Happy Gilmore Started Golf Psychology Craze

by Ryan Ballengee on Mar 5, 2009 11:14 AM EST

I was reading Jay Busbee's Clown's Mouth links this morning and saw that he had a link to a Golf Channel article on golf psychology - you know, the training that turns you into a robot so you have a joyless (and angerless) existence on the golf course. In other words, rendering the downing of oxycontin on the golf course moot.

Here are the three big takeaways from the article by golf mental coach David Breslow:

1. See each shot as a separate entity - The reality is; each shot has a life of its own. It has its own beginning, middle and end. Train wrecks rely on you seeing them all strung together but they aren’t.

2. “Train Wreck” is a thought - While you might not initiate it, you may very well perpetuate it by thinking about it. Although you’ll hit poor shots and make poor decisions at times you are responsible for how long you allow them to affect you.

3. Rhythm and Feel - When you notice yourself going off track, bring your attention back to feeling the rhythm and feel of your golf swing. When things go off track, usually you lose both rhythm and feel and if you return your attention to them, you can bring yourself back “on line” more quickly.

All well and good, yes, but it sure sounds like an awful lot like Kevin Nealon's character in Happy Gilmore.

Happy Gilmore - Feel the Flow - Click here for more amazing videos

Yeah, lot of pressure. You gotta rise above it. You gotta harness in the good energy, block out the bad. Harness energy, block bad. Feel the flow, Happy. Feel it. It's circular. It's like a carousel. You pay the quarter, you get on the horse. It goes up and down and around. Circular. Circle. With the music. The flow...all good things.

Come to think of it, that advice could apply to a lot of things.

Anyway, what Nealon said basically is the gist of every golf psychology article or book ever written. Sure, some might claim that golf psychology really began in the early 80s. But, really, how much did you hear about the golf shrink until the mid 90s?

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I got the Neland character in the movie – and he was excellent as the annoying guy giving therapy advice. The sports psychologists have been growing since the 70’s…and haven’t found a way to be less annoying.

Sort of like this Breslow clown. If you’re going to use the “train wreck” analogy, then tell the golfer NOT to think about train wrecks (ok – don’t think about elephants right now) – you can’t put someone’s mind BACK on the train analogy by suggesting that “when you feel yourself getting off-track”….ooopsss…that’s right back to the train wreck that you just told us NOT to think about.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Mar 5, 2009 11:49 AM EST reply actions

yeah, seems like the worst thing to actually have people thinking about avoiding the train wreck. People try to avert their eyes but watch them anyway!

by Ryan Ballengee on Mar 5, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

we love the "don'ts"

don’t think about the water on the left – don’t think about the bunker – don’t think about the scantilly clad beer babe coming this way…(wait – forget that one) :-D

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Mar 5, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions