How to make your opponent have the worst round of his life
Recently when looking at how the mind works I found a site dedicated to using Neuro Linguistic Programming (a form of hypnosis) and other techniques to make your playing partners play worse by decreasing their mental state.
Let me just show you one of the free articals...
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Traditional golf psychology techniques include positive thinking, visualization, and self-hypnosis. Many of these self-improvement methods were founded on the principles of the pioneering work in hypnosis by Milton Erickson in the mid 70s and Neuro-Linguistic Programming� (NLP�) by Richard Bandler and John Grinder.
Forward thinking golf psychology coaches have been using these techniques for years to eliminate tension and anxiety, increase confidence, and get golfers �into the zone�. These approaches work very well, and most of the successful PGA players use some variation of them everyday.
There exists, however, a darker and very devious way to use these same tools to your advantage on the course.
The same way that you can create a positive peak state in yourself, you can also sabotage your unknowing opponents by creating doubt, insecurity, and frustration within them at will.
Sounds like fun, eh?
Let�s take anchors for example.
Traditionally, you would create an anchor to instantly put yourself into an emotional state� say a positive state of mind. You might simply imagine yourself in the past doing something incredibly well and feeling very confident. As you reach the peak of your confident state, you would do something unique� like tap your index finger and thumb together. After doing this several times, your brain will actually link up the action of touching those fingers together with a feeling of confidence. Then all you need to do is perform that action on the course to feel confident.
That�s all well and good, but the really exciting thing is that you can also negatively anchor other players!
For example, when your opponent misses a short putt and berates himself, it�s obvious that he is in a negative mental state. At that moment, you can do something unique, like snap your fingers, hum a song, yawn � almost anything that is unique and is easily duplicated.
You�ve successfully set a negative anchor.
Do that each time he flubs a shot, and the anchor will become even stronger. Fire that anchor off (perform the unique action) when your opponent is feeling fine � and watch what happens. Your opponent will return to that negative feeling associated with the anchor � and his performance will suffer.
Maybe you give up the gentleman's game and find one of those games with referees. Your post should warn all of us that read your other posts that your intentions may be less than honorable.
Maybe you give up the gentleman's game and find one of those games with referees. Your post should warn all of us that read your other posts that your intentions may be less than honorable.
Andrew
I think Matthew was just sharing in a light hearted manner that's all. He is a gentleman who will never resort to such tactics.
I think Matthew was just sharing in a light hearted manner that's all. He is a gentleman who will never resort to such tactics.
Thank you, it seems everytime I write a post around here I have people more than willing to critique me in everyway.
You are right that this was meant to be light hearted. However the reason I posted this is that I found it interesting that there are perhaps certain techniques that people can use against you. Regardless of the ethics, I think it is important to find out if ideas such as this have validity whether you personally wish to use them or not inorder to recognise such ploys taken against yourself and the only way you can find out if it works is to test them out. If successful then it is up to the individual whether he wishes to use this technique.
This is not far fetched at all! So just getting on someones last nerve is a form of mental conditioning! I played a lot of golf with a fella that used to commiserate with every poor shot I hit! I think his little verbal trigger (Manchurian Candidate that I was) "Isn't that the darndest thing, huh?" Eventually I broke down and responded "What is so ****ing surprising about a snap hook into the weeds you ****er!" Needless to say our golfing relationship ended. I am glad to know that my rude response was not my fault! The ****er made me do it!
For the record I like Matthew's brand. Scotsmen are mankind's gadflies! If there was never someone pointing my idiocy out I may think of myself as a finished product...dangerous thought!
You are right that this was meant to be light hearted. However the reason I posted this is that I found it interesting that there are perhaps certain techniques that people can use against you.
So, Mathew what would the work say of Lee Trevino's tactics in the 1971 U.S. Open playoff with Jack Nicklaus?
Trevino threw the rubber snake at the unsuspecting Nicklaus on the first tee. Nicklaus promptly birdied that hole, but then lost the match 68-71.
Did Gamesmanship play a role here? Or was Lee simply the better player that day?
So, Mathew what would the work say of Lee Trevino's tactics in the 1971 U.S. Open playoff with Jack Nicklaus? Trevino threw the rubber snake at the unsuspecting Nicklaus on the first tee. Nicklaus promptly birdied that hole, but then lost the match 68-71.
Did Gamesmanship play a role here? Or was Lee simply the better player that day?
Well, Trevino is not exactly being subtle. I think that their is a certain transparency of his intentions that would allow Jack Nicklaus to play just as well as he would of anyhow. Generally I have found that if one is transparent in off-putting an opponent in games makes people more motivated.
What is more sinister in the tactic that I posted above however is that the victim is unaware of it happening, which if works makes the effect more dramatic. The real sinister effect is that by using a tactic like this might enduce the other golfer to lose self-esteem and over time really have a damaging effect.
So, Mathew what would the work say of Lee Trevino's tactics in the 1971 U.S. Open playoff with Jack Nicklaus?
Trevino threw the rubber snake at the unsuspecting Nicklaus on the first tee. Nicklaus promptly birdied that hole, but then lost the match 68-71.
Did Gamesmanship play a role here? Or was Lee simply the better player that day?
A child song my 3 years old son loves to listen...."I throw it to you; I throw it back to you...catch"
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If you cannot take the shoulder down the clubshaft plane, you must take along some other path and add compensations - now, instead of one motion to remember, you wind up with at least two!
For example, when your opponent misses a short putt and berates himself, it�s obvious that he is in a negative mental state. At that moment, you can do something unique, like snap your fingers, hum a song, yawn � almost anything that is unique and is easily duplicated.
You�ve successfully set a negative anchor.
Do that each time he flubs a shot, and the anchor will become even stronger. Fire that anchor off (perform the unique action) when your opponent is feeling fine � and watch what happens. Your opponent will return to that negative feeling associated with the anchor � and his performance will suffer.
Now that�s the dark side of golf psychology!
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Anyone want to try this....
Anyone who indulges in this type of beahvior will find themselves playing most of their golf on their own.
__________________ Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing.
Hybrid Mode
