Mindfulness in Golf
A look at the mindful golf programs catered to improve performance.
Golf is the only major participatory sport based on stillness. Until a golfer begins a backswing, it’s all just a quiet day standing outdoors. Even with club in hand, the player stands momentarily motionless over the ball until a swing that last roughly one second puts the club in contact with the ball for about 1/300th of the same second.
All of that “nothing” before “something” is part of the game’s appeal. However, it’s also an invitation for intrusive thoughts, mounting tension, and predictable malfunction. For that reason, some luxury golf destinations provide tailored mindfulness offerings to help enthusiasts improve their mental performance.
The Miraval Berkshires at Wyndhurst Golf & Club in Massachusetts leans into the new mental science of golf with its Journey to Mindfulness in Golf program. The seasonal offering teaches how to let go of bad shots, how to improve a player’s inner monologue, and how to use positive visualization.
According to Luke Salvatore, the director of recreation at Wyndhurst Golf & Club and Miraval Berkshires, creating the program at Miraval Berkshires was an obvious choice. “When we set out to create this experience, the goal was to model it after the components that our equine program is built on here,” he says. Equestrian training “goes far beyond the horses and the club, but rather creates a holistic experience by focusing on overcoming fear, not worrying about the opinion of others, and building a confident demeanor. The horses will not do what you want them to do without clear and confident direction, and they can sense when this is lacking.”
Salvatore wanted to apply the same philosophy on the golf course, stressing more than swing mechanics and emphasizing the confidence and mental wellbeing golfers must bring to the sport. “Many of us have felt doubt, fear, embarrassment, and habitual self-talk while playing golf,” he explains. “It’s these experiences that helped to inspire the mindful golf program, and we’ve created it to be unique and customizable to each golfer’s goals and current life chapter.”
Kari Lansing is the exercise physiology guide at Sensei, an elite performance-based spa on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The Sensei golf program works on everything from swing technique to breathing to relaxation and easier physical movement. Lansing aids clients through the venue’s triple focus of movement, rest, and nourishment. She works with golfers to optimize performance and improve their strength, flexibility, and endurance. She also adapts her tests and exercises to the guests’ age and fitness level so they take a healthy body and mindset home.
Back at Miraval Berkshires, Salvatore invites golfers of all ability levels to explore mindful golf. “Our goal with this experience is to help create processes that remove the focus from the mechanical aspects of swinging a club and to help participants to come into a more grounded space where they can begin to connect with their movements on the golf course,” he says, noting that while proper mechanics are important, golfers tend to overthink with negative self-talk, affecting their technique. “We want to remove or reduce these aspects in order to develop a confident, doubt-free approach to the sport through preshot routines, mantras, and breathing techniques to help golfers get in the right frame of mind to hit every shot.”
