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How To Do Visualization For Golf

Everywhere you turn, some instructor is talking about visualization for golf. You hear them tell golfers things like: While you’re doing your preshot routine…see the ball taking the flight path directly to the target you picked…or…see the line of travel on the putting green you think the ball will take on this break. Etc. Etc.

Well, I’ve got great news for some golfers. All of this standard advice that is repeated to golfers without the slightest thought to it’s effectiveness can actually HURT a golfer’s game. In this video, I am going to free you up from the shackles of this typical advice.

Always remember, if you haven’t gotten the message from me yet, that YOU ARE UNIQUE. Just because something works for one golfer, doesn’t it mean it works for you. Watch this video to “see” what I mean….(or just listen to the audio and it “works” just the same). Notice how solid this concept is….

Greens and fairways,
Craig

Transcript

Title:

Visualization in golf is WAY overrated. Yep, more heresy for the golf establishment.
You hear it from every golf instructor – “You must visualize your shot or putt” before you take it. Jack Nicklaus wrote: (show this in text next to pic of Jack Nicklaus. Find an old picture of when he was younger) “I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.” Visualize, visualize, visualize…I’m really tired of hearing that word. Did you know that about 20% of the population is not visual? What are they supposed to do? If you give a golfer who isn’t very visual that advice then all you’ll do is confuse him or her and hurt their game.

I used to buy into this whole “visualization” thing until I watched this interview of Tiger Woods:

(Tiger Woods interview)

And now having worked with over a 1000 clients in person and thousands more online, I’ve come to realize that you don’t need to visualize anything in order to be great. Tiger proved that.
Ding!
So here’s the truth about visualization for golf…
When I work with any golfer or other athlete, I never use the word “visualize” …instead, tell them to “think, imagine, or pretend”

This is a huge breakthrough for some people. My point for you is to do it YOUR WAY and if you’re not very visual, like Tiger, it’s no problem at all.
Some of us, like me, are more auditory, meaning, words, voice, and sounds are more powerful than visions.
Others are more FEEL and touch oriented like Tiger.
If you can use all three modalities, great! Unless you know that you are really visual, then drop the word and do it your way…and you will be doing it correctly and it will help you lower your golf score! What I do is to replay my best shots from the past, in my head and body, right before I take my shot or putt. And…I do it MY WAY! YOUR WAY works for YOU!

I’m Craig Sigl and your swing is good enough to go low

26 Responses

  1. john Ryan says:

    How pleased I am to hear someone who knows how to play say them words.
    Im 75 play off 15 and it worried me because I couldn’t visualise what was about to happen before I had created it. Thank you.
    john R. England

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Hi John, You’re welcome! This is not to say that some people who are really visual don’t get benefit…they do. But worry and doubt about not being able to follow someone’s golf advice is the worst thing for your game. Just relax into playing your game your way!!

      greens and fairways,

      Craig

  2. Joel says:

    The audio for both clips (HD and Youtube) seems screwed up. Sounds like a music clip.

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Hi Joel, Would you try opening the web page in a different browser? What browser are you using to view the web page? Firefox? Internet Explorer? Other?

      It works for me and others and so I’m guessing it’s a browser issue, especially if it’s happening on both videos for you because the videos are on totally different servers.

      If anybody else has this issue, please let me know.
      Greens and fairways,

      Craig

  3. Terry George says:

    Great advice Craig, I am for one that every time I try to visualised a shot, a dozen deferent thing come straight to mind and causing confusion. Now I focus hitting the ball straight and long. The results are perfect.

  4. NameJoel says:

    I use Safari off an Ipad.

    I just viewed it again, not changing anything and it worked this time.,

    Thanks

    Joel

  5. Headbanger says:

    Craig,

    I love golf and I’m liking your advice. As a retired specialist health care Professional I have an understanding of physiology. Having also acquired knowledge of swing mechanics I thus have never believed in the magic fix approach of so many golf gurus.. I practised psycho/hypnotherapy and NLP in the UK (as taught by Richard Bandler in person)for 20 years and helped others to survive and change aspects of their lives. I’ve even helped other golfers to improve their game but my handicap stays stratospheric in spite of my on-course calm disposition and reasonable technical and physical abilities. Having read Tim G’s book many years ago I’ve always tried to include self hypnosis in my golf game. My preferred senses, however, are kinaesthetic / auditory, i.e not visual. You may have at last solved part of my ‘failure to progress’ puzzle. Careful monitoring of a client ensured 2 way communication in his/her preferred mode. Why then have I continued to struggle with visualisation in golf? After initial professional lessons Alex Hay and Jack Nicklaus were the authors of my first instruction manuals. You have given me insight into my ‘diligent striving’-
    “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always had”.
    I live in hope……

