How to Control Your Anger on the Golf Course

By Roseanna Leaton

Are you one of those people who cannot stop yourself from throwing a tantrum, or your club, when the golf ball goes off on a "frolic of it's own"? In your defense, I'm sure that you only respond in this way because you care about your game. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard this particular line of defense used by a golfer attempting to justify his bad behavior!

I'm sorry if I appear sexist here in my assumption that this is a "male thing" but it does tend to be mainly men who suffer from such outbursts on the course. Perhaps this is because traditionally men are more competitive in nature, or because they are more concerned about another's opinion of their performance. Maybe this is in the male gene pool, dating back to when we lived in caves, and it was massively important then for the male to perform well. Perform or do not survive.

Certainly, many golfers act as if their life depended on that last shot. A stray ball dents ones pride and ones confidence. It affects you at a very personal level. And the memory of that stray shot goes round and round in your mind, haunting you and taunting you on its way. The rest of the game is ruined as you stomp from hole to hole, head down, muttering obscenities under your breath. The anger induced tension ruins not just your equilibrium and enjoyment of this fantastic game, but it ruins your focus and rhythm too.

A negative cycle of effect ensues. The tense rhythm of your swing snakes its way down your club from hands to shaft to club face...and the ball shoots off in strange and unexpected directions. Yet this shouldn't really be unexpected. It is the natural effect of anger. When angry, not only are you restricted by tension, you cannot think clearly, you cannot focus, your mental capacity is restricted and imprisoned by your pent up emotions.

And in golf, you have to think clearly and focus upon what you want to happen. You have to relax and swing freely and mentally direct your ball towards the hole. Golf balls do as they are told. If you direct then in an angry manner, they will respond in a fierce and angry way!

So what can you do to stop getting angry on the golf course? There are many mental skills involved in playing great golf, and if you do not learn them your golf will never be that great. You can learn to take a step back, dissociate from the emotion and calm both mind and body. This is an art, and one which everyone can learn. You can learn to turn a blind eye to those shots which didn't turn out exactly as you had hoped; you can learn to erase these negative memories from your golfing mind. You can learn to replace these thoughts and images with ones which are far more productive. You can learn to focus clearly and block out unnecessary distractions.

There are as many mental skills to be learned in golf as shots to play. And the key to them all is hypnosis. Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and focus. It is a state which allows easy learning and greater creativity. In learning to use hypnosis you also learn to change state in a moment, to switch from anger to calmness.

Ninety percent of great golf is in your mind, and hypnosis is the key to your inner mind. Try it for yourself - you can get a free hypnosis download from my website.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis downloads to stop you getting angry on the golf course.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, and a great passion for golf, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.roseannaleaton.com/ and view the GolferWithin golf hypnosis CDs and downloads.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roseanna_Leaton
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Gift Ideas for a Memorable Retirement

By Angelique Ellerman

When looking for retirement gifts it's important to find gifts that reflect the individual's interests, hobbies or favorite pastimes. Sure plaques and trophies are a nice way to recognize years of excellent service, but those are the kind of gifts that corporations will end up giving. Gifts are always appreciated more when it's something that they'll actually use and that brings joy and relaxation into their lives.

When someone enters retirement, they suddenly have all this free time on their hands. Some people already know how they'll begin enjoying retirement; other's may take a little more time to adjust and are not quite sure retirement is such a good idea. Gifts that remind them of a prestigious career for example: teaching, lawyers, executives, doctors, judges, coaches or law enforcement, can often help with the transition and there are lots of unique gifts ideas to choose from that are career orientated. Getting gifts that help them pursue their interests will also help; if they played golf for example: there are a lot of golfing accessories which can be anything from monogrammed ball markers to a new personalized golf bag or a yardage finder. Other ideas could be a membership to a golf club, personalized golf balls or even a humorous gift like golfing lessons gives them something to look forward to. Anther example would be the military: there are patriotic paperweights, U.S. military rings, watches and other jewelry; they even make patriotic poker sets, beer mugs and throw blankets.

Gifts can be funny or inspirational too. There are T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and pillows available with witty sayings and funny pictures. Also available are unique doormats, mouse pads and picture frames that have humorous retirement sayings and meaningful poems that will remind them of your friendship. Encourage them to relax with a comfortable and charming bed rest that enables a person to sit up comfortably while sitting in bed reading or watching TV. The bed rest also includes handy pockets for magazines and books or the TV remote. Or inspire them to look to the stars with a new telescope.

Ideas that are unique are often the most fun for example: A Day Clock has days of the week instead of numbers, because the person retiring doesn't have to worry about time anymore, they only have to know what day it is. Personalized items are very unique and can be anything nowadays. Items like: a beer mug, decanter set, deluxe chess set, personalized bar room sign or professional poker chip set. Other ideas include a day at the spa or salon, passport covers, watch box or valet tray, leather blackberry, Ipod or CD case, gift baskets, travel manicure sets, garment bags or even a sit 'n fish personalized cooler and chair.

One last idea when looking for retirement gifts is to see if everybody in the office wants to go in on one big gift. These ideas include: a small vacation getaway, tickets to a favorite concert or event, membership to a gym or club of choice, a massaging recliner to help them unwind or even shares of stock. Perfect if they are into the stock market and if not it will not only give them something to do, but may spark a new interest.

Retirement is a time of celebration for both the past achievements and a bright new future. If the gift is well though out, no matter if it's funny or practical, they'll always remember who the master gift-giver is and appreciate your thoughtfulness. We all know what it's like to get gifts that don't really fit into our lifestyle, so make sure your retirement gift is something that will bring joy, fun and relaxation into their new way of life and your gift will always be cherished. Happy Shopping :-)

Angie writes articles for helping shoppers find gifts, providing shopping tips and how to benefit from personalized gifts, promotional products, and awards. Her work is sponsored by Wealthwood Retirement Gifts and Blog Wealthwood
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angelique_Ellerman
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