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Below is a sample Golf Visualization Script from Golfing With Your Eyes Closed.
Putting for Par
Start by Relaxing
To begin, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, and close your eyes. Take three deep abdominal breaths, exhaling slowly each time. As you exhale, imagine that tension throughout your body begins to flow away. Starting at your toes and working your way up to the top of your head, scan your body for areas of tension. As you discover tension, contract the muscles in that area for ten seconds, then relax for fifteen seconds, and then contract for another ten seconds, followed by fifteen seconds of relaxation. Go through this contracting and relaxing cycle one more time. Continue scanning, looking for areas that need to be relaxed. Once you reach the top of your head, scan back down to your toes, noting any areas you may have missed. When you arrive back at your toes, take three more deep abdominal breaths. You are ready to visualize.
Visualize
Walking up the fairway to your third shot, you see that you are on the green with an eight-foot putt for par. Take your putter from your bag and walk over behind the ball. Squat down and read your putt from behind the ball, then stand up and walk to the other side where you can see the ball on the far side of the hole. You can see that it breaks left uphill, and that you will need decent speed. If it’s not played strongly enough, the ball will move a good bit to the left. You know you must match your speed with the break. Visualize exactly where you will aim: eight inches outside right. Read your putt one more time to be sure your plan is going to work. Take the time to be 100 percent committed to the read. Then, and only then, stand up and walk over to your ball.
You are feeling energized because you know you are going to drain it. Begin your pre-shot routine and visualize yourself going through your physical movement, deep breath, and mental mantra. Take one or two practice strokes, imprinting the correct feeling on your brain and muscle memory. As you take these practice strokes, visualize the ball following that exact line off your club face and into the hole.
Inch forward with your feet so that you are close enough to hit the ball. Ground the club and plant your feet. Feel your spikes gripping firmly into the green, giving you a solid base. You are almost ready. Look at the hole one more time, then narrow your focus to include only the ball and your club. Repeat your mental mantra. Go.
Mix It Up
It’s likely that you’ve been distracted when putting. Perhaps you second-guess your read, or can’t forget your last shot, or maybe someone makes a noise. Whenever an irrelevant thought comes to mind, back off. From this position, you may go through the mental techniques that will help you refocus, such as picture perfect image replacement, positive thinking, or deep breathing. Only when you have completely eliminated all distractions should you address the ball again. Once your mind is clear, re-start your prep routine, move into your practice strokes, inch forward, place your clubhead behind the ball, settle your feet, repeat your mental mantra, and go. This whole process need only take but a few seconds, But those few seconds can mean the difference between lipping out and sinking it.
O.P.E.N. Your Mind
Remember this feeling, this confidence, this satisfaction. Replay this routine in your head as part of your training regimen. See and feel every element of the different parts of a hole. Tune into the sounds, smells, and even tastes of performance. The more details you can visualize, the better your body will be able to prepare.
As you’re learning and perfecting your technique, use the following tips to O.P.E.N. yourself to improvement.
Observe
Did you visualize internally or externally? Some of both? What was most helpful from each view?
Positive Practice
If any negative images squeezed in, take a moment now to rewind your mental video, slow it down, and replace each mistake with a positive image. Repeat a cue word or action—maybe your mental mantra—to trigger this positive image. Replay the positive replacement at least three times to make sure it sticks in your mind.
Experiment
Can you mentally slow down your stroke speed and analyze your technique? Can you change the tempo of your swing? This is control. It takes practice! Often, slowing down your images and playing your “mental movie” frame by frame will allow you to control your performance in your mind.
Notice
Could you actually feel your body’s movements, even slightly? This is the goal of guided imagery. Tune into the sounds, smells, and even tastes of performance. The more details you can visualize, the better your body will be able to prepare. Visualizing yourself staying composed, focused on the present moment, and able to move on to the next shot is a great way to prepare for the unexpected.