The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

As a Motivational “mind power” Speaker and LPGA Teaching Professional, I do corporate golf outings quite often. This August I worked with the Saturday Series private outing for the PGA TOUR and Golf Channel, at Great River Golf Club in CT. The Saturday Series Pro-Am features pros who participated in the week’s PGA TOUR event but did not qualify for the final two rounds. Proceeds from the Saturday Series Pro-Am benefit charities throughout North America. Hallberg Golf Productions, which produces the Saturday Series Pro-Am, in partnership with participating TOUR events, has raised $2.4 million for the many benefiting charities. I felt honored that they asked me to be a part of this great event.

I was brought in to do the morning clinic in the company of one or two of the PGA Tour Professionals that were there. So while Ted Purdy and Tom Purnice were hitting balls during the clinic, I was speaking of the mind power aspects of what they were doing (and ultimately thinking). While most golfers expect some last minute “technical” advice before they go out and play, this message was the opposite, “think less, feel more!” Instead of giving them more to think about, and even more for their left brain (conscious thinking) to process, this message was more of a right brain concept (or visual and feel). Even Ted and Tom jumped on board with me when they saw the direction I was heading. I think they were both relieved to talk more about visualization, than a technical swing thought, especially before there are going out to play.

As the clinic progressed and Ted and Tom were going through their pre-shot routines, I talked about the power of the mind to visualize. Most Professionals do use visualization, but most amateurs do not. What happened next was truly wonderful.

As Ted was listening to me and realized he didn’t have to talk about his swing’s technical aspects, he spoke of his wonderful run of playing great golf. It was his swing thought (that had nothing to do with golf) that put him into a peaceful state of mind. He said during his pre-shot routine and while he was actually hitting the ball, he would say to himself, “I love the beaches in Hawaii”. He then showed everyone, and it was nothing short of poetic! As I looked around at the crowd that gathered for the clinic, there were smiles on everyone’s faces. People were glowing in amazement. It was like everyone had the “aha” moment together! I heard, “oh, I like the beaches in Hawaii, that might work for me”, and “that’s an interesting thought, I might try that”.

Then Tom Pernice jumped on board and added his thoughts for his pre-shot routine. He had heard that Vijay uses “seven-teen” when he swings, so Tom said he tried it, liked it, and uses it sometimes. He likes the two syllables for an easy transition to the back and forward swing. Tom modeled the “seven-teen” swing to the group with ease and fluidity. I then heard someone in the crowd say, “I’m gonna use that today, that’s good!”

What always strikes me differently when I do these mind power clinics is “the kid in a candy store” effect. You know, the excitement you felt as a kid when you walked into your favorite Five and Dime candy store (okay, I am dating myself a bit, those are long gone). That’s what happens when golfers get a thought that strikes a cord with them or resonates to something they can do immediately. It’s the thought of, “I can do that” or “yes, that’s good for me”. Usually a new technical concept takes time for your conscious and subconscious mind to agree that it will work. But when it’s immediate, it’s usually an easy to thought to ingest, that’s most likely non-technical.

Here is the bottom line:

Because your conscious mind is the “analyzer and criticizer”, and your subconscious is the “non-critical computer-like acceptor” you may notice a conflict at times. Your conscious mind gives the “yes or no” to your subconscious mind. In golf, your conscious mind is the one telling you whether you can make the three foot putt or not. Your subconscious mind will believe whatever you tell it. As an example, if after a few times of missing the three-footer (versus making it) you told yourself, “I’m such an idiot, I keep missing that putt”. Now your subconscious mind will remind you that “you’re an idiot” every time you have that putt. You will miss the three foot putt over and over again… until you change your programming!

Mind Power is the ability and power to change your thoughts. Visualization is fastest way to do this. Most people think visualization is strictly an eye concept. It’s much more than just seeing.

We have five senses:

1. visual (see)
2. auditory (hear)
3. kinesthetic (touch)
4. olfactory (smell)
5. gestation (taste)

Of the five senses, the top three are most used in sports. Some athletes use four or even five of them. I knew a guy when I was competing in racquetball that would smell the ball before each serve! (Notice how many senses he used.) He would hold the blue racquetball in his left hand, bring it right up against his nose, take a big whiff in (as if he was getting a high from it), glare at his opponent, bounce the ball once or twice and serve. Talk about getting in the zone! He stayed ranked in the top ten for many years. (You have to find what works for you!)

