Golf Tips

Watching Kevin Na try to pull the trigger during the Players Tournament made most of us squirm. But it was toughest for Kevin himself, who handled his situation very well. Not only did he acknowledge his problem, he did his best to keep up by sprinting at times between shots, and he even yelled at himself to hit the ball!

A simple solution to this problem is dispensed every week of the year to golfers at the Phil Ritson – Mel Sole Golf School. It’s called the Clear Key. When we are playing on the course, and not in practice mode, we want to clear all conscious thoughts of the mechanics of the swing from our minds so we can swing freely. After setting up to the shot and taking a practice swing, our students repeat a simple phrase that is unrelated to golf and this clears the mind of all swing thoughts. Some examples of this phrase or mantra are “have a happy day” and “hamburger, lettuce & tomato.” It doesn’t matter what your personal Clear Key is, as long as you focus on it only and swing the club while you’re saying it. The number of words one says should fit the physical rhythm of the individual golf swing.

It has been proven that using a Clear Key phrase removes the anxiety and tension that is almost every golfer’s bugaboo, and unlocks the very best swing that you are capable of. As long as you are truly into your release or Clear Key, you won’t be able to think about the last time you drove the ball out of bounds from this spot, and you won’t be thinking of future moves you’ll make in your swing.

One of my Instructors likened Kevin Na’s difficulty at The Players to the debilitating stuttering problem of George VI in The King’s Speech. When George VI played music with headphones on, he spoke clearly and without stuttering. This proves that if the conscious mind is occupied with something other than the task at hand, the body will produce the desired result quite easily. We can erase the mental clutter of how to execute something when we use our mantra to block all conscious thoughts. The true value of the Clear Key is that it forces your mind to train itself on the present moment only, so that your golf swing can operate on automatic.

Try it folks. This will be a huge help to those who hit it well on the practice tee (no pressure there!) and then head to the course where they sometimes play poorly. Just hit the Clear Key and let it go!

For more about Clear Keys, see my related golf tip, Swinging Smooth With a Clear Key.

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