The Secret Glue Effortless Mindset.docx

**The Effortless Mindset** *The secret to consistent ball-striking* While it's important to develop both your ball-striking and course management skills, playing golf with an *Effortless Mindset* is the glue that holds everything together. I believe it's the secret to sustained long-term improveme...

**The Effortless Mindset** *The secret to consistent ball-striking* While it's important to develop both your ball-striking and course management skills, playing golf with an *Effortless Mindset* is the glue that holds everything together. I believe it's the secret to sustained long-term improvement. While the techniques of golf's best players vary wildly, they have one thing in common -- an *Effortless Mindset*. Trusting in their innate ability, they're able to mentally step aside and allow their swings to be guided only by their *intention* and *imagination;* as opposed to *thought* and *conscious effort*. The average golfer's foremost problem is that he does not *trust* in his natural ability. As a result, he plays the game with an active mind, tension, and a great deal of effort. His approach to every shot is essentially the same; to some degree he attempts to *consciously* *create* the swing or stroke that will *hopefully* produce the desired result. Always *fearful* of a poor outcome, the average golfer is never able to *mentally step aside* and *swing freely.* His every swing appears to be *forced,* because to some degree it is. Through adopting the *Effortless Mindset*, You'll learn to play the game differently. You'll learn to trust in your natural ability, and play golf with a *quiet mind* and *relaxed body*. Your swing will no longer appear forced, because you'll no longer feel the need to *consciously manipulate* your body in any way. When playing with an *Effortless Mindset*, you'll play every shot by first forming a *positive intention* and then strengthen that intention through *imagining the ball flight you intend to create*. Then you'll quiet your mind, address the ball in the *play appropriate* manner, and *allow your* *swing* *to unfold* as nothing more than a *seamless response* *to your intention*. **Simply stated the typical golfer plays the game with an *active mind* and *forced effort*, while the effortless golfer plays the game with a *quiet mind* and *effortless force*.** Ben Crenshaw wrote, *"Once I've started the putter in motion, it's as if it's swinging itself."* That's how you should perceive your full swing motion. With no controlling thoughts, you merely hold the intention of making square and centered contact and ***allow*** your swing to unfold as a spontaneous effortless response to that intention. The practice of doing something without conscious effort is referred to in Taoism as ***wu-wei.*** In Eastern philosophy, it is considered to be the most efficient way to do anything. Action that is done with a mind free of thought and self-consciousness is considered ***supreme action*.** In the West, however, we tend to view the practice of doing something without conscious effort to be lazy and ineffectual. That perspective is quite apparent in the way we approach golf. We over-analyze, manipulate and force. **PhilMooreGolf.com** Philosopher Alan Watts was a renowned interpreter of Zen Buddhism for the West. He once said, *"Really, the best meaning of **wu-wei** is 'don't force it'...This is like sailing a boat. It is more intelligent to sail a boat than to row it, even though sailing is a lazier was of doing it."* **The best way to swing a golf club will** ***always* be without thought.** **To sail, instead of row!** **The Effortful Mindset (Rowing)** Golfers tend to play with far too much physical and mental effort...*they row!* After selecting a vague target, they try to "remember" the swing mechanics that would be required to send the ball to that target. Then, after addressing the ball in a casual manner, they give their attention to whatever physically manipulative swing thought that seemed to be working on that day. That thought might be something along the lines of -- *swing slowly, keep your head still, keep your left arm straight, or start the downswing with your hips turning forward.* Because they have little trust in their innate ability, they feel the need to "tell" their body how to swing. Telling your body how to swing serves no purpose other than to create tension. **The bottom line is that most golfers** **create every golf shot through attempting to** **consciously manipulating their tension filled body.**  **The Effortless Mindset (sailing)** The most effective way to swing a golf club is with a relaxed body and minimal effort. It is actually the way the game was meant to be played. You cannot consistently create an effective golf swing with conscious thought (putt through drive) because you swing faster than you can think. You can, however, play to your full potential through redirecting your attention and playing with an *effortless mindset.* **PhilMooreGolf.com** Playing with an *effortless mindset* requires that you trust in your ball-striking ability (*which is truly all you can do*). Doing that requires you to direct your attention away from your body and toward your two most powerful tools -- *intention* and *imagination.* Effortless golfers focus only on what they can control ***and give no consideration (energy) to anything else**.* 1. They select the ***highest percentage shot*** 2. They select the club that ***allows for the widest margin of error*** 3. They select a specific target area; form the ***intention*** **to hit it**, and use their ***imagination to strengthen that intention.*** 4. They quiet their mind, relax their body, and setup to the ball in a manner that allows them to ***most easily make square and center contact.*** 5. They mentally step aside and let their body ***freely and seamlessly respond to their intention.*** **Effortless Mindset Quotes** *Just a few of my favorites...* *"When creating a swing I mentally step aside.* *I don't MAKE it happen, I LET it happen"* **Tiger Woods** *"I believe most sincerely that the impulse to steer, born of anxiety, is accountable for almost every really bad shot. I never try to force or restrict my body in any way"* **Bobby Jones** *"The swing is the easiest part of golf, if you don't think."* **Arnold Palmer** *"You're in your head, Junah, I need you to come down into your hands. Listen to me. Intelligence, as I have told you, does not reside in the brain but in the hands. LET them do the thinking, they're far wiser than you are."* **Bagger Vance -- *The Legend of Bagger Vance*** *"Golf is hitting the ball to a defined target area, with the least amount of effort and an alert mind of indifference. You have to let the body enjoy the shot. That is the biggest word in golf... LET."* **Moe Norman** **PhilMooreGolf.com**  *"You cannot hit and think at the same time."* **Yogi Berra** *"The human organism performs best in athletes when the conscious mind is turned off"* **Dr. Bob Rotella** *"Thinking too much about how you are doing when you are doing is disastrous"* **Harvey Penick** *"Hitting a golf ball is an act so precise that there is unlimited room for error. That error begins in the mind and finds expression in the swing.* **Lorne Rubenstein** *"The mind must be emancipated from old habits, prejudices, restrictive thought processes and even ordinary thought itself. The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be."* **Bruce Lee** *"Stop thinking about the shot that way is bound to fail!"* **Zen Master -- *Zen and the Art of Archery*** *"The brain, while it does not swing the club, can stop the swing."* **Dave Pelz** *"We must come to the understanding that the very act of trying brings tension."* **Michael Hebron** *"Visualization is the most powerful tool we have".* **Sir Nick Faldo** *"We create our success on the golf course primarily by our thoughts."* **Gary Player** **PhilMooreGolf.com**