Tapping into the subconscious

Okay, back to the Saturday Series. After lunch I offered a Mind Power Reprogramming session to everyone at the event. Those who attended were ready to open their minds to a different way of thinking, after hearing me at the clinic in the morning. Most of them had never done any form of meditation or hypnosis, and were curious how to better develop their mind power. First I needed to dispel the myth that all hypnosis is “stage hypnosis”, which is what most people believe. Here are actually three variations of hypnosis:

1. Stage hypnosis is when subjects are asked to say or perform things that will entertain the audience.
2. Highway hypnosis is a mental state in which you can drive great distances, with no recollection of having consciously doing so.
3. Therapeutic hypnosis is when the subject is encouraged to see themselves as what they want to become, like an improved golfer, or non-smoker.

As in any business, building rapport is the best way to build trust and further communication. It was important for me to explain to the group what I was going to do, in order to gain their trust in me. The mind power techniques I use are a combination of educating, enlightening and empowering my subjects. If I were to just hypnotize people, that wouldn’t educate or enlighten them into what was going to be “their own mind power”. It’s a concept of “going to, happening, happened”. It is the education of becoming aware of what is, what will be and what was.

So after I relaxed their conscious minds and infused their subconscious with the “lemon visualization”, they were ready to enter the mind power experience. During my sessions I usually play a combination of ocean sounds mixed with gentle music that helps promote relaxation into a nice place of tranquility. The more the conscious mind relaxes and lets go, the more open the subconscious mind accepts the messages being given.

When the session was over and I brought them out of hypnosis there was a gentle calm in the air. They were told, “take a deep breath in, stretch your arms, and open your eyes when you are ready”. As each of them slowly came back into the room, back to their conscious state of mind, there was a mystical softness across their faces. You see while they were completely relaxed, listening to my voice, my words provided them with inclusive love, without limitation. The highest emotion any human can feel is love. When you are brought to a state of love, everything else in accepted.

Bringing them to that “place of love”, mind power principles are welcome and acknowledged. Thoughts like appreciating your own personal gifts, allowing love into your life, feeling a sense of gratitude, and being able to forgive were suggestions they might accept. What each of them took away from the experience is their own to keep, nurture and hopefully continue to cultivate.

“I love the beaches in Hawaii” might have a little more meaning now. Three of the six words can create a positive visual experience. Try it, you might like it!

Remember: The mind once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Below is a letter I received from John Goutell of the Saturday Series after the event about his experience.

Randy,

Thank you. It takes somebody who is very confident of their abilities to work comfortably in the loose structure we prefer at our events. We thought the clinic was very well received, both by the guests and the TOUR professionals. I will be telling people about the things I learned from listening to you and Ted Purdy interact. I will also be trying those things out myself. That was top notch stuff.

I think you opened doors in each of us that we didn’t know existed. I know everyone was impressed.

We had a couple of cool experiences yesterday evening and traveling today. We joked as we drove home from the airport that we feel like super heroes (I’m “Positive Magnet Man”).

Please call me after your week up at the Duetsch Bank working with —–. I would like to hear how that goes, and we’d like to talk about putting together some options that will allow us to offer our clients the opportunity to integrate your program into their event.

We all enjoyed meeting you and it was truly a pleasure working with you. We wish you the best of success, and look forward to the chance to work with you in the future.

All the Best,

John

John Goutell, Chief Operating Officer

Saturday Series

Pro-Am a PGA TOUR official event

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” –Christiane Northrup

The Power of Gratitude is an important aspect of attracting to you the Abundance and Happiness that you desire and deserve in your life. The power of gratitude will moves mountains for you. Whatever it is you want in your life, you must first be grateful for all you have in this very moment.

The power of gratitude for golf is loving everything about your golf game right now! It sounds strange, but it works! The moment you are ungrateful on the golf course, you just “seem” to fall apart. You’ll see, keep reading.

The most powerful Universal Law is the Law of Attraction. The energy (vibrations) that you resonate and project through your thoughts, feelings, and emotions determines your “vibrational frequency”, which attract positive and negative to you. Feeling grateful for everything in your life right now, is a very powerful positive frequency. The events, situations, and circumstances that you attract are all by-products of the Law of Attraction, whether you are aware or not.

When you are in a sincere state of gratitude, your energy (vibrational resonance) is one of acceptance and harmony. You resonate this energy and as a result project a much higher vibrational frequency which is what attracts to you the events, conditions, and circumstances that you desire. Are you aware of what you are projected?

