The world’s No. 1 player has been absent from golf since the President’s Cup. Tiger Woods said in an interview last week that he hadn’t touched a club in two months. And like most of us, after taking a break from golf, Tiger said that when he did finally hit some balls that he hit it great. His exact words were “I hit it like a God, and then the next day like a 5-handicapper and the day after that like an 18-handicapper.”

I am sure that Tiger will get back on track before the new year, but why is that after taking a break from playing, the swing may feel great, but then after a round or two there is an immediate lose of confidence and our old self returns? Most likely it is because, after an absence from the game, we are relaxed and have no expectations about how we are going to hit the ball, but then after a few shots, our minds kick in and we start thinking about our swing and try too hard. The relaxed, tension free swing is lost.

As the winter approaches, most of us will have to take some sort of break from golf, so this is a perfect time to work on one of the most neglected parts the game-the mental side. Why not take some time away from the golf course to work on some relaxation and visualization techniques? Why not access your game and set some goals for yourself to become a better mental player?

Take stock of your game and figure out what your playing personality and mental tendencies are. I suggest taking a mental profile. I use The Mental Workshop Profile with my students.

Developed by a very smart guy named Bobby Foster who is a Certified Behavioral Analyst specializing in the DISC Behavioral Style Model. His Mental Profiles system generates personalized information for working on your mental game just as video and launch monitors produce personalized information for working on your swing and customizing your equipment. The profile works great for self-coaching as well as for collaborating with your instructor or coach.

For about the price of a private golf lesson, you’ll spend about 10 minutes answering seventeen multiple-choice questions on the online questionnaire. Your answers go through a series of mathematical computations to produce a 21-page customized report detailing your tendencies.

Your personalized profile will detail your mental tendencies in these five key areas of the game:

• Preparing For The Round

• Mental Tendencies When Playing Shots

• Golf Temperament

• Course Management And Shot Selection Tendencies

• Working Most Effectively With Instructors Based On Your Learning Style

Armed with your results, you can then work on simple exercises to improve your mental focus. So take some time this winter break and work a little on the mental side of your game.