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Blending  Email this Article to a Friend
There is another process you should be aware of as you embark on building the sequences in your routine. That process is called state dependent or contextual learning. Two groups of divers were given a list of words to memorize. One group learned their list on land and the other group learned theirs under water. They were tested in their original condition, water or land and then they changed places and were tested again. When they were tested in the condition (water or land) they had not learned the list, there was a 40% deterioration in recalling prior learning. Obviously, with repeated practice, their performance would have been the same in both states. This is one reason why taking a golf lesson requires drills off the course until the learning from the drills "spills" into the on course performance. Performance is seldom as good as the range learning and practice the first several times you try to take it to the golf course. You learned a new behavior in one state and "recite" it in a new state. It takes repeated exposure and patience on the course to get the same level of performance you had in front of the mirror at home or the range. It also requires practicing the entire sequence of your routine, not just the last few sequences. On the range, the majority of players rake and hit one ball after another. They practice only the last two or three sequences of their routine. You have drills to build both the mental and physical segments of your full swing and putting routines. These isolated segments are going to require numerous repetitions. Once theses segments are learned so well independently that you do them automatically without thought, blend them into a combined mental and physical routine. When your routine is blended, it will look and feel like the following. As you set up to hit a tee shot or approach your ball in the fairway or green, determine the club you are going to hit and a precise target. As you move behind the ball and look at the target, recall the same shot you have hit well in the past. Picture first the trajectory and then the swing you made. Next, tell yourself with confident determination what you are going to do. You must believe in your ability to hit the shot. Images of similar successful shots from the past will reinforce this belief. Next, make a practice swing and feel the swing you want to make. Be sure you feel that "9" or "10" swing. Your focus on that feeling and knowing that you are able to reproduce that feeling consistently on the range, will give you confidence as you set up to the ball. Remember that a feeling of your best golf swing is as mechanical as you ever want to get on the course. Hold your finish position and see the ball flight that swing would have produced. As you address the ball, keep your eyes focused on your target. Stare at the target and glance at the ball. As you start your swing, hold either an image of your target or a picture of the ball flight through your swing. You will be amazed at what great results this automatic physical and mental routine will produce.
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