Welcome

Welcome to issue number 49 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing. 

Enjoying the newsletter? Why not share the link with your golfing buddies, especially those who love deep diving into the psychological intricacies of the game…the ones who regularly explore their poor shots like they are mysteries of the universe. They might appreciate the insights and tips.

Why not subscribe to our Facebook and Instagram!

In this issue:

• Trying Too Hard

• Wellness Tip – Is Golf the Fountain of Youth

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

Not already a subscriber? Subscribe here.

Trying Too Hard

The universal rule of golf is that desperate players always try too hard…and we are all desperate golfers at some point. 

Trying too hard is a battle between your psychology…that inner voice in your head that pipes up with expert advice at the worst possible moment, and your neurology, which unconsciously and elegantly orchestrates your muscle fibres to fire in sequence and deliver the requisite power. Where psychology shouts directions from the sideline, neurology is playing and wishing the sideline would keep it down, so they can get on with their job…which, if left undisturbed, is often pretty brilliant on its own.

The main problem with trying too hard is that it tightens all your muscles as you attempt to generate more power…only to find the opposite happens. 

Too Tense…is a common feeling for golfers. In The Inner Game of Golf, Timothy Gallwey discusses how tightening of your muscles is probably the biggest cause of poor golf. He suggests that when a golfer senses something important is about to happen, they often respond by gripping the club hard, stiffening their arms and tightening their shoulders. Over tightness, according to Gallwey, is not really a physical problem, it’s a mental one. It shows up when your mind starts issuing urgent instructions mid-swing, shouting things like “Keep your head down!” and overwhelming your body with last-second micromanagement. The result is a swing that feels powerful, heroic, and completely incapable of producing a good outcome…leaving you wondering how something that felt so seriously good could turn out so wrong.

Power and Strength…are two slightly different forces. Strength is the maximum force your muscle can exert. While power combines strength with speed…Power = Force x Velocity. Unfortunately, many golfers intuitively believe that the harder they grip the club and swing, the further the ball will fly. In reality, maximal distance comes not from brute muscular tension, but from efficient neuromuscular coordination.

Muscle Activation…is produced by motor neurons firing associated muscle fibres in sequence. According to established motor-control principles, motor units are recruited from the smallest and most fatigue-resistant to the largest and highest-force units as power demands increase…a concept known as Henneman’s size principle. This orderly recruitment of muscle fibres is critical for graded force production, coordination and power. 

Co-contraction…is the muscle action when you want to summon your strength but is not good for power production. It is the simultaneous activation of muscles used in an activity. Co-contraction increases stiffness but reduces joint torque and disrupts the finely tuned recruitment patterns needed for power. Rather than adding force with co-contraction, the body generates internal resistance…much like stepping on both the accelerator and the brake at the same time. (Keiser University College of Golf)

Power…depends on the timing and sequence of muscle activations more than sheer contraction force. In a golf swing, the legs initiate ground reaction forces, which are transferred to the hips, torso and then the arms in a coordinated kinetic chain. If muscles tense too early or too strongly…particularly in the shoulders and arms, the chain is disrupted, reducing club head speed and energy transfer. (PubMed) Studies have shown that muscle tension increases peak force but decreases energy absorption and smooth transmission through tissues. Applied to a golf swing, over-tensing can reduce effective energy transfer to the ball, even if impact force seems high. (PubMed)

Pro Tips…To Reduce Your Tension

Hard…does not equal further. So, think smooth and rhythmical when you are grooving your swing. Concentrate on building a repeatable neuromuscular pattern that gives you effortless power before trying to achieve the club head speed you need for further distance.

Relax…and use feedback and relaxation techniques to reduce unnecessary tension and improve your motor performance. Early research in the area of biofeedback indicated that people who learn to reduce unhelpful tension, on any task, improve their performance because muscle relaxation directly enhances motor efficiency. 

Selective Tension…is the skill of maintaining readiness in your required muscles while keeping the other muscles relaxed. In golf, this looks like firm but unclenched grip pressure, relaxed shoulders during backswing, and tension that builds and releases in sequence. (Frontiers)

Train…your nervous system to avoid premature or inappropriate muscle co-contraction.

Gallwey…insists your body already knows how to swing a club, just as it knows how to walk and talk. Unhelpful tension is what happens when we don’t trust that knowledge and try to help too much. The cure, he suggests, is not more effort but less interference…relaxing attention, softening the grip, and letting the swing happen. In other words, if you want to play better golf, stop trying to strangle it into submission. The ball, like most things in life, will respond better when you loosen your grip.

See the References Here.