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I think a golfer, if his coach told him "the first thing to do is shave," would very likely comply immediately.  If I were the second coach I might tell him "fire Scott Boras."  Greed for success is stitched tightly into Ackley's personality, if you ask me.
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Ackley RETAINS a very plus HIT tool in the majors - his swinging strike rate is extremely low.  The eye confirms.  Ackley can tell a strike from a ball, and he can make hard contact, better than most current MLB'ers.
However, he just can't make the PWR game work against MLB pitching -- in AAA he still hits plenty of 2B and HR, despite the wood bats -- but against top quality pitching, each time he tries to drive the ball, his entire game goes south.
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Could be that the stadium is a huge part of the problem.  But it looks from here, as well, as though Ackley doesn't know how to cope with a role that is contrary to his self-image.
Contrast Logan Morrison, who is not being fairly rewarded for his excellent swings this month, but who maintains a centered approach.  It's not a fair comparison, but it's an illustration of the Zen point you make Moe.  Golfers are extremely expert w/r/t the connection between attitude and performance.
I have no doubt that, one day, Ackley will play 2B for somebody (say, the Rangers) and hit .300/.380/.460, becoming one of the game's best players, another Dustin Pedroia.  But I despair of it happening here -- at Safeco Field, and with all of the negative conditioning he's gotten here.
Change of scenery guy.
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50 cpoints