Australian golfer Jason Day has taken psychological training to a new level in a bid to train his brain to tune in properly as he hits his shots.
The Queenslander is experimenting with a futuristic machine which he wears on his head and is supposed to beep when he is using the desired side of his brain.
Day says he believes it is already showing results – although from his 33rd place finish at the Cadillac Championship in Doral, Florida – won by Tiger Woods – that is debatable.
But he is adamant the wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) he has been testing for the past month helped him with his top-10 finish at Pebble Beach and third place in the World Golf Championships Match Play.
Day uses the device in practice to try to bring the right side of his brain into play, hoping it will work in tournaments.
"My mental game has improved 110 per cent since working with this system," Day told AAP. "It teaches me how to get in the zone, shows me what it feels like when I’m in the zone and allows me to work on replicating it.
"If the computer shows I’m using my right brain then I know I am focused.
"I missed just three greens in the last two rounds at Pebble Beach after getting used to it, something I’ve not done before.
"It was very difficult for me to measure my mental game before as I’d hit a shot feeling great over it and it would be good but feeling the same on the next one I’d cut the hell out of it," he said.
"A mental coach would just say the process was better on one or you were thinking positive thoughts but I had a hard time always believing that.
"This is actually measurable."
Day is trying to lift himself back into the top 10 after a disappointing past season.
"Last year I felt like I found excuses rather than put the blame on myself," Day said.
"I just didn’t work hard enough. And this year is totally different. I’ve got a lot of the stuff behind me…a lot of injuries happened last year, but that’s in the past now."
Day says he is determined to recapture his best form this season.
"I have goals, and one of them is to get back into the top 10," he said.
"I really think that I belong there, it’s just a matter of how hard I want it and how hard I need to work to get it, and that’s all it comes down to, the commitment and dedication that I put into my game will hopefully get me there."
By: Robert Grant