Does that headline create some curiosity in you? Are you wondering what the heck this is going to be about. As I came up for the idea to write about this, I wasn't quite sure myself. But then I thought, let's just go first to a book called "Quantum Golf" by Kjell Enhager.
I first read this book a couple years ago, before I was trained in Neuro-linguistic Programming (I'm now a Master Practitioner). And to be honest, I didn't understand it at all. I even discussed it with my local pro and between the two of us, decided that it was a book that was better left to the psychology wizards.
Lately, I've been extremely fascinated with learning about what is called "Quantum Physics" (What does this have to do with golf? Don't worry, I'll get there). It seems that scientists have been studying about things that are smaller than atoms since the turn of the 20th century and that's what they call this science. Remember in high school or maybe before that, we were all taught that the building blocks of all matter are atoms? Well, it turns out it's not true.
The big "Aha" about Quantum Physics is that we create our reality through our observations and thoughts. And it's now been proven by physicists. These scientists were so baffled by this idea that some of them ended up turning to mystic religions and others went bonkers over it.
Fast forward to Quantum Golf. It's a fictional story about a man named Smith. He's from New York and a typical golfer who has taken numerous lessons and done everything under the sun in an attempt to improve his game (sound like anyone you know?). In desperation, he is told of this golf pro, St. Claire, who lives in the middle of nowhere in the farmlands of middle America.
Smith flies out to take lessons from him and at the end of the story, of course, he "gets it" and starts to play beyond what he thought was possible. He is taught about creating a "superfluid" swing. He learns to have "Q vision." St. Claire tells him about the difference between "classical golf" and "Quantum golf." Classical golf is about the conscious swing and has gotten him nowhere so far. He tells him that those who have mastered Quantum golf hit the ball perfectly straight!
St. Claire teaches him such ideas as: "The mind has its attention only on the surface level, and then what you're failing to take into consideration as your priority is the unchanging, reliable inner being of the individual who is swinging the club."
Starting to sound a little far out now? Ok, that's what I thought too the first time I read this book. But now, it all makes perfect sense to me. You see, classical physics teaches us about how everything is mechanical. About how you can trace back every cause to it's effect in a way that can be described or codified by mathematics and known laws of our planet such as gravity. This is so much like folks who think that the gateway to playing great golf is to consciously work on their golf swing until they somehow come to the idea in their own mind that it is now perfect...and THAT never happens!
Quantum golf and Quantum physics itself allows for the dynamic of the human mind to actually change reality. Yes, that's what I wrote...CHANGE REALITY. Now, I'm not going to get into a discussion about what is reality because I sometimes get dizzy thinking about that myself. However, too many great philosophers have said things like: "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." Henry Ford.
or:
"Nothing is good or bad, except what thinking makes it so." William Shakespeare
In the past, I would have read this kind of great quote and thought to myself something like: "Oh that's nice" and went on my merry way of doing what I've always done and not getting what I wanted to get.
Today, when I hear or read such quotes I not only believe it in the deepest part of my golfing body and mind, but I can teach it with the backing of science behind me.
Once you really believe in the Quantum nature of your own mind, all sorts of good things happen to your golf game. Can you think of a time when you played with pure joy and exhilaration? Have you ever had a time when you stood over a putt...AND YOU KNEW you were going to make it !? Have you ever played with another golfer and just felt his or her attitude rub off on you? And then you played better because of it? I want you to have more of these experiences.
Copyright 2006 Craig Sigl
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Craig Sigl is a Master of NLP, Hypnotherapist, and 5 handicap golfer teaching folks worldwide how to improve their game without practicing. Visit
http://www.break80golf.com for a free ebook and ecourse to learn his methods
