Those of you who have followed me for some time, know I am always seeking new applications of mental skills to share with you! Well, this past month, one new application found its way to me by plopping right into my email inbox! The email was from Bridgestone Golf and it was extolling the virtues of their new series of golf balls aimed at the amateur golfer. Here is the link to their website introducing the new product:
https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en-us/mindset-qr
Their new golf ball series is called “Mindset™”. Their trade marked tag line is “Focus to Perform™”. Jason Day, touring professional, says that the idea is to get the golfer to think less with the idea that by establishing a repeatable process, the amateur golfer can make rapid progress through a separation of their thoughts from their performance. Does this sound familiar? We have discussed having a pre-shot routine several times within the pages of this blog – most notably in a post written by guest writer Grant L O’Neil. If you missed that post, or if it is been awhile since you read it, I suggest giving it a quick once-over. You can find it HERE.
Now that you are back, let’s look at the golf ball and the innovative approach Bridgestone has taken. Basically, they have added a graphic to the ball consisting of a dot, two circles around the dot, and a directional arrow for aligning the ball (when you legally can). The dot and the circles are a visual cue to follow their three-step process:
- Identify the target
- Visualize the path
- Focus on the dot during execution
Once again, I hope this sounds familiar as it is the framework for a pre-shot routine that we might also employ in shooting clays. Golf and clays are very similar in that they are both self-paced, individual sports in which it is paramount to employ a consistent repeatable pre-shot routine before and during execution of every shot. It tickles me to see Bridgestone make this effort targeted especially at the higher handicap amateur golfer. I would suggest taking a few moments to watch the short videos they have prepared in which they go thru the application of their system. Then, take a few minutes to think about your own pre-shot routine and how it might be improved!