and Hypnotic Practitioner training with Richard Bandler and Paul McKenna. As I got more interested in helping other people with these wonderful tools, I completed my NLP Master Practitioner certification with the same team.

Even with all the NLP training, I didn’t feel that I had the full complement of skills to work with clients and found the solution in the Hypnotherapy Diploma Course run by Adam Eason, the world renowned hypnotherapist, trainer and best-selling author.

8. What is the most fabulous hypnotism technique you use or prefer?

Now this is a difficult one. I think that the hypnosis technique that works best for the client in front of me is the most fabulous technique of the moment and I don’t consciously know why I chose it.

If you really pushed me, I’d have to go for a combination of the “As If “ or “Pretend” Frame with a bit of timeline work. I get the client to vividly imagine what their desired future would be like, and then get them travel back down their timeline to the present time unconsciously remembering how they achieved their imagined future. I don’t want their conscious mind to remember, otherwise it’ll say, “I could never do that.” This has helped clients achieve unbelievable results.

9. What was the worse moment you ever experienced in a hypnotism setting that ended up being a valuable learning experience?

One of my Diploma Course case study clients wanted me to help him become a non-smoker and I spent hours preparing a lengthy hypnosis script that I proceeded to read to him. Half way through I realised that I had written the script on the assumption he had started smoking as a teenager when in fact he started in his mid 20’s to help him focus on his studies. I had to dump the script and trust my unconscious to get me through. It did, it worked and I haven’t used a script since.

10. Do you have any words of advice to potential clients or other hypnotists that you would like to share?

The most important thing for any client is to find a hypnotist you feel comfortable with and can trust. I’d also recommend avoiding hypnotists that use prepared scripts for their work or start out saying they know just what you need. These people are unlikely to have the flexibility to help you to get to the root of your issue quickly and easily.

I’m still learning so much about hypnosis that I’m hesitant to advise other hypnotists. However, the key thing would be to lead your client into hypnosis and let your unconscious guide you.

So you can imagine my amusement when I came across this short video on YouTube with JC Anderson demonstrating just what I was talking about.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With the Masters being in early April, it’s no surprise to find a couple of hoaxes relating to that tournament. I’ve found two, if you disregard the disqualification of Roberto De Vicenzo in the 1968 Masters. Not a hoax as such, but worthy of mention anyway.

The Masters 1968 – The hoax was on Roberto De Vicenzo

The 1967 British Open Champion, De Vicenzo was in top form coming into the Masters and leapt into a tie with Bob Goalby with a closing back nine 31. Although the officials knew his correct score, they wouldn’t let him amend his card when they spotted that his playing partner Tommy Aaron had accidentally marked him down for a par 4 on the 17^th rather than the birdie 3 everyone knew he had scored. Not only did they not allow him that one shot that would have sent him into a well-earned playoff, but they didn’t even accept the par 4 he signed for that would have put him in second place. They disqualified him. A true and unfair “hoax” result.

Golf Magazine 1990 – Public Access to Augusta National

Moving on with two more conventional and thankfully more amusing hoaxes involving the Masters, I’ll start with one from May 1990. That month in reporting the news from the Masters, Golf Magazine told its readers that it had good news for them. They explained that now anyone could play at hallowed Augusta National, the extremely elite private golf course where the Masters tournament is held.

The club was scheduling certain times when they’d allow public access. Not surprisingly, both Augusta National and Golf Magazine were inundated with calls from golfers eager to take divots out of the pristine fairways. The club was outraged and the magazine had to publish a full retraction.

Golfweek Insider 2008 – The hoax gambling debt

A blogger made up a hoax story about a certain leading golf professional losing 200,000 dollars gambling with members at Augusta National and then trying to get out of paying up. The blogger also attributed the story to Golfweek’s Insider Column and went on to suggest that the irate members who were owed money had dragged the player before the club chairman, who was said to have told him to pay up or get out of the tournament.

Now I need to stress that this was an April Fool’s day hoax and there is no truth in the story.

I’ll be back tomorrow on a self-hypnosis induced high with something more appropriate to this blog.