Not making my living in the golf industry, I find that sometimes life gets in the way of life.  Sound confusing, well I know what you mean.  Life is to be experienced and enjoyed all the time.  I love my job and would consider it a calling.  As a military professional, the demands of my career sometimes reduces the time I have to dedicate towards my off hour activities (the fun stuff).  I am not fussed when this occurs because I believe everything that happens for a reason.  We are the architect of our own lives!

Sometimes we find ourselves running around like crazy working late, doing chores, running errands, taking our kids to whatever, or helping out a friend.  This can translated into players speeding to the golf course, jumping out of their car and running to the first tee.  They take a couple deep breaths and WHACK!  They are off first tee for a run around the course.  Usually, it takes three holes to really calm down and depending how they scored on the first three holes….longer.

Anytime we want to perform well, we generally schedule time to practice, prepare, and mentally focus on the task before starting.  Golf is no different.  Knowing that focus is very important to success on the golf course, I have a little trick I use to prepare for a round of golf when my life is getting in the way of my life.

When I arrive, I shut off my car, the radio, my phone and any other distraction.  I close my eyes and focus on my breathing.  I try not to think of anything at first; just my breath going in and out.  After about 2 minutes (and 2 minutes is longer than you think when focusing on just your breathing) I go through my round of golf in my head.  How well I am going to drive the ball; the accuracy of my wedge play; the confidence I have in my putter.  I go through this part of my preparation for about 2-3 minutes.  Then, just before I leave my car, I take a couple deep breaths and I am ready to play.

I find that this little 5 minute drill allows me to really focus on my game and enjoy my round of golf.  There are many such techniques to get ready.  Do you have any to share?