Forget the Past and Embrace Your Future

/ The Grateful Golfer

Our future successes on the golf course are limitless. I truly believe that I can improve my state of play every time I hit the links. If I did not, then what would be the point of playing? Wait, there is the joy of hitting a pure shot, watching the ball flight of a perfectly struck 7-iron and the sound of the ball dropping after a 50 foot putt; but these things are a given and speak to the pure enjoyment side of golf. But what about being a better player; where is that rooted?

By regularly hitting the links, I have ample opportunity to see the same shot over and over. If you thing about it, after approximately 170,000 shots (this is a conservative number not including practice) over the years, the odds of me being in the same situation are fairly high. With this in mind, how do I make sure that my current shot will be successful?

First and foremost, forget the past. Our golf minds have a tendency to quickly think of the poor shot made in the past. In amateurs, unlike professionals, our minds generally gravitates towards failure, not success. This is a real challenge; negative thinking instills fear, self-doubt and a case of the ‘can’ts’.

At The Grateful Golfer, we always discuss being positive  and the importance of a winning attitude. However, we are all human and the plague of poor shots is always on the periphery looking in. To keep the blackness at bay, forgetting your past shots is the key to embracing your future. Golf shots are essentially snapshots in time and the less we think during the actual mechanics, the better.

The less we think about poor past shots only set us up for success in the future. While playing, I have a very specific pre-shot routine. I think of many aspects of my swing, but like Bobby Jones in the movie “Bagger Vance”, I stop thinking once everything is set. I do not think about the past, but focus on the immediate with the intent of making a great shot. Therefore, as you play your next round, try forgetting the past and embracing your future; I bet you will find greater success in your golf score.

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

6 thoughts on “Forget the Past and Embrace Your Future”

  2. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I liked the “Ask, Believe, Receive.” especially.

    I had a really slow start today with my irons. My first 18 was pitiful. I didn’t wake up until hole 13 or so. So I went around again. Played much better on the second round. Those last couple of holes were hard on my back, but I got through them without blowing it. Windy and tough out there today, but my problem wasn’t the breeze. It was my setup and I just didn’t realize what it was exactly until late. Even a year after my lesson, I still sometimes slip back into old habits without noticing. Especially with the grip like today.

    The big thing was that I didn’t let it get me down. I just kept trying to figure it out and was finally rewarded. I think it’s harder to find the fix though when you are warming up as you play rather than doing it on the range. Unfortunately, a range is one thing my home course lacks. So my only option is to play nine 1st, or like today, play 18 first. Good thing I don’t have to do anything tomorrow though. That’s 70 holes of golf between Thursday and Saturday. I might not be able to move again until Monday.

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    • Kevin

      You are a machine. That is a lot of golf in a short time. Glad to hear that thongs are working out for you. Our course does not have a range either and I find other ways to practice. I am planning to build a driving net in my back yard this summer, that should help. Have a good rest an good luck on Monday!

      Cheers
      Jim

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