Before your game of golf.

In this weeks newsletter I will be looking at the time spent before your game. A few elements that are crucial before golf are basics in all sports. Make sure you are fully hydrated & that you have consumed a slow releasing carbohydrate food. Remember if you are thirsty it's already too late , so take in fluids before & during the round. In the modern world it's not always possible but try & consume food at least one hour before your tee time. Getting to the course well in advance of your game can help you establish a practice warm up but more importantly you can asses the conditions of the day. With certain weather conditions you can set out a game plan for your round, ie if it's into the wind on certain holes , already have in mind to take plenty of club. Focus on the positive aspects of your last game & remember the good shots.
Your body language & breathing are vital . Stand tall with the head upright & try not to let your eye level drop below the flag while walking. Breathing deeply allowing the stomach expand while inhaling (babies do this great) can help calm the nerves & give you a personal ease.
Remember it's only a game , it's not life or death or your job! You are going to hit bad shots so be mindful of that & accepting this can help your overall confidence.
Enjoy the process.

Darren
0860827800
darrenmcloughlinpgapro@hotmail.com

The Winning Formula

Congratulations to Padraig Harrington on winning the Honda Classic . Padraig has immense tenacity & a work ethic that is second to none , so , it came as know shock to me that he has won again on the PGA Tour.
So, what can we learn from his great win. As, he said himself he had the YIPS in 2012. Yes a major champion who had the YIPS. Does this sound familiar, well maybe it does. Bernhard Langer had the YIPS in his career too. The unmistakeable factor between these too players is there unrelenting work ethic, diligence & love for practice. Were they both the two most talented golfers, certainly not but they sure as hell have squeezed every  ounce out of their games.
In golf you are going to "Fail" more than you win. It's a harsh fact but one we all must face. The process or journey to achieving a goal or achievement is totally an individual thing. For you it might be breaking a certain gross score, for a beginner it might be making a Par & for a Tour player it can be a win or retaining their Tour status. You see as in all walks of life success for the individual has different levels & bearing within their lives.

With this in mind at the Darren Mc Loughlin Academy for the Month of March I am offering you a specialised individual program which covers all the areas of this great game. This program will be catered specifically for you. It's your program to suit your goals & aspirations.
To start you on the new season the initial offer is for 3 One hour lessons with video analysis, drills & individual assessments for only €100. This offer is limited so contact me ASAP .
In the next Newsletter I will be touching on the process of what to do before your game of golf.

Darren

Tel:0860827800
Email:darrenmcloughlinpgapro@hotmail.com

Practice with consequence

As, in many sports with all great athletes commitment & dedication become their routine. Practice for practice sake is a waste of your time. Your practice must have a consequence. It must be beneficial in ways where you receive feedback & where you can see developments & improvements.
In saying this you must make your practice harder than the real course situation. By doing this when faced with challenging situations you will not be fazed . Also, your confidence levels will increase.
Two examples of this are:
1: practice hitting shots out of divots , this can improve your control of the face at Impact but also plants a seed in the brain saying " if I can hit it out of a divot , off a good lie is easy"
2: worst ball practice, play 9 holes with two balls. When you hit the two balls off the tee, choose the worst shot & hit the two balls from there, then choose the worst ball from there & play the two balls again until you eventually hole out.Play this way on every shot. If you can achieve a reasonable score taking the worst scenario on each shot , you learn to accept that golf is not a game of perfect but a game in which the object is to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots.

Enjoy the process,

Darren.

The Document Part 2

Once you have finished THE NOW DOCUMENT, you will have a vital piece of information with regards to your future.  You have a clear and concise appraisal of where you are right now and you can begin to ask yourself this key question:

• If I continue with my current patterns and habits, will I get to my intended destination?

For most of you, the answer will scream at you from off the page.

No way!!!

The Document Part 1

THE DOCUMENT

What we need to do first of all though, is such a vital part of this process but is almost never included in the standard goal setting and achievement processes.

If we go back to the analogy of the sat nav and consider how the machinery actually works; the whole sat nav system is dependent on one piece of information.

Not the location, not the route, not the motorway, but the one thing we need to start the whole process, is a real clear and accurate PRESENT LOCATION.  We cannot even start the engine and move unless we know EXACTLY where we are now.  The sat nav just will not work unless it knows its CURRENT POSITION, then and only then, can it begin to calculate how to create a route to the required destination.

In just the same way for you to begin your journey, to where you want to go, you know you have to have an honest and clear look at where you are right now.

What you need to create is possibly the most important piece of writing that you have done in the past 10 years.

You need to create what we will call THE NOW DOCUMENT:

Write out in sensory, rich detail a complete description of you NOW: What is your golf game currently about? What are the good patterns? What are the patterns which are getting in the way? How are your relationships impacting your golf and your life? What do you like about yourself? What do you dislike? Who are the people that have had the biggest impact on you? Who do you admire? Who would you like to be more like? I want you to take a blank piece of paper and do this now.  Let the pen really flow, be honest and open and get down on paper the good and the bad.  Just let it all out. This exercise should take you quite a while, so really give yourself some quiet time to let all of your thoughts flow out of you.

THE NOW DOCUMENT

2014 Day 7 Blog AWAKENING - Motivational Video

AWAKENING - Motivational Video

2014 Day 5 Blog Mind Power Meditation(Kevin Solon)

With the New Year now fully underway, resolutions abound I've decided to focus on spending time meditating each day. The system I will be using I learned off

KEVIN SOLON

Dip CH, Dip LBC, MPNLP, TFT, MIICHP, MLBCAI

Kevin Solon worked in the business world for many years. He holds a Diploma in Psychotherapy, Counselling and Hypnotherapy and is a Master Practitioner in NLP and is qualified in TFT. He has a wealth of experience in all aspects of emotional issues as well as motivation, stress management and confidence building. In addition, Kevin has a Diploma in Life and Business Coaching and engages in personal, executive and corporate coaching. Kevin is currently Vice President of the Irish Institute of Cognitive and Humanistic Psychotherapy (IICHP).

      The method I am using is :

• deep breathing with the eyes closed until you are comfortably relaxed
• then focus on picturing a pleasant image , in full detail
• then imagine a sound, noise or music that makes you feel good
• feel something on your body eg. like feet walking through water on the beach
• visualize your perfect life ie. house, car, job, relationship
• for the next few minutes breath deeply & slowly from your stomach , just like a baby does

When you start this there is no time limit , just do what you are comfortable with.

Enjoy the process!

Darren Mc Loughlin 
PGA Professional 
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