Think of yourself as a giant magnet. No matter what you are feeling, whether its love, fear, anger, happiness, anger, joy, gratitude, etc. you are in essence creating a magnetic force that attracts and draws to you events, conditions and circumstances which are in direct connection to what you are feeling. Fear of something creates a magnetic force that attracts more of what you fear. Expressing Gratitude for any situation projects a magnetic force that draws to you more of what you are expressing gratitude for.

Become empowered to express sincere gratitude for whatever is currently happening in your life. You must become aware of this power to receive all this is good and right for you in complete abundance. The Law of Attraction is there (just like the Law of Gravity exists) whether you acknowledge it or not. The fact that YOU have the power to create your life on purpose!

 

 

Perception vs. Reality

What you perceive to be true, is true (for you). Your perception of something going wrong is only your perception. It is only wrong thought and wrong perceptions that are responsible for creations that show up in your life in the form of events, conditions and circumstances that you perceive as “going wrong.”

 

It’s important to recognize and express gratitude for the fact that EVERYTHING in your life is a vision, a creation that YOU formed in your mind that became thoughts first and into beliefs.

 

 

Here are 7 Grateful thoughts for you to consider:

 

 

1. Breathe and Say thank you! Inhale say, “thank”, and as you exhale say, “you”. Do this when you first wake up in the morning as you get out of bed. Your lungs will thank you too!

2. Be grateful for your food. Stop and really look at your food before you eat it. Take in the smells and think about all the people it took to get that food on your plate.

 

3. Be grateful for your pets. Look in there eyes as you pet them. Show them you are grateful for their warm nature and guidance they share with you.

 

4. Be grateful for your family & friends. Be present and tell them how you feel in the moment. Time is precious, we never know when it will be our last time to dance, play, sing, laugh, share a meal.

 

5. Be grateful you have a home and show some gratitude by keeping it tidy and clean.

 

6. Bless your body. Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly, giving thanks for your health and vitality. Thank yourself for taking care of it!

 

7. Connect with a higher spirit. Take a few minutes each day to reflect on the fact that a power greater than you exists and is working through you.

 

What are you grateful for?

When on the golf course, just look around! That’s an easy place to find gratitude. An attitude of gratitude will get you where you want to go. How can you focus on being more grateful today?

 

I am thankful for you reading my articles. I am grateful for the ability to convey a message of helping others through educating, enlightening and empowering. If you learned something from this article, pass it on. You’ll be grateful you did!

“In body, mind power and spirit”
Randy

Are you aware that nearly 90% of

Fortune 500 CEO’s, play golf?

It is the international sport of business. In certain industries, clients and prospects play golf as a way of doing business. If your clients and prospects play, then you need to be out on the course with them. It is important to understand how the game of golf can help you develop your business, as well as benefit you personally.

Have you ever been the one stuck in the office, while others are out playing golf? Doesn’t that just make you wonder what all the fuss is? You get the invitation, but you turn it down saying, “no I just can’t”. To be perfectly honest, you can! Saying You Can’t has two meanings:

1. You either don’t know how to, or
2. You don’t want to.

The questions I have for you here are … where is your career heading and where do you want it to go? Golf is the only game you can play and develop a conversation at the same time. Not only that, you gain an understanding of the persons personality you are either doing business with or about to do business with. The game of golf is more popular than ever. Understand the importance of golf in business, so you aren’t left out of the business meetings held on the golf course.

Let’s look at these four important points:

1. Discover the professional and personal benefits of golf.
2. Learn another language of business—“the game of golf”.
3. Learn how playing business golf can save you time.
4. What you can learn about your playing partners.

 

1. Discover the professional and personal benefits of golf.

Golf is one of the only sports you can play and do business with at the same time. Think about it. It takes you 30-60 seconds to assess the situation (the distance, carry, lie, and wind), take a club out of the bag, take a practice swing, setup and hit the ball. The rest of the 4-5 hours you’re walking or riding in a golf cart with the undivided attention of your client. Need I say more!

Personally, golf is an exceptional sport for many reasons. Since you don’t need anyone to hit the ball back to you, and it’s just you and the golf course, you are not competing against anyone. That being said it physically makes for an inviting sport for spouses, siblings and families to play.

2. Learn another language of business—the game of golf.

Have you ever found yourself at work listening to your co-workers having a conversation that you could not be a part of? If you don’t play golf, you are likely to come across one of those talks. Golf talk happens everyday in offices around the water cooler and world. Just pay attention after a Major, like The Masters, US or British Open. I guarantee golf talk is occurring around the water cooler. You need to be a part of that conversation! The game of golf contends with the game of business! Learn the language and you will be invited to the next company outing.

