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Welcome to my A1 golf tips section which elaborates further on the 'Zen in Golf' theme. If you are enjoying these free golf instruction and golf advice pages, then I am sure this one will please you also.

Playing fearless golf would be an essential Zen characteristic and icons like Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus displayed this more noticably than most.

Habit ‘One’

Letting go. This drops me into a state where my body and soul find a pleasant harmony and swim together in a carefree existence. I would be very aware of, and at the same time oblivious to, heightened feedback from all of my senses:

I find my eyes gazing over a fairway from an elevated tee and instead of seeing the hazards, I just see the beauty of its setting and look forward to projecting my ball towards it.

The air always smells great and I’ll even pick out the scent of a flowering bush some 20 yards away.

I hear almost everything and blend it into a tune that suits my finding of the optimal A1 golf tips state.

My sense of touch is enhanced, strongest in my fingers holding the rubber of my grip and feeling the weight of the club head; in the flowing lightness of my body movements; and in the wonderful connection I have between my feet and the ground before and as I swing.

There is also a rather pleasant taste in my mouth, which could only be compared to what lingers after a refreshing thirst-quenching drink or a loving kiss.

It’s probably this sense that is the hardest to describe but it’s often described as the taste of victory, or success. On the contrary, one would refer to the taste of defeat or failure.

I have written more about entering this most important state on the 'pschology of golf' and 'inner game of golf' pages.

Habit ‘Two’

Breathing. There’s two great things about this and that is, we must breathe to live and it is something that we do in the present.

Try holding your breath as you walk and you will heighten your awareness of how it can also be a restriction. You will also notice that walking and breathing are best performed without conscious awareness.

When it comes to breathing I would use inhaling before setting up to the ball as an energy builder where you feel that you are re-charging your batteries. After a re-charging breath or two, I would drop into my normal routine where I am no longer aware of breathing.

For those who like to exhale at impact, I would recommend the following. When you have just tasted a fine beer or wine, this is often followed by a soft ‘aahh’.

This is normally performed with a slow, slight shaking of the head. This soft ‘aahh’ is an expression of pleasure and, when used at impact, improves the smoothness of the swing. We don’t want to be jerky at this point.

Can’t be done. Exhale your ‘aahh’ as soft as you possibly can and notice the equivalent smoothness of swing you achieve.

Doing this exercise will also put you in the here and now and not in the past or future where last time, the ball was O.B. or this time will go into the drink.

You want to swing with a carefree attitude and this soft ‘aahh’ will help. These A1 golf tips lead to good golf basics and habits which help you reach your Zen in golf.

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