Tel: 07973 614969 
Email: keith@mygolfmind.com 
Like every amateur and professional golfer motivation is key to consistency and success. So, the important thing is to develop a way of getting motivated for 18 holes over a four to five-hour period. Neuro-scientific research informs us that we process about 2,000,000 bits of information every second of the day. This vast amount of information can only come to us through our five senses – sight, hearing, feeling, smell and taste. We then process this information with our unconscious mind through the three filters of deletion, distortion and generalisation, which reduces the 2,000,000 down to around 130 bits per second, which we are then able to decipher and make sense of what’s going on at that point in time. 
 
The real importance of this cycle of events is the use of our five senses, because that’s all we have and these five senses is what we then use to motivate and behave on the golf course. So, by going back to basics and having a sound understanding of our senses and how best to use them to get the result that we want is extremely important for anybody, let alone golfers! 
 
In the practice of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) we call the five senses ‘modalities’ and each modality (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic (feeling) , olafactory and gustatory) have ‘sub-modalities’. These finer distinctions are extremely powerful to make the difference between being just ok, to being highly motivated if we are acutely aware of their importance. For example, a past memory of a good result may either give you vivid positive pictures, or sounds or feelings, or a combination of any two or all three sub-modalities. Generally, smell and taste tend to be less used, although never ignored if the client uses them to achieve the desired motivational levels required. 
 
If the sensations are positive then we can use them to enhance our unconscious chosen sense/s to trigger motivation as and when we need it. If on the other hand the sensations are negative we then must work at the sub-modality level to trigger a more positive result and increased motivation. The following list of sub-modalities for the three main senses gives us an indication on what works and doesn’t work for the individual sports person. 
 
Visual: colour / black and white, contrast, bright or dim, framed or panoramic, near or far, movie or still etc. 
Auditory: location, direction, internal / external, loud or soft, fast or slow, tonality, pauses, duration etc. 
Kinaesthetic: location, size, shape, movement / duration, vibration, pressure / heat, weight etc. 
 
By using linguistic techniques, we can turn the negative sub-modality and replace it with a positive one or more and begin to improve the motivation levels and consistency out on the field of play over a period of time. 
 
When I achieved my first hole-in-one I’ve got new and very powerful visual, auditory and kinaesthetic sub-modalities to keep me highly motivated on the course that will assist greater motivation, consistency and success as and when I need it! 
 
Until next week - keep it on the fairway ... 
 
Remember that My Golf Mind carry out 1-2-1 and group sports master mind-factor coaching sessions, either face-to-face, Skype / FaceTime or telephone if you want to improve your golf. My Golf Mind also offer a free session if you book (six sessions for the price of five) the gold performance coaching programme. 
 
Do give My Golf Mind a call on 07973 614969 or leave a comment on the form below if you have any questions or would like to challenge what I've said. 
 
Keith Haynes 
My Golf Mind 
Northamptonshire’s First Sports Master Mind-Factor Coach 
 
 
PS ... My Golf Mind delivers a two-hour 'Spring Clean Your Mind; Spring Clean Your Game' seminar if your golf club or society are interested! And now everyone gets a free gift for attending that is guaranteed to improve your mental tenacity and golf, so get in touch now ... 
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