Golf Psychology and My Interview with Karl Morris

I was recently invited on the 'Brain Booster' podcast with Karl Morris. We discussed my research, golf psychology swing changes and key performance factors in general. If you are interested in the interview then just click on the link at the bottom of the page.

The Red Dot

Karl Morris has been one of Europe's top Golf Psychologists for many years and has worked with numerous major champions including Darren Clark and Graeme McDowell. He is probably most famous for the 'Red Dot' intervention that he and Louis Oosthuizen used when he won the British Open.

How to Create Your Own Red Dot 'Anchor'

This was a Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) technique known as 'anchoring' that is based on the work by Ivan Pavlov on 'classical conditioning'. It works by associating peak performance states (the mood and level of focus present at moments of peak performance) with the red dot.

This is how it is done: : for this to work you really need to get associated into the moment of peak performance. Just reading the instructions is not going to be enough.

1. Think of a time when you played your best round of golf ever.
2. Think of the best 9 holes in that round.
3. Think of the best period of holes in that round.
4. How did it feel and can you recall with great accuracy the mood and level of focus that you were in?
5. Take that mood and double the intensity. This is your peak performance state.
6. Give your peak performance state a colour.
7. This is the colour dot to put on your glove.
8. Before every shot look at the dot and use it to help you recreate the right level of focus required for every shot.

At the very least the dot will remind you to take charge of your focus. If you have done steps 1 to 9 with enough energy then the dot will trigger a performance state of focus and concentration.

Click on the Brain Booster image to listen to my Golf Psychology podcast interview with Karl Morris