In the mid 1990's Stanford - trained engineer Gary Craig turned the psychology world on its head with the introduction of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is a meridian-based therapy, often referred to as "do-it-yourself acupuncture without the needles". Instead you simply "tap" on a few "clearing points" on the face and body while focusing on the negative emotion, in order to "clear" it. Now I will show you how you can use it to positively affect your golf handicap!

Sounds a bit unusual, eh?

It is unusual.

But so are the results.

Gary and his team achieved "astonishing results" while working with war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These men had recurring nightmares, phobias, paranoia, shame and guilt among other socially crippling conditions and feelings. EFT was able to give them peace and hope in a matter of hours, where more traditional therapies had failed for years.

So what does this have to do with reducing your golf handicap?

Well, if EFT can help a war veteran with PTSD, then your first tee jitters, yips, or anxiety about hitting over water don't really stand a chance!

Try it for yourself and track your golf handicap over a period of four weeks.

The next time you are faced with a shot that is causing you any sort of negative emotion, do the following:

Step away from the ball.

Identify the negative feeling and focus on it while performing the "tapping" as described below.

1) Using the tips of your index and middle fingers, tap on the boney area about one inch directly below one eye - approximately 10 times.

2) Next tap 10 times on the boney area just outside the same side eye.

3) Then tap the insides of your wrists together approximately 10 times.

4) Finally, take a deep breath, step up to the ball and swing away.

Yes, it really can be that simple to eliminate the mental and emotional barriers between you and consistent peak performance.

The above demonstration is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the enormous potential inherent in these techniques to reduce your golf handicap and increase your enjoyment out on the links.