New Post #34 Technical Thursday

Hi Friends

Golf is a funny old game,

These are Victor Hovlands last 4 results on the PGA Tour

Wish I could be that consistent!!

We’ve talked about the brain before and how we don’t want the prefrontal cortex (brains CEO) to get involved when we are in the process of taking a golf shot (issue #25).

I talked about myelin, and its use in insulating the neural pathways, carrying the impulses to control your movements.

Well there is another method to help keep the conscious mind (don’t hit it left, don’t top it, don’t fat it etc etc etc) at bay and to encourage flow in your swing - ClearKeyGolf.

You’ll struggle to find out much about this online, Dr Carey Mumford who championed this method, passed away in 2013, and with him alot of his teachings seem to have disappeared as well.

I was going through some old papers (yes kids papers) and found a print out from 2006 talking about Dr Carey Mumford and ClearKeyGolf and it reminded me of this brilliant concept.

Just wish I remembered it on Sunday as I was chopping my way down the 16th, as my mind was anything but clear, I was headed to be 2 down with 2 to play (I did win 17 and 18 though for a half, so regained some composure)

So what exactly is ClearKeyGolf?

It’s a systematic process that gets an effective, consistent result - by literally protecting the moment of truth and releasing the best of what the player owns.

Sounds good.

And it’s really very very simple.

Takes very little effort.

You don’t need any equipment or an app.

Can be be used by every single golfer on the planet.

And is literally “easy peasy lemon squeezy”

If you are unaware of Francis Ouimet and his caddy Eddie Lowery, I suggest you look them up, He beat the great Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff in the US Open. Their story is told in a fantastic book by Mark Frost called “The Greatest Game Ever Played” which in turn was made into a movie starring Shia Labeouf of all people.

But I digress

There is a reason I’ve brought up Francis and I will come to that shortly,

Back to ClearKeyGolf………

Carey says “Psychological change in the face of anxiety is one of the constant, universal, non-discriminatory transactions on life and golf. It’s as natural as the law of gravity”

In golf we have a stimulus, the shot in hand, and we react to that stimulus with what Carey calls psychological change.

We cannot control our emotions, the harder one tries the more intense that emotion becomes. Anxiety in progress does not respond to conscious command.

Using the ClearKey method pasues the signal and allows the body to organise itself and protect the moment of truth, releasing the best of what the player owns.

A ClearKey is a simple mantra/saying/rhyme/sentence that you say aloud or in your head as you make your shot.

It has the added benefit of helping with your rhythm.

Carey says that “Easy peasy lemon squeezy” is the ClearKey that Francis Ouimet used himself,

Other good examples of ClearKeys could be,

“Mary had a little Lamb, I wish I had one too”

“I can’t stop the war, help the homeless, feed the poor”

“Blood sugar sex magic, its magic, Blood sugar sex magic, its magic”

“Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo!”

In fact as I type this I do remember using the following in the past as my playing partner looking astonished commented “Are you quoting Tennyson while your putting?”

“Ours not to reason why, Our’s but to do and die”

Was the slightly bastardised version I used.

Its very important that your ClearKey has nothing at all to do with golf or any physical thing you are trying to do within the swing - this turns the conscious mind ON!

So bad examples might be,
“I want a nice smooth stroke with hands ahead of the ball”

or

“Nice and smooth will win the race”

Now, It does take a little practice as you are moving from using the conscious mind to the unconscious mind.

But do give it a try it,

You just might find, you’ll get what you need,

Thanks for reading,