So where does that good swing go when this happens and do we literally forget how we were swinging? Well, one thing’s for certain, we don’t lose the memory of the shot. Although you may not consciously remember them all, every shot you ever played and the muscle sequences used for those shots remain in your unconscious memory for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, so does every swing thought you’ve ever had, every golf tip you’ve ever read and every piece of golf instruction you’ve ever received.

So how do we get the good swing back? Well all you have to do is to access the memory of your good swing by recalling the precise set of triggers that fire off that remembered action. Your golf swing is no different from all the other unconscious processes you’ve learned like shaking hands, driving a car, riding a bicycle or simply reaching down and taking the ball out of the cup when you hole a putt.

These things just happen automatically when you encounter the appropriate set of triggers. If someone approaches you and starts to extend their hand towards you, you automatically start your unconscious handshake programme – a very complex series of muscle movements – without even thinking about it. And you always do it right and you don’t need to practice it and think of the mechanics, now do you. It doesn’t matter how tall the person is, how big their hand is or how far away they are, you unconsciously adjust to those things and many more. Sounds like a typical golf shot, doesn’t it?

So how do I find my swing again? Well, ideally the first thing is to stop thinking consciously about changing your swing – it was working fine earlier. And the best way of stopping thinking consciously about something is to focus consciously on something else – that’s what golf hypnosis and self-hypnosis are all about.

The best thing to focus on is the shot I am about to play. Firstly, decide on the type of shot you want to play and select the appropriate club. Now think back to a time when you played a shot like this really well or imagine what it would have been like if you had. Imagine that shot as vividly as you can, remembering every detail. What were you seeing at the time – see yourself hitting the ball, watching the shot fly and land perfectly? What were you listening to – perhaps the words of your playing partners. What were you feeling at the time? Were you noticing any particular fragrances – perhaps the smell of the fresh cut grass?

Now brighten up that image, boost the colours, jazz up the sounds and liven up the feelings. In a matter of moments, you will be reliving the time when you played a similar shot really well while your unconscious mind remembers how to do it again now.

The golf demonstration starts 40 seconds into the action, but the rest is worth watching too.

This clip just amused me so much that I just had to include it in my blog.