Body language

Golf at the highest level has for many years now embraced the use of mental skills as playing a pivotal role in improving performance.

Padraig Harrington, who in the last few years has been working with well known golf psychologist Dr Bob Rotella, has shown his mental toughness with a string of victories including three Major championships.

There is no doubt that golfers at any level will maximise their potential with the correct use of mental skills. So with this thought in mind I am going to show you a few very practical hints to help you maximise yours!

This week we will look at how your physiology can affect the way you think, in particular body language. Think about some of the great golfing champions over the years, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and of course Tiger Woods - don't they all hold themselves in a certain way? If you have ever had the opportunity to watch any of the greats in the flesh, didn't they carry an aura of control and assurance? Think about any other things you notice when observing your favourite golfer move around the course.

Now try to watch a movie of yourself. How do you hold yourself as you walk to the tee? How do you look as you walk between shots, especially if it was a bad shot? Compare the way you look with that of the champion. For many, I would imagine it would paint quite a different picture! Some of the things I have observed in myself and others are:

Awkwardly approaching a tee shot, fiddling in your pocket for tees and generally looking unprepared;

Tentatively slumping over a 4-foot putt;

Storming down the fairway with your eyes firmly fixed at the floor;

And the list goes on ...

Next time you play try to carry yourself like a champion; walk confidently to the tee, have an air of calmness and readiness before you approach the ball, stride down the fairway with purpose, but most importantly keep your head up.

Research has shown that when you look down it is conducive to thinking internally - you are more likely to dwell on emotions such as anxiety and anger. By keeping your head up you will be thinking more externally, a state which is not conducive to thinking about emotions, helping to keep all those negative thoughts at bay.

Our body language directly affects the way we think. If we carry ourselves like golfing greats, we will begin to think like them! This will surely improve our chances of hitting the better shots more often.