A case in point: some time back, I noticed a married couple walking arm and arm into an event, and he sported a golf shirt bearing the name of a prominent golf magazine. So I said, "Hi. Do you work for that magazine, or are you just wearing the shirt?"



"I'm one of the editors," he puffed.

"Good. I'm hypnotist Michelle Beaudry, and would you like to know why we hypnotists chuckle at you golfers when we get together?"

Of course he did, and said so. Smilingly I began, "You golfers always show up on time, you already know it works, you happily pay the fee, you follow instructions to the letter, but..."

He eyed me narrowly as I raised my voice in a flourish, "But, you golfers never refer."

He burst out laughing, nodding and bobbing his head. The woman on his arm looked aghast. "Oh, yeah,” he said, "I went to a hypnotist for golf..."

Her jaw dropped. "You went to a hypnotist? And you didn't tell me? I'm your wife!"

"Oh, yeah, I went. Loved it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she pleaded.

I interjected, "Because they never do. Golfers never tell anyone about their secret weapon."

"That's what it is, "he agreed, "a secret weapon. And I never told a soul."

See? Golfers don't even tell their wives.

Why? Because the word "hypnosis" bears creepy connotations born of bad Hollywood films and ill-informed tv writers. There has never been a single film or tv show that accurately portrays what hypnosis is or why it works so well. Golfers don't care about the movies, they care about their game. And they whisper in low voices, spreading rumors on the links...

"Did you hear that Tiger Woods uses a hypnotist?"

"All the pros do."

"Really?"

Most golf pros do indeed hire "sports consultants" who use "visualization" to help them conquer the mental game of golf. Be not fooled. These sports consultants are hypnotists, use hypnosis, and someday when the general public wakes up to the truth, we all all be able to use the "H Word" loudly and proudly. It is not mind control, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the occult. It has everything to do with improving your game. Or your life.

In one simple two hour session, all the improvement areas golfers typically need can be covered. These include setting a peak performance trigger, implanting a clean slate for every new tee-up, processing self-forgiveness of all past golf mistakes, raising their ceiling of excellence, creating permission to excel, installing a shield against distractions, and so much more. It can even be done over the phone.

You've seen pros use their peak performance triggers many times on tv, like when one of them always taps his or her cap or presses a thumb and finger together before every shot. We hypnotists attach an excellent golf shot of the past to the trigger, so that same quality of excellence is accessed time and time again. It works consistently and well. Surprisingly, golfers often plateau at a too-low level of competence because it can feel risky to excel. Yet once in hypnosis, they process old emotional programming and raise their ceiling of excellence. And voila: better golf.

All hypnosis does is set your conscious mind aside and access your stronger, more powerful subconscious. And there are lots of ways this happens to you every day. When you read a book, for instance, you are actually just looking at ink on a piece of paper; yet, in your mind's eye, you see all the action in bright living color. Yes, reading a novel does indeed automatically put you into a light trance state (provided you like the book). Falling in love puts you into a deep trance state. Yes, all of us have been in hypnosis over and over again without even knowing it.

Hypnotists operate under the same federal laws as doctors and psychologists. We may not disclose to any third party the name of any client. Our clients, on the other hand, may of course disclose our names, and they do, happily referring us to their friends and family. I get referrals from clients all the time.

Except golfers. I'm their secret weapon, and they ain't tellin' nobody.