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“C’mon,” I said. “Make it a pure red color without the blue.”

“I can’t do it.”

“Well, I’m glad,” I said. “The fact that you can’t see the red by itself indicates to me that the ‘swish’ worked. Whenever you get angry and it interferes with your golf, just ‘swish’ the blue over the red as you did today.”

“Sounds too easy to me,” Billy said. “I’ve been trying to overcome anger on the golf course for years. And you say I can change it just like that.”

“Well, you just did, didn’t you? Are you still ready to pack it in?” I asked.

“No, I feel much better,” he replied. “Let’s go on.”

Billy walked to his ball in the rough, chipped up close, and sank his putt for a par. It was obvious that he was pleased with his chip when I saw the broad grin on his face.

Here are the steps for doing “swish” by yourself. The instructions that follow represent a considerably modified and simplified version of Bandler’s technique.

“SWISH”

Remember a specific time when you felt and acted in a way that interfered with playing well.

Identify what you saw and heard at that specific time just before your mood changed—a lost-ball slice, perhaps, or stubbed lag putt. As you think about it, make your images regular pictures (look through your own eyes, not from a distance).

See a color that represents that mood and the way you acted. You may need to see different colors before that mood is properly matched.

Identify the kind of state that is exactly opposite the undesired one.

Remember a specific time on the course when you were in that positive state. Watch yourself acting the way you want to act in the form of meta pictures (watching yourself as if through an outside observer’s eyes).

See a color in your mind that fully represents that desired mood and the specific kind of behavior that reflects that mood. Again, it may be necessary to try different colors to get the most appropriate one.

Link the two colors (from steps 3 and 6). In your mind see the first color big and bright and project it onto an imaginary screen in front of you. Then project the second color on top of the first color. The second color should be small and dim and located on the bottom left-hand corner of the first color.

Change or “swish” the two colors quickly by having the small dim color become big and bright and replace the large first color.

Repeat this procedure five times, taking only one second for each repetition. Let your mind go absolutely blank in between.

You can test the results in several ways.

Project the first color onto your imaginary screen. If it’s mostly covered by the second color, the “swish” worked.

Project in your mind a future test situation that might result in a negative mood change. Go forward into that situation and discover if you behave in a way you like. (You don’t have to smile if you leave the ball in a bunker; just be civil about it.) If the anger changes to curiosity or determination, the “swish” worked.

If either of these two tests fails, repeat the whole “swish” process.

When you are refining your golf swing, you have two experts to call upon for help: a professional golf teacher and your own mind. Both are important. You need a professionally trained teacher for help in establishing and maintaining proper swing mechanics. You also need to listen to your internal pro.

This was best illustrated by a golfer who, while mentally making a slow-motion image of his swing, noticed that the pictures became blurred at the top of his backswing. He trusted the blurred images as a signal that something there needed correction. Sure enough, his club pro had him shorten his backswing—and better shots soon followed.

This chapter contains techniques you can use to be your own pro, to correct the mechanics of your swing, and to know the difference in mental processing between a good and bad shot. You’ll also learn how to improve shots that are rusty, as well as learn how to make new shots without formal instruction.

Getting Good Instruction

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