I'll admit it right now, it's been a tough summer. There is no doubt that it was one of the busiest on record for me in my role as Flagstick Editorial Director. Between print magazine work, Blogging, Tweeting, Facebook updates, newsletters, and Flagstick Golf Photography clients it has been a real juggle of time and physical resources.And somehow within all that I have been trying to do some volunteer work with the Golf Association of Ontario, maintain a normal family life and even try to golf at a reasonable level.
The last part might have been the toughest. I once had big aspirations as a player but some time ago my golf game went into a bit of a limbo. To try and maintain a plus index and play strongly at competitive golf events is just too tough to do without dedication to practice and the time to do so. And playing enough "real" golf to keep my scoring abilities sharp? It's just not in the cards. Throw in a hand injury that just won't seem to go away and you have a scenario none too conducive to decent golf results.
With that said I was very pleasantly surprised about how my golf game turned out this year..so far. I still have a couple of events left to play and I am hopeful that things will stay on pace.
With the physical part of the game: practice, play, and physical conditioning (more the hand injury that anything else - I feel very fit otherwise) being less than optimal I have leaned on another pillar this season and I give it a lot of credit for helping me along.
Before I get to that I want to make a few things very clear. In a year I get to test a lot of golf products - some good, some bad, but rarely do I find something so unique that it revitalizes my focus on the game that I became so passionate about almost three decades ago. Lots of things hold a fleeting promise in golf but more sporadically something comes along that really gets me excited. So when I actually gush about a product you can be assured that my enthusiasm is genuine.
After many years of playing to a scratch index or better in the last few years that began to hover in the 2-3 range. That was just fine by me; me expectations lowered in relation to the time and effort I had to give.
And then this year came. I know I would actually have LESS time to practice but still set out some lofty golf goals for myself. So how did I expect to reach them without the benefit of more extensive practice and play? I used my head instead.
The brain is a wonderful thing and while poor thoughts have dismantled more than one golf score (many of them my own!) , being calm, focused, and thinking well can yield surprising results.
As an ally in this process I enlisted Neuroptimal Golf.
After being introduced to the innovative and simple to use Neurofeedback System, www.neuroptimalgolf.com, back in January at the PGA Merchandise show I saw a huge upside to it's use. Offered a system for a 6-week trial period in the Spring, I doubled that session so that it would coincide with my busiest golf and work season. What better way to test the effects of this system than by "fire" when my stress levels were high and my work and golf expectations were just as much so.
So, once or twice a week I "hooked up" to the Neuroptimal system that monitored by brain activity and provided feedback that would help to get that activity more organized. As much as my wife thought it was unusual to see me with wires running from my head to a computer - she saw how the effort was bearing results.
I would often hook up to the system while writing or researching on the Internet, sounds flowing through a headset into my ears. It was pretty easy to do once I got into the habit.
So how did it play out for me? Very positively in fact.
While my golf swing has not returned to what I would say is peak form, in most cases I have been able to manage myself better - resulting in a much more rewarding golf experience.
Instead of being frustrating by poor shots I am more accepting of them (that from an admitted former hothead in his youth). And this carried through into tournament rounds - a place where I have always needed extreme confidence in my game in order to trust myself enough to play well. Instead, even without that assertiveness, I have been able to "work" my way through each shot and each round to get what I feel is the maximum result. I was calmer, seem to think more clearly and was able to keep the adrenaline under check when necessary - all key tasks in tournament play. A little less anxiety was also obvious.
While no trophies came my way except a few garnered during team events I did work my way into the final group on the last day of my club championship this year, eventually earning a top 5 finish and a spot on the club's Intersectional Team. My index is also now back under one for the 1st time in several years - and that is playing and practicing about half as much!
Physically I have had some knee and thumb issues but I have somehow not let them nag me enough to bother me as I play. I am not saying Neurofeedback made pain go away, I just seem not to focus on it as much.
Off the course, the Neurofeedback has been paying dividends as well. Feeling calmer (hard for me to do sometimes) I have been able to keep a strong focus and get myself much more organized. That is important when you write the equivalent of 2 novels throughout the golf season.
My sessions with the NeuroOptimal System are over now but I feel the time spent allowed me to tap into my potential - from both a mental and physical aspect.
Neurofeedback is a growing realm and I believe that Neuroptimal Golf is slightly ahead of the curve, especially in the golf specific neurofeedback business, with their easy to use system.. Unlike decades ago, people now appreciate the importance of the brain in optimizing sport performance and Neuroptimal should continue to grow as their network of trainers expands.
Thanks to Samantha Diavatis, CEO of the Zengar Institute and Tim O'Connor for the opportunity to change the way I looked at the world while allowing me to have better control of my life and golf without a lot of extra effort.
For more information see www.zengar.com, www.neuroptimalgolf.com or search out Neuroptimal on YouTube to see what a session is all about.
