You've bogeyed your last hole, you are about to hit your next drive. As you take your practice swings, your mind is still on the last putt that you blew. You take your swing and it's a slice. In your mind you say to yourself "Oh no, I'm going to bogey again!" and you do.

Sound familiar? You know the techniques and mechanics, but you just can't get either your mind or body aligned with each other so that they do what you want them to do. In a word, you are stuck and "switched off," and your golf game is not going well at all.

Golf requires you to think clearly and be analytical which arefunctions of your brain's left hemisphere. Golf also requires you to be creative and intuitive which are functions of your right hemisphere. To be a truly successful golfer you need to use both sides of your brain at the same time; you need an integrated approach.

Brain integration is one of the components of a program that uses the concept of "muscle checking." As a professional speaker and trainer, I have demonstrated this muscle checking concept for over 20 years. Audiences have found it both amazing and exciting.

To understand this concept you will need a partner to practice on as you follow these instructions.

1. Face a partner. Have your partner raise one arm straight out from the side of his body with thumb pointing down.

2. Place one hand on your partner's extended arm, above the wrist and the other on their opposite shoulder.

3. Instruct your partner to resist as you push down, firmly and steadily, on his extended arm for several seconds. Your partner's arm should not move down more than a couple of inches.

4. While your partner keeps his arm extended, have him close his eyes and think of a negative golf experience. When he has it focused, press down on his arm. His arm will come down easily.

5. Now ask your partner to think of a very positive golf experience. Once he has it in focus, press down again. His arm will stay level and strong.

6. Have your partner check you.

The muscle checking is real and repeatable. It is indicating the response of your partner's unconscious mind to negative and positive golf experiences. The results have nothing to do with muscular strength; rather, you are accessing a neurological phenomenon. With the positive thought your muscle stays strong indicating that your body's life energy and brain functions are switched-on.

With the negative thought your muscle switches off demonstrating how negative thoughts actually affect your physical body, and this interferes with your golf game. As you observed and experienced for yourself, the contrast is very easy to see.