This question is asked daily on the golf course.  Everyone has a trusty club that they rely on to get out of trouble or to deliver that miracle shot.  When the club gets in their hand, their confidence grows, they focus more, and they see the upcoming success.  So is it really the club or something else?

I suggest that it is all mental instead of the club being magical!  On the flip side, how many of us have said, “I can never hit this club” and surprise you never do!  It is amazing and almost no fail.  I have a sports experience I want to share that may hammer my point home.

I was assisting a very successful volleyball coach a few years back and he said something one practice that really shaped my mental thinking about sports.  One of the players was trying learning a new skill and the player quickly got frustrated and said, “I just can’t do it”.  He looked them straight in the eye and said, “You are right! You cannot do it.  So take your shoes off and go home!”  The player was aghast.  After about 5 seconds, he said to the player “if you think and say you cannot do something – you will not do it.  I do not want to hear “I can’t” anymore on this court.”  Not surprisingly the player changed their view and were very successful learning skills in the future.

Image if every club was your favorite club!  I believe many of golf’s challenges are mental and a positive attitude goes a long way to having success on the links.

Remember what Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, said “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” and “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

See you on the links!  I am a grateful golfer.