Welcome

Welcome to issue number four of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing.

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In this issue:

• The Hazardous Half Second

• Wellness Tip: Think Healthy

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

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The Hazardous Half Second

Imagine this…you’re standing on the tee box, posture perfect, practice swing impeccable, and you can practically hear the polite British applause before you have even taken your shot. 

Then you start your downswing. Suddenly, the voice in your head flips from supportive caddie to screaming banshee: “Keep your head down!” “Don’t hit the ground!” “Oops…did I even lock my car?” “Wait, is my left elbow bent? Straight? Bent?!” And before you know it…“thwack” and the ball heads off to a place even the green keepers have not seen for a long time. What just happened?

Welcome to the “Hazardous Half Second,” that fleeting moment between the start of your downswing and when the club face meets the ball. In that half second, your brain can conjure up enough worry, self-doubt, and grocery lists to fill a small book. The result? A carnival of miss-hits, curses, and apologies.

How Many Thoughts in Half a Second?

You might be thinking: “I can’t possibly think that many thoughts in half a second.” Actually, you can, and you do! According to some cognitive scientists, humans can experience a rapid-fire cascade of mini-thoughts and internal impulses in just a fraction of a second (Hu & Ericsson, 2012). While other research suggests we can shift our attention multiple times in under a second (Kanwisher, 2010). 

The problem is…in that frantic half-second our thoughts have the lifespan of a fruit fly…too short to be useful, but just long enough to wreak havoc. One moment, you are confident and fluid…the next, you’re mentally rewriting your will.

Why So Many Thoughts in Half a Second?

When you begin the downswing, there’s just enough of a pause for your internal dialogue to chime in with unhelpful suggestions. Your neurological system is always actively filling any free space in your mind. In fact, Caltech researchers suggest our sensory systems continuously take in data from our surrounding environment at a speed 100 million times faster than we can consciously process (Zheng J and Meister M., 2024). So, our neurological system is always on and impacting our downswing even while we consciously try to focus. 

(More on this topic in a future newsletter)

Pro Tip - What to Do About It?

Stay present and manage your internal dialogue by using a positive trigger word, repeating it like a yoga mantra during your downswing. This repetition acts like a mental bodyguard, scaring away any spurious thoughts trying to crash the party. So, if your brain starts planning your victory speech or fretting over the next hole, that single, positive thought will help keep the party crashers at bay.

Various researchers estimate that humans have between 50,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day, with a whopping 60 to 80 percent being negative. Yikes! So, practicing a positive dialogue in your downswing will increase your probability of executing every shot successfully or, at a minimum, negate the career limiting impact of the hazardous half second.

Just like your swing skills, your mental skills need regular practice, and not just any practice…perfect repetitive practice. So, the next time you are out on the course, take time to practice your downswing mantra or, better still, black out for the hazardous half second. 

(More on this skill in a future newsletter)

A Quick Note

Remember the Hazardous Half Second will always be there…lurking in your downswing like the clown in a horror movie, because half a second is all it takes for your mind to scold you about your posture, remind you of your ex’s birthday, and question your grip choice. But with regular mental practice, especially under pressure, you can learn to swing hazard-free.

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