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Yayy for you Headbanger! Happy to hear I could help. I’ve heard similar comments from NLP’ers over the years “Why haven’t I applied what I know to golf?” Sometimes it just takes an objective eye to “see” a pattern. 🙂
      greens and fairways,

      Craig

  6. jim says:

    hi , when you working on a part of your swing , are you saying forget what your working on and just go, or do you think there has to be a part of the swing you need ie one swing thought

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Hi Jim, you generally only want to work on your swing on the range. On the course, just play and TRUST your swing. IF there is one word or term that you can use to help solidify what you’ve been working on, then say or think it in the pre-shot routine. For instance, lately I say to myself (sometimes out loud) “Square and Point”
      greens and fairways,

      Craig

  7. Cyril Gallie says:

    Hi Craig
    I played today and i said to my self your swing
    is good enough and i had 6 pars 1 to6 then i got a little to exited but if i can control my feelings……………… i will try tomorrow.

    Cyril
    From UK, I play of 15 witch is a struggle

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Thanks for comment Cyril. Use the “And” world technique to GO WITH the feelings and ultimately embrace them. You’re doing great, congratulate yourself!
      greens and fairways,

      Craig

  8. kurt says:

    you get the feel to connect with the visual, or walk to the Tee with your eyes closed…Tom

  9. Anthony says:

    Nice article/video Craig. Interesting to hear what Tiger said about visualization.
    I see it like this:
    The vision is the fuel that feeds your swing. And your swing would include: your hands, body and club.

    Same goes for putting.
    That vision becomes feel; a low punch with solid hands and an abbreviated swing that goes underneath the tree tops in the distance; a rolling release for a draw that starts over a bunker and curls left towards the pin; or a little “hold-off” for a high fade that zooms high then parachutes right at the end of its flight; a super floppy long slow swing with a full release that sends the ball up into the clouds for a lob shot over a bunker.

    It is all feel. Know the type of feel you are going to use for the particular shot before you hit it. Then hit it.

  10. Albert Fulvi says:

    Some good examples to prove your point. (1st 2videos). I’m sure clearing your head and having fun is a great attitude to have on the course. Many golfers create too much pressure for them selves and are too tight to preform.

  11. Art D says:

    I am an “audio”person. How do I apply that to my golf game?

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Hi Art,
      Audio people usually do well with using your inner voice to “talk” to yourself or, guided visualizations in
      the spoken word as I have in my programs. Make sense?

      Greens and Fairways,

      Craig

  12. Anna Zumwalt says:

    Me too, I’m not a strong “visualizer” but I realized the other day while playing tennis that it was the “sense” and the “PING” of the ball hitting the sweet spot of the racket that really resonated with me, literally. That was a breakthrough for me. So I thought about my golf swing… hitting the sweetspot of the club face– the PING and the FEEL– nothing else. Then I went and hit a bucket of balls. It was AMAZING! They went straight! Consistently. I am not lying. Usually, 10% of a bucket go string straight. But this time, 95%! I am still gloating. Talk about feeling proud of myself.

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Way to go Anna! That is a big breakthrough. So many people get stuck on what works for others that won’t work for us. Do it your way!
      Greens and Fairways,

      Craig

  13. Tim says:

    Great message and I agree wholeheartedly.- but a little on the sarcastic side. And I could not help but notice you offer guided ‘visualisations’ as part of your service even though you are tired of the word.
    To the visual athletes who successfully ‘visualise’ keep it up! To the others listen to the message above and do it your way. Craig is spot on!

    • Craig Sigl says:

      Hi Tim, Thanks for comment. I was wondering how long it would take for someone to call me out on this. 😉
      Nice job!
      The contradiction comes from a marketing principle I learned a long time ago from a business coach:
      Market to what they want, then give them what they need. This one about visualization is what golfers
      need, thanks for the validation!!

      Greens and Fairways,

      Craig

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