Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology | Updates

The Ninety Percent Factor

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:09:35 -0400

You've probably heard the axiom that golf is ninety percent mental. What does that mean?

The first key to consistency is maintaining a consistent mental attitude. How do you react after a poor shot? Do you beat yourself up or try to discover the technical swing flaw? Every golfer needs a system to quickly overcome the fallout from the inevitable poor shots.

In this article, you will learn a simple technique to prevent one poor shot from destroying a good round.

Conquering the Mental Game

Excerpt from Just Hit The Damn Ball!

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:38:31 -0400

INTRODUCTION: The Glass Ceiling

“Your swing is your swing.” Jackie Burke Jr.

The twentieth century golfer is the penultimate research scientist. Like a modern-day alchemist, the rabid student experiments tirelessly to uncover the combination of elements that will unlock the vault guarding the secret to a consistent game. The Golf Gods tantalize us with the illusion that the missing piece of the puzzle is out there somewhere.

Golfers have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Amazon.com lists over two-thousand golf instruction books. and YouTube boasts fifteen-thousand videos on How To Cure A Slice. These numbers are multiplying daily at an exponential rate. The plethora of advice can be overwhelming. The challenge is filtering out the relevant information; it appears that every instructor follows a different version of the golf bible.

Any golfer with a computer has free access to unlimited resources on every aspect of the game, from swing mechanics to physical conditioning to mental secrets of the world’s best players. Esoteric knowledge is no longer the exclusive domain of scratch players and

Drivers with self-adjusting screws allow a golfer to compensate for a chronic slice or hook, without taking out a second mortgage to enlist the services of a highly touted teaching professional. Smart phones with built-in, high-definition cameras are capable of slow-motion playback. Within minutes a golfer can see the critical flaws in his swing. With all this knowledge (literally) at one’s fingertips, you would think the average golfer would score in the eighties consistently.

According to the National Golf Foundation, the 2024 median handicap for the average male golfer in North America is 16. Only ten percent of golfers score below ninety consistently; this figure hasn’t changed appreciably in forty years! My search for an answer to this paradox was the tipping point for writing this manuscript.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD…

Reviewing my lesson notes compiled over the past thirty-one years, I’ve noticed a disturbing pattern. My regular clients take a series of lessons every Spring, practice regularly and improve. Between kids’ activities, house renovations and family holidays, the golf clubs are often relegated to the basement. Often, I wouldn’t see the student again until the following Spring. In most cases, the first two lessons of the new season were devoted to correcting the swing faults that were supposed to have been exorcised the previous year! This ritual repeated year after year with alarming regularity. (The image of a mouse on a treadmill pops into my head as I write these words.)

When the student had time to practice, the new technique produced significant improvement. After an extended layoff, however, the old habits re-emerged. Most once-a-week golfers do not have the time or resources to invest in regular lessons. Resigned to this fact, you may abandon any hope of improvement. You just play for fun. Score doesn’t really matter, does it?

My approach is based on fundamental concepts of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as popularized by Anthony Robbins. (Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds). You have untapped natural ability. The key to consistency is learning how to unlock your mental vault and access your innate swing on demand.

One of the biggest roadblocks to improvement is our automatic tendency to dwell on apparent flaws in technique. Based on my experience, most golfers find it easier to think negatively; we have been conditioned to look for mistakes. An awareness of critical flaws is necessary for improvement, however, our obsession with fault-finding leads to the embedded belief that our natural instincts betray us and must be constantly suppressed.

How often do you hear a golfer ask, “What’s right with my swing?” The technology that permits us to dissect the golf swing into a hundred pieces perpetuates our tendency to look for errors; technical nuances that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Disassembling the motion is easy. Learning how to put the pieces back together again is the “kicker”.

The secret to constant improvement is refining, not destroying, your innate ability.

]]>

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:23:35 -0400

The Book Series

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Just Hit the Damn Ball! book series is dedicated to helping the once-a-week golfer overcome common misconceptions that create mental roadblocks to improvement.

Each book is written in easy to read, conversational style. The non-technical dialogue illustrates the frustration of an avid golfer who struggles to break 90 consistently.

Discover the swing that lies beyond swing mechanics and take your game to a whole new level!

]]>

Learn At Your Own Pace!

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Sun, 8 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Do you take lessons and practice but can't remember everything? Head down, left elbow straight, shift the weight, turn the hips and so on...

The Ultimate Golf Program is a 90 minute DIY system to help you build a consistent swing.

Learn at your own pace with short, easy to understand videos.

Are you ready to build a consistent swing?

Here is the link.

https://www.udemy.com/course/ultimate-golf-the-perfect-golf-swing-and-beyond/

]]>

The Delayed Hit Misconception

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Have you heard of the delayed hit?

When you look at pictures of elite golfers in the downswing you can see how the club "lags" behind the body. This is the so-called "delayed hit" position that is the key to maximum distance.

Makes sense, right? So what is the misconception?

The delayed hit position is an effect - not a cause. When you try to deliberately hold the club back in the downswing, the clubface remains "open" at impact. You know what means.

How do we achieve the delayed hit ?

The position is a result of swinging the club on-plane. Here is a drill that will help you develop the muscle memory to swing on-plane.

Embedded Youtube video removed, see original post to watch.

]]>

Simple Muscle Memory Drills to A Consistent Golf Swing

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Simple Muscle Memory Drills

In this FREE series, you will learn to develop effective muscle memory and put your swing on Autopilot. This program reveals key positions in the golf swing that are the foundation for consistency.

Are you ready to play better than you ever thought possible? Click here to start building effective muscle memory.

]]>

Fix Your Golf Slice! A Step by Step System to Longer Drives

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ninety percent of golfers struggle with a slice year after year.

Do you take lessons, read golf books, watch instruction videos and buy training aids but can't seem to fix a slice?

Fix Your Golf Slice is a DIY step-by-step system that cuts through technical jargon and helps you build a consistent swing. The program reveals the cause and effect relationship of each part of the swing from address to impact.

The thirty-minute program will help you identify key positions and start hitting straighter, longer drives.

]]>

Ultimate Golf: A DIY System to A Consistent Swing

Dave Johnston, B.A.,Psychology — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Have you invested in lessons and ended up totally frustrated? Do you have a reasonable knowledge of swing mechanics but struggle with consistency? The Ultimate Golf program is a straightforward DIY system that lets you learn at your own speed.

The key to an effective golf swing is a clear understanding of cause and effect. Ultimate Golf illustrates the three essential elements in
every part of the game. These are the foundation for developing your unique swing.

Learn at your own pace. Cut through confusing technical jargon.

Join 2500 students who have discovered the "secret" to playing better than they ever thought possible!

Click here to join for 20% off! (limited time special).

]]>