Hypnosis is often thought of as useful for smoking cessation, weight loss, and fears like public speaking and flying. But did you know that hypnosis can be very useful in sports performance? Golfers, regardless of handicap, have used hypnosis on a regular basis to improve their game.

Although few will admit it publicly, many of the top names in golf have employed their subconscious minds to "make the difference that makes the difference" in their game.

What can hypnosis do for your success?

- Motivate you

Hypnosis can give you that extra boost to keep going, improving your thoughts, enhancing your expectations, and continuing to watch, listen, apply.

- Help adjust your attitude

Hypnosis can help you move from habitually thinking thoughts like "I know I won't make this shot" to creating a habit of expecting and achieving continual, incremental improvements.

- Establish a winning mindset

Similar to attitude, mindset is about how you "show up" at a lesson, when practicing your swing, or when playing a round of golf with friends. The difference between attitude and mindset is this: mindset strongly influences what you will do with the feelings and situations that present themselves to you.

For example, do you arrive on the course with the thought "Let's see how I miss this shot?" or "I didn't get enough sleep so I'll be off today." Do you feed yourself negative thoughts about a slice or a hook?

What if instead you chose useful mindsets like "Let's see how I've improved from last time" or "Here's my chance to experiment with my swing"?

- Improve your swing

Most golfers give a great deal of attention to their swing because of its impact on their game, and rightly so. But it's not just mechanics but also attitude that improves swing.

Ask yourself: Is there a great difference in my attitude between practicing and actually playing? Is that difference helpful or harmful to my game?

Your answers will influence the construction of a winning hypnosis session specifically for you.

- Enhance your mental rehearsal

When they say that golf is a mental game, they aren't kidding. So mental rehearsal is a natural in this sport and another way to use your mind to improve your performance, both mental and physical.

In mental rehearsal you learn to pre-play the game as you want it to go, in detail,
until it feels real. When performed through hypnosis, improvement can be more rapid, powerful, and sustainable because the subconscious mind is involved.

That part of your mind can be instructed to see, feel, hear, and emotionally recall a great shot and fully own it. Then you can replay it or even further improve it.

- Get an unfair advantage

Some golfers claim professionals (and perhaps amateurs too) shouldn't be permitted to enhance their game with hypnosis. This leads to the question: Is hypnosis-enabled success in golf really an unfair advantage?

Well, is it unfair to get help from a golf pro whose services others can't afford, don't have time for, or don't choose to use?

What about the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment that not all golfers own?

Or having the time to practice (enabled by sponsorship, a lighter workload or economic privilege)?

Does someone who started golfing at a young age have an unfair advantage? (What if your parents put a club in your hand when you were 18 months old?)

Or simply having a natural gift?

- An advantage but not unfair

While some advantages seem to come with a particular upbringing or physical build, many can be created by anyone who has the desire.

What advantages can you choose to give yourself starting today? More practice time? Lessons with a pro? A practice of reading about golf once a week? Watching videos? Or perhaps training your mind to be an extraordinary inner-golfer?

Hypnosis for golf is an outstanding way to boost confidence and skill, and lower your handicap. And if your chosen hypnotist enjoys teaching self hypnosis as much as I do, ask for some lessons in self hypnosis too.

Practice what you learn. You will have your own built-in advantage every time you play, if that's okay with you. ©2008 by Wendy Lapidus-Saltz. All rights reserved.