O.k., I thought I was going to be the one to break this next secret to you but the cat has already been let out of the bag with the June 2005 issue of Golf Magazine. I'm sure it's been written about in other articles and golf books before but this was the first time I'd read one about a non-pro golfer using a hypnotist for his golf game.

I know, I know, now you really think I'm a loony bird right?

Well, in case you didn't know, Tiger Woods has been using golf hypnosis for his game for years as have many other top pros. This is starting to get big let me tell you. Especially for the weekend golfer.

So what the heck is golf hypnosis I'm sure you're asking? Well, what it isn't is a stage act where a guy in a black coat and spinning watch can "make" people do things they wouldn't ordinarily do while "under his power." This is all fun and games and good entertainment but it is not therapeutic hypnosis.

Dr. James Braid was the first to use the word "hypnosis." He later tried to change the name to Monoideaism which means: "to focus on a single thought." That's really what hypnosis is.For practical purposes and for our golf, it can further be described as a state of heightened suggestibility. It's about using your unconscious mind to play golf automatically and without thinking.

I am a certified hypnotherapist and use some of these concepts for mine and my client's golf games. It's very exciting to think that we can actually get control of our thoughts and emotions on the course and direct them toward playing our best using golf hypnosis.

In case you're thinking that this hypnosis thing is a bunch of hippies on drugs or something crazy like that, I should tell you that both the American and British Medical Associations have recognized hypnosis as a valuable tool in medicine and psychology. You may have heard that people get hypnotized to lose weight or quit habits like smoking or chewing their fingernails. But did you know that it is used in surgical procedures and childbirth for pain instead of anesthesia? Yep, it's true, go check it out on the web, the info is all out there.

There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of with hypnosis. In fact, you or your kids experience it regularly while watching movies or t.v.

Basically, for golf, hypnosis is used to help get your conscious mind out of the way when you're about to swing. And it is also used off the course to help send messages down into your unconscious that will come back out and let you play at your optimal mental state when on the course.

A couple of other things about hypnosis:

1. You cannot be "hypnotized" unless you want to be.

2. You are never under anyone else's control

3. You will always be able to become fully awake at any time, whenever you want.

4. Most everyone has already been in some form of hypnotic state. A good example is when you stare at something for no apparent reason and your mind just kind of stops thinking for a short time.

Bottom line here for golf hypnosis...

You can learn some very good concepts about how your mind works that can be put to use on the course for emotional management and playing golf with your automatic subconscious mind. That is where CONSISTENCY is located within you!

Craig Sigl teaches how you can score lower Without Practice and The Legends of Golf teach fundamentals. For details and to claim a free digitized paperback book: "How You Can Play Better Golf Using Self-hypnosis" visit: Golf instruction tips website