I believe that learning occurs through both physical and mental practice.

Golf lessons are structured as physical practice as is playing on the golf course and hitting balls on the range.  But the one area many of us do not practice is the mental part of learning how to play the game.

Sports psychology plays a big role in the mental side of any sport.  If you read books written by Dr. Bob Rotella, Dr. Dick Coop, Dr. Rick Jenson, or Dr. Gio Valiante you will discover many ways to help improve your golf game through a mental approach.

But, there is another mental side of practice for any sport and that is visualization and preparation.  If you change how you prepare to hit a golf shot you will change your old patterns of performance.

For instance, when I change someone’s grip to hit the ball straighter, I usually change how they approach putting their hands on their club.  If I let them set their grip on as they would normally, they may not make the real change and go back to their old habit.

A great example of this strategy occurred a few years ago when I was working with JoAnne Carner during the LPGA event here in Nashville.   She wanted to change her ball flight and to do so; I needed to change her grip.  By giving her another method of approaching how she put her hands on the club, she could then make the necessary change in her grip and as a result hit the ball farther.

Mental practice can be changing our previous habit so we don’t get in a rut and make the same mistakes; such as hitting the ball and then saying “I forgot about the grip”.  Making a mental change in your habits will help you practice correctly and perform better.

If you want to learn a new habit, change your approach.  Then the new habit will stick!