Feeling Inspired

February 18, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

What inspires you to excel? Have you ever been in a situation when watching athletes perform at an élite level sweeps you in to the moment? Has someone ever inspired you to achieve greater success in your life? These and many other similar questions are thinks that I think about from day-to-day.

This exact situation happened to me today while I was working out. As per my previous post about my goal to be a scratch golfer this year, I have embarked on a fitness program. So far I have been very successful and doing well at keeping to my 30 minutes of lifting weights and 30 minutes of cardio four days a week. Additionally, I throw in walks, yoga, squash and snow shoeing on the off days.

Anyway, as I was saying, while working out today I was watching the Olympics. Specifically, the 1000m woman’s speed skating relay race where Canadians were going for gold. As I watched the speed, precision and athleticism during the event, I found myself going faster and faster on the elliptical machine. It was crazy; next thing I knew I went one kilometer further than normal and felt great. As I watched, I unwittingly became inspired and exceeded my expectations for my work out. I thought this was pretty cool.

The more I thought about the situation, the more I realized that I am inspired by many of the people in my life. For example my darling wife who always knows how people are feeling and what to do; my friend who called me every week during some medical challenges I had a few years back; my friends in Hawaii who introduced me to the law of attraction and are LIVING their lives; my daughter who no matter what chooses what is best in any situation; I am truly blessed to be surrounded by inspiring people – I am grateful they are in my life.

So how does the relate to golf you may ask. Well, golf is a mental game. Every time you hit the links your mood, thoughts, attitude and mental awareness affect your game. This is one sport where it is beneficial to have the whole package – the mental and physical. My best scores have always come on the days when I felt inspired. It is difficult to sustain the euphoria of inspiration, but I believe having inspiring people in my life is a great way to start.

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

Golf for Laughs

February 5, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

If you can’t laugh at yourself, then how can you laugh at anybody else? I think people see the human side of you when you do that. Payne Stewart

Most golf blogs are serious and try to discuss different aspects of the golf swing. Some try to sell something or other, and yet some only focus on just the mental part of golfing. Also, some blogs, like this one, try to talk about all aspects of golf, even the lighter side. Sometimes its a bit overwhelming and most of the people forget that golf is about having fun! If you are not having fun golfing, then why play!

I thought it would be nice to look at the lighter side of golf. So here it goes…….

Four old men went into the pro shop after playing 18 holes of golf. The pro asked, “Did you guys have a good game today?” The first old guy said, “Yes, I had three riders today.” The second old guy said, “I had the most riders ever. I had five.” The third old guy said, “I had seven riders, the same as last time.” The last old man said, “I beat my old record. I had 12 riders today.” After they went into the locker room, another golfer who had heard the old guys talking about their game went to the pro and said, “I’ve been playing golf for a long time and thought I knew all the terminology of the game, but what’s a rider?” The pro said, “A rider is when you hit the ball far enough to actually get in the golf cart and ride to it.” — Howard P. Curtis

A golfer standing on a tee overlooking a river sees a couple of fishermen and says to his partner, “Look at those two idiots fishing in the rain.”

A pretty pathetic golfer was getting frustrated with his lousy game and began blaming his mistakes on his experienced caddie. As the round came to an end, the golfer said, “You have to be the worst caddie in the whole wide world.” To which the caddie replied, “I don’t think so, sir. That would be too much of a coincidence.”

Q: Are you a scratch player?
A: I sure am – every time I hit the ball I scratch my head and wonder where it went.

Brand new golf balls are attracted to water, and the power of the attraction is in direct proportion to how much the balls cost.

I hope you had a good laugh!

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

The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

January 26, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

This is a great article for discussion. Is there really a mind-body connection in golf? I believe there is – especially for competitive players. What do you think?

The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer

This week I am going to discuss the mind-body connection. First lets look at one of the biggest mind-body disconnects in the history of golf. It happened in one of the most memorable majors of all time, the 1986 Masters. We are going to look at only two players, Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros, and one hole, the par 5 15th. So lets look at the timeline.

Nicklaus is on the 15th tee and Seve is on the 13th green with about an 8 foot eagle putt. At this moment Jack is -5 and Seve is -7.

Jack hits a great drive right down the middle and as he is walking down the fairway, Seve makes the eagle putt to go nine under par.

Jack is 204 from the pin and hits a 4 iron within 12 feet and makes the putt for an eagle to go to -7

Seve hits the drive of the day on…

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Going for Scratch

January 21, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 12 Comments

Well my first steps towards being a scratch golfer have been very successful. While I am still working out the details as to my fitness schedule, I have hit the gym three times in two days and oh yeah I am very sore. This is typical when starting a new fitness program and I am not concerned that I am having a hard time getting out of a chair.

Regardless, through the years I have realized there is always one thing that is truly important to the success of reaching a goal. Some will say organization, others support, and still others a solid plan. Although these things are important, they are not the most important aspects to my success.

For me it is accountability. I create an excel spread sheet, write down each activity accomplished and continually adjust my plan to keep improving. Also, I talk about my goals with my wife and friends. Lastly, I measure my fitness success by recording my slow increase in the amount of weights lifted.

This year, I am adding something new. I am going to keep a running total on my successes and how I carry out my goals. This new step will provide that extra incentive required to be successful.

This year is going to be a great journey. I am looking forward to all the challenges and enjoyment of reaching my goals. As my trek to being a better golfer unfolds, do not hesitate to offer suggestions and hints to help me along the way.

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

A Growth Mindset About Golf

January 19, 2014October 8, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 16 Comments

If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and this is a challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what the new day brings – Susan Polis Schultz

The desire to play, practice, report, discuss, read or dream about one specific thing can have an awesome effect on ones life. It is important to have a goal that makes you happy and stokes the desire to achieve greatness. For some it is building furniture, others helping the less fortunate, or for some being an expert in a particular field of study. There really are no limitations. Only the person can decide.

Over the years, many goals have come and gone. Some were accomplished, some not. Regardless, having a goal has always helped me focus on whatever I wanted to achieve. Through it all, there have been two lifetime goals that I have always kept close.

First is my family. To be the best husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend I can be. This is an ongoing goal and one that will last my lifetime.

The second goal is to be a scratch golfer. To be a scratch golfer takes discipline, willingness to be a student, openness to try new things and a mental focus that is sharper than most. Through the years, this goal has faded in and out because of life, but has periodically rose from the ashes of neglect like a fiery Phoenix.

This year, I find that desire rising again. So after some introspection, I decided to go for it and have come up with a four step plan. Here it is:

get fit – focus on exercises designed to improve my golf game;
research – the drills and techniques required to improve my game;
practice – dedicate time to practice to improve my game; and
compete – either formally or informally compete every time I hit the links.

This may seem like a simple plan, but I assure you it is not. Over the next few months, I will be sharing what I find, my progress, and how I refine each step to achieve my goal.

My first step starts today – I must develop a growth mindset! I have to change my thoughts from “I think” to “I can” – I believe I have no limitations and I will achieve my goal. I am ready for the challenge. The Power of Belief – Mindset and Success: Eduardo Briceno at TEDxManhattanBeach is a great video that explains the attitude shift required to achieve my goal of being a scratch golfer.

This is going to be a fantastic year. I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!