3. Learn how playing business golf can save you time.

A day of golf with three clients in one place will get a lot more done than you think. Not only will you be with them on the course for an extended period of time, but there is likely breakfast or lunch before the round and lunch or drinks after the round. Now you’ve created a new relationship and the phone call tomorrow has a different tone! It’s a beautiful thing.

4. What you can learn about your playing partners.

Here is where everything happens or not. You can learn so much from your playing partner by the actions he or she carries out on the golf course.

Some things to observe are:

1. Cheating
2. Misrepresenting their score (ahem, cheating)
3. Shouting absentees
4. Throwing clubs
5. Stomping feet
6. Mistreating the caddy
7. Neatness in appearance

You can learn a lot by observing what they do and don’t do. Many top executives will not do business with someone until they play golf with them. Now you understand why.

How you can get started in golf:

1. Take lessons with a professional golf instructor
2. Understand the important rules and etiquette of golf.
3. Play with friends until you feel comfortable enough to entertain on your own.
4. Join the EWGA (an executive women’s golf league). It forces you to get out there and play
5. Subscribe to a golf magazine (Golf for Women, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine)

 

The Bottom Line
Learn to play golf and you will learn to play better business!

 

“In body, mind power and spirit”
Randy

 

The word “mind”, is any thought conscious or subconscious.

“Power” means strength or having strength.

So Mind Power is having a strong thought. For our purpose in golf (and life for that matter) I am talking about your strong subconscious thoughts.

 

When most students came to me to take a golf lesson they already had a preconceived notion of what they wanted to learn. We would spend the first ten minutes (five if I cut them off) of the lesson discussing what they thought I should teach them. I often thought to myself, “Why do they think they need me if they already know all the answers?” Of course in reality they usually weren’t close to knowing what the needed to improve their golf. I guess that’s human nature to want to assist the learning process.

 

Over-instructed and over-technical!

Many students of the game have either taken too many lessons (from different instructors), watched the golf channel to learn and apply literally everything they could, or read too many golf instruction (swing) articles. Then they bring the new knowledge to the course the next day to “try” to implement it. It may work for a day, but won’t work for good unless it is ingrained for 21 days or more.

 

Golfers need less technical instruction on the range, more mind power programming, and to just play! I gave most of my students lessons on the golf course. That is where the game is played. Of course beginners need the fundamentals, and instruction needs to given on the range and especially short game area, but please get out and play! I heard a Ben Hogan quote years ago that always stuck with me. When he was asked what was his secret to success? His comment was, “You’ve got to dig it out of the ground”. Meaning, get out there and figure it out. I am not saying to spend every waking hour trying to find your game on your own. I believe what Hogan was saying, was what Mind Power really comes down to. Get the information, apply it, work at it so you own it, then believe it and just do it! Your conscious thought (the analyzer) MUST quiet down at some point in order to play “in the zone”. Playing in the zone or on automatic pilot is when your subconscious mind takes over and frees you to get out of your own way!

 

When you own a thought, it’s yours (good or bad)! You can always change your mind later. When it comes to playing golf, in that moment of impact, you better believe “you can” or you wont! The minute you change your mind, you change your actions. The Law of Attraction states, “what you think about, you bring about”.

Have you ever hit a 75 yard shot over water that somehow found the water instead of the green? “Now how did that happen?”, you said after the fact. What do you think your thought was? If it was anything but “hit the target”, you were doomed.

 

The subconscious mind does not judge your thoughts.

Whatever your thought was before you hit the shot you tend to believe. If the last time you missed a two foot putt you told yourself your an idiot, the next time you have a two-footer, your subconscious mind will remind you that your an idiot… kind of like an obnoxious parrot! “You’re and idiot, you’re an idiot, raahh… you missed this putt last time, you’ll miss it again, raahh!”

 

 

Be your own best cheerleader!
What would you tell your buddy if he or she missed a two foot putt? “That’s okay, you put a good roll on it” or “Wow, I thought you had that one!” Guess what? That’s the voice you need to give yourself when you miss a shot. Remember, your subconscious will respond accordingly to what you say and think. “Yeh, I did put a good roll on that”, or “hmmm, that felt like a great putt… oh well”. And next time you have that same putt, you now have a chance to make it!

Learn more about how to control your own golf mind power, by controlling your thoughts, feelings and emotions on the inside!

“In body, mind power and spirit”
Randy