When Life Gets in the Way

January 25, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

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?

Sweet Music and Golf

January 19, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

I was listening to some music yesterday and was struck by the wonderful sound. They were playing an acoustic guitar and effortlessly moved from note to note. The resulting sound was most rewarding and I was grateful to have heard it. So, I picked up my guitar (which I decided I wanted to learn how to play as a new years resolution) and plucked out some not so soothing sounds. Then it struck me that when I am playing golf or watching an excellent player, I feel the same as listening to someone play the guitar…..it is sweet music.

Some may suggest that this is a long stretch, but just think about it for a moment. When the ball is hit pure the sound is instantly noticeable and a smile usually comes to players face. Same as when you are listening to your favorite song.

Walking on the course early in the morning is like listening to a symphony orchestra. The wind is gently blowing in the trees, the birds are singing, the frogs are croaking, you hear your repetitive foots steps on the wet grass and the sun is rising over the trees. If you close your eyes when listening to classical music and think of playing golf you will know exactly what I mean.

So what am I really talking about? The right music puts most people into a mental state where they believe they can accomplish anything. Music can set the stage for success. When preparing for something special, many people listen to music to put them in the right mood before they have to perform. Athletes, especially, listen to music all the time to mentally prepare themselves to their sporting activity.

Mentally preparing for golf is no different. Preparing for success will result in better focus, greater consistency and be more apt to believe they can succeed. Being in the “right frame of mind” has many benefits and most of which is a more enjoyable time on the golf course.

I listen to music before I play and notice a difference. You may too!

How do you mentally prepare for golfing?

What do you Listen to on the Golf Course?

December 12, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

What do you listen to on the golf course? As silly as it sounds, this is a very important question. What you hear sets your attitude, focus and mental state. No really, it has a tremendous impact on your game. So what exactly do I mean?

You are on the first green and lining up your putt. The people on the tee box near by are laughing, joking and making lots of noise. You step away and start over. Your inner voice is saying how inconsiderate they are and you miss your putt because you lost your focus. You were listening to your inner voice and went to a dark place.

You are on the first green, the birds are singing, the sun is shining and you are totally focused on your game. Your inner voice is saying “WOW! What a great day!” You feel comfortable and your inner voice is sending you to a great place. You listen, play well and stay totally in the grove.

I know when I am losing my focus while playing. I talk to myself about what is going on, what I am going to do after the game, I wonder what is for supper…etc. When I catch myself, and believe me sometimes I don’t, I tell myself to focus and get my head in the game. I start to talk about my pre-shot routine and how successful I am going to be on the next how. The power of positive thought works for me most of the time, but sometimes…

Ultimately, your inner voice is something that we listen to all the time. It sets the stage for success or can lead us down into a deep dark hole. So the next time you are playing, think positive, listen to your positive inner voice and enjoy your time on the links! I am a grateful golfer.

The Total Collapse of Your Game!

December 10, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Image from: http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/top-10-photo-galleries-meltdowns/

Adam Scott at the 2012 British Open

Playing golf is tough! Anyone who says that golf is easy has never really experienced the total collapse of their game. I mean a the complete inability to make any stroke; you have a case of the yips; or you are not sure where the ball is going!

I am sure everyone reading this right now is saying, yup been there done that. I was playing in a tournament last year and was even par after 13 holes. I was hitting the ball extremely well, the hole looked like a garbage can lid, and my focus was razor-sharp. Then walking down 13 something changed. I have no idea what it was, but it was something. What started my downfall was a pulled 6 iron into a green side bunker. Lying two, I thought up and down and away we go. After a smooth double bogey and six more over par, I finished my round with round with an 80. Needless to say I started to second guess everything about my swing and finished sixth in the tournament and struggled for 2 weeks after.

After the tournament I thought about what went wrong with my swing. And I finally came to the conclusion that nothing happened. It was all mental. I realized that I had convinced myself that something was wrong. Once I figured that out, my game went back to normal, but what a lesson.

After reading the top 10 collapses of 2012 from the Golf Channel, my little collapse is paltry at best! You can read them all, but I bet you can guess which were the top two were. At number two – Adam Scott at the British Open and at number one – The US Team at the Ryder Cup.

My point of all this is that golf games collapse, golf games thrive and golf games….well you can add your own statement here. Golf is a tough game and it does take quite a bit of skill to be successful, however a positive mental attitude is just as important as physical prowess. Having confident in yourself will bring rich rewards on and off the course. I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links.

Seeing Past a Hazard

November 19, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

I was watching The Legend of Baggar Vance last night. It is a good golf movie about a war veteran who lost his game, control of his life and the desire to change anything. As he slowly gained back his golf game with the help of an odd caddy, he became empowered to gain control over his demons. Overall, it was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it.

In one scene, Rannulph Junuh was in the woods and was playing very poorly. He was struggling with his game and his grip on reality. He was going to reach down and move the ball when Baggar Vance started talking to him about how the game of golf was particularly odd. Baggar Vance was discussing how changing ones thoughts could change the outcome of events. Through this discussion, Rannulph Junuh changed his focus and concentrated on the shot at hand. Originally the hole through the trees looked like a baseball, but it slowly turned into an opening that he could drive a bus through. Junuh hit an amazing shot and turned his game around.

This story is an all too familiar one. We have all been in situations where we had to hit out the trees, hit over a pond or sand trap, not push the ball out-of-bounds, not hook the ball into a hazard or duff the ball off the tee because thought we needed a booming drive to be successful. Each one of these events has one thing in common – the player was focusing on the wrong thing. They focused on what not to do and what was in the way; instead of what to do and where they want the ball to land.

Positive Mental imagery of the entire shot is how a player sees past a hazard! Focusing on clearing the hazard and landing the ball safely does ensure success. Joan King has devoted a website to the power of positive mental imagery that may be worth a visit. As well, Mark Wright’s article “You Probably Already Know Golf Mental Imagery is the Key to Improving Your Golf” is another excellent article on golf imagery that will help anyone see past the hazard. Lastly, hititLonger.com has embedded video on this very important topic that is worth watching.

What you conceive and believe you can achieve! – Napoleon Hill

This famous quote applies was not intended for golf specifically, but it sure does apply. Seeing past a hazard is more than hitting and hoping. It starts with a positive mental image and ends with intended results. Golf is more than just a physical game!

See you on the links!