Hi, I am Dave Cahill at the Pokegama Golf Course with the head golf professional, my brother Bob Cahill. Our last blog post was about focus during the swing in general. But, Bob is going to talk about focus specifically as it relates to putting. Bob. What has been helpful to me and other golfers has been to clear the mind of negative thoughts. The tip I am sharing I recently learned from Tom Lehman. Tom Lehman was fighting the putting yips when he changed from a long putter to a short putter. He found he could clear his mind by using a mantra. He developed this short mantra, “straight back straight through and roll it in the middle of the hole.” So, when he putts, just before he starts with his stroke, he says “straight back, straight through and roll it in the middle of the hole.” And, that clears his mind.
I tried Tom’s method with a student who had had the putting yips for about two years. He tried it and in his first round, out of nine holes played, my student only had the yips on one hole. And that hole was the hole he forgot to say his mantra.
So, step up to the ball and just before you start your stroke say, “straight back, straight through and roll it in the middle of the hole.” Try it during your next round and see if using this or your own mantra erases the yips from your game. I and others who have tried think it’s a good way to clear the mind of negative thoughts.
Read more about how the simple repetition of words appears to quiet internal thoughts. How Mantras Calm Your Mind by Marlynn Wei, MD, JD
PGA Instructor Mike Cahill and PGA Master Instructor Dave Cahill are here to help you play better and enjoy the game more. Please come see us in Palm Springs or Minnesota for golf lessons or visit us for a Palm Springs, CA or Las Vegas, NV Golf School.
PGA Instructor Mike Cahill
612-501-9015 mikecahill@cahillgolf.com
PGA Master Instructor Dave Cahill
952-994-0387 davecahill@cahillgolf.com