Golfers and golf coaches often share their experiences of fear in practice and in competition. The reveal how much fear controls their game and how fear has undone so many opportunities to win on tour. When we delve a little deeper through Socratic questioning, it appears that the fear experienced in golf is often manifested in the golfers body especially in their hands, arms and shoulders. Some golfers feel it restricts their turning motion with a knock on effect on their swings. The golf coaches concur. From a psychologist's perspective, I am interested to know how the golfer feels especially how and when they notice muscular tension in their body. The most commons sites for such muscular tension on their body are shoulders, arms and hands. These golfers kindly shared their strategies for lowering tension. For example, they might shake their shoulders, arms and hands to release tension. Others squeeze their fists for five seconds and then release them. Some golfers go through a breathing routine where they breathe in for three seconds, hold their breath for four seconds and breathe out for five seconds. All of these methods seem sensible from a psychologists perspective. The most valuable part is that the golfers practised what they felt worked for them and fear loses its grip over time.
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