Let’s look at examples of process behaviors.

All process behaviors are ongoing in the present or serve to return your focus to the present.

These are the same behaviors you have been learning in the preceding chapters.

The ideal process behaviors in golf are following a set routine images of successful performance and a concentrated focus. Only on the shot you were playing.

Other process behaviors include positive, supportive confidence, building conversations with yourself and practicing movement, breathing, thinking, and postural strategies that promote relaxation and a sense of peacefulness and calm.

Ideal life process behaviors are identical to those for golf.

I teach positive process behaviors. I tell players I don’t care what score they shoot. If they can tell me their behavior was 90 to 100% in a positive process. I am happy with their performance.

If a player practices, positive process behaviors, exercises, and sets performance goals for every aspect of their golf game and life, they will perform their best.

When players become consumed by score future and mechanics, these are outcome and negative process behaviors.

They’re last thoughts from the top. One of the greatest teachers of all time, Harvey Penick said the following regarding thinking a simple thing to remember, but a hard thing to grasp and do is this.

If you want to change yourself, you must change how you think.

Jack Nicholas says that a lifelong basic of his mental approach has been to learn his capabilities in his warmup and first few holes. And then to play within those capabilities.

He says that his capabilities allow him to fly the ball right at the flag stick one day and the next day might dictate that he headed the fattest part of the green.

Nicholas allows his performance during his warmup and first few holes to determine his pre swing thinking regarding strategy and expectancy.

• As a golf professional.
  • I know there is no substitute for a good setup and good swing mechanics.
• As a psychologist.
  • I know that bad mental habits will only make good or bad mechanics worse.

PGA tour player, Mark Weeby says the guys who are champions are guys who are really good at clearing their minds and just playing the shots.

One of the greatest players of all time, Walter Hagen reportedly wrote in an unpublished instruction book that one of his most important mental strategies was his ability to forget about the bad shot.

Gary player describes the comments and outcome of negative thinking.

• He refers to the effects of negativity and comments.
  • like gee I’m unlucky.
  • I never get a good, I know
  • I’m going to land in the water.
  • I work hard and don’t get anywhere.
• These golfers are beaten before they begin.
  • To win, First you must want to win.
  • Second believe you will win.
  • Third only positive thoughts.

In follow-up correspondence I had with Gary player in 1995 regarding permission to use this quote, he added a statement.

• The harder I practice the luckier, I get.

Gary. Player’s probably one of the most positive golfers who ever played the game, perhaps right up there with chip Beck.

He wasn’t just positive with everything he did. He worked hard to correct negative thinking in order to stay positive.

He relates the following story.

As an example at Indianapolis, one year, I said, there’s no way I could win on a golf course like this. The fairway grass is too long. All I’m doing during practices, hitting fliers. There’s no way you can control the ball.

I made the double mistake of saying this to newspaper reporters.

The next morning I read my words. And so did everyone else lying in bed that night before the tournament?

However, I realized I’d been doing my best all day to talk myself out of winning.

So I had decided to change my thinking. I’m going to win this tournament. I told myself, I love to play from these kinds of lies. I did win the tournament.

Now you’ve read quotes from the top players in the world from over a 90 year period, they described how they think and behave when they play their best. And when they play poorly, remember that these same great players shared many things in common. One common characteristic was that they had a model. They observed an emulated. These players copied their mentor, swing, how they thought and behaved and how they played under pressure or how they hit particular shots.

This is an opportunity for you to take the thinking and behaving strategies of the world’s greatest players combined with an understanding of human behavior and to incorporate these changes in your life, both on and off the golf course.

Please continue with: Moving from outcome to positive process behaviors.