Golf – When to Say Uncle!

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 16 Comments

Today, was an unusual day for me. I was excited to have the opportunity to play in the afternoon after travelling for 3.5 hours home from helping my brother-in-law build his house. The forecast was for rain, but that does not stop me! With the Regional Military Competition in just 3 weeks, I need to hit the links as much as I can. So, I called my friend Jean and convinced him that it was only drizzling and it was suppose to clear up. After bribing him with coffee, he agreed to meet me at the course.

First green at Roundel Glen Golf Course! Just a little wet!

As we prepared to go out, our friends at the Proshop gave us the lazy eye and shook their heads in disbelief that we were heading out to play a round. I was still full of hope and confidence that the weather would quickly change and we would be playing in the sun and warm weather!

Well, the shroud of hope quickly turned to the realization that we would do well to finish the round! As the rain continue to pour down, it was like a boxer taking body blow after body blow!

As I walked up to my ball on the first hole, I realized that my dream of a great round continue to fade. But, ever the optimist, I refuse to give in. The fact the bunkers had 6 inches of water in them was nothing, I convinced myself that this was only one bunker and the rest would be fine.

Walking down the par 5, second fairway, we dodged a lake of puddles. I am not talking casual water, but standing water we could fish in! But, I was not to be deterred! It was going to get better….oh yeah, it started to rain harder!

Second green at Roundel Golf Course. Just a little wet!

When I reached the second green, I was convinced that my dream of a 18 holes today was still possible, but the probability of finishing was in question. As I saw the river flowing down the 2nd green, we realized that it might be time to look for an exit strategy!

With our course design, it was just as quick to play 3 and 4, then 8 and 9, then to just walk in. So that is what we did. We played six holes on a course that was actually unplayable. I was just fooling myself from the beginning. However, I am sure, if the rain had stopped I could have convinced my friend to play all 18 holes.

But since the rain has not stopped, and it is 2 hours since we left the course, it was a good decision to call ‘UNCLE’ and walk off the course! Having played 6 holes was fun and better than nothing, but tomorrow is another day and I am looking forward to hitting the links after work!

Have you ever left the course because of rain? Share your story!

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

A Winning Mindset in Golf

April 2, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

I was having the round of my life! As I walked towards the par 5, 18^th hole at Laurentide Golf Course (par 71), the realization that an eagle would help me shoot the lowest score of my life…a 68! Positioning ball on the tee box, to avoid the bunker 255 yards out to the right, put my mind in the proper state to execute the required shot. Going through my pre-shot routine, I hit the ball down the left side of the fairway into the first cut, but with a great lie. As I thought about my second shot, I decided the risk – reward is worth pulling my three-wood and going for the green. With a sand trap in the centre of the fairway 25 yards back from the green and a water hazard on the right about 75 yards from the green, the probability of me staying on the elevated green from 240 yards was remote. But, my short game was on fire that day, so I was confident that an up and down birdie was the worst that could happen! I went through my normal pre-shot routine, step of the ball and made solid contact.

The confidence from playing well on that day continued to grow. My ball landed just before trap, took a big bounce and stopped 10 yards from the green at the bottom of elevation. After realizing that my ball was lying in a good spot for my next shot, my thoughts turned to how to navigate the elevated green and sink that chip for my 68. I select my club (56 degree sand wedge) and went through my pre-shot routine. With confidence I hit the ball cleanly, landed it 15 feet from the pin, and watched it roll towards the hole.

As my ball continued to track towards the hole, my excitement started to rise. The ball took the proper break and what seemed like an eternity, everything looked awesome. As my ball struck the pin, I heard what I thought was a clap of thunder! My ball hit the pin, bounced back towards the lip of the hole, bounced forward and hit the pin again! I was yelling “GET IN, GET IN!” Well my ball stopped on the lip of the hole, disappointed and elated at the same time I tapped it for a birdie and a low score of the year a 69!

The ability to perform under pressure is a skill all golfers desire. As you can see from my adventure above, the pressure to hit a great shot on the last hole of an awesome round continued to mount! But, my ultimate success did not start on the 18th hole or even the first hole of that round. It actually started about three weeks before; when, after analysing my performance to date, I realized that I was not improving. I was just treading water!

I decided to change two things in my game. The first was the amount of time I spent chipping and putting. I decided to adopt the 80/20 rule. So I practiced my short game for 80 percent of my practice time. Of that, I divided my time 60/40 – 60 percent chipping and 40 percent putting. During my original 20 percent, I mixed up my clubs on the range with a majority of my focus on the 3, 4, and 5 hybrid. This practice regime significantly improved my up and down percentage and quickly increased my confidence around the green.

The other thing I changed was my attitude! I decided that ‘close’ was not good enough. I tried (and still struggle with from time to time) to eliminate all doubt when swinging a golf club. I decided that: a positive mental attitude, that I could hole every chip, and that all putts would drop, was the way forward. Combine this approach with my new expectation that any score over 75 was just not good enough help expand my winning mindset in golf! This approach helped shape my future successes and over the past 3 years, my handicap has continued to drop. Albeit slowly, it still continues to drop.

As I continue to prepare for the 2015 golf season, I will expand my winning mindset. I will increase my off course mental preparation through visualization, mental imagery, and a positive “I can do anything” attitude! This may sound silly, but everything I have read lately seems to point in this direction. Who am I to turn away from this message of success!

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

The Grateful Golfer!

August 24, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

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

After a week off from golf, I had time to reflect about my season and my golf experiences. I have to say, that I am a grateful golfer! For the past 10 years my game has improved both in score and experience. However, since starting The Grateful Golfer Blog in May 2012, all aspects of my golf game have improved! A year ago, I wrote a blog titled “What is Important in Golf” and that list has not changed. But I have a few new things to be grateful for:

The continued support from my beautiful wife! She keeps me grounded and focused on what is important in life and golf.
The new friends I have met at the Roundel Glen Golf Course. Their positive attitude keeps me motivated!
The awesome golf tips I receive from White Dragon Golf, All About Golf, the Crunchy Golfer, and MindBodyGolf. Also, their continued support for the past two years; they make it fun to talk about golf!
Connecting with hundreds of people from around the world who share the same passion I have for golf!
The support from strangers when things are not going well. The always extend words of encouragement!
Learning how to control my ego – this resulted in fewer errors in course management and lower scores!
How golf continues to teach me things about myself and others! It is a gentlemen’s game and by keeping that philosophy, it has helped shape some of the positive aspects of my life!
For my best scoring season ever! The conversations, tips, hits, drills and positive support from everyone has helped lower my handicap to 2.8. The lowest ever!
The laughs, joys, jokes, and camaraderie I have with my regular golfing group. I look forward to our weekend games and appreciate their company every time!

As you can see, my being grateful is not completely tied to how I score on the golf course. This year, I did play well, but I attribute much of my success to those around me. The have all helped reshape how I approach my golf game and as a result, I have experienced many great things on and off the course. There is no question that Norman Vincent Peale was correct when he said “Change your thoughts and you change your world!”

Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, supports, advises, and passes on my ramblings! Golf is a fantastic sport, but the real treasure is in the connections we make with other golfing fanatics!

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

Playing Well in Golf and Life

December 14, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Image from: http://tankedpodcast.com/tanked-home/2011/9/2/tanked-169-clown-golfing.html

Having Fun at Golf and Life!

Have you ever noticed that when you are scoring really well in golf you are doing really well in life? When you are enjoying your life and everything is going fantastic your golf scores are consistently low. Do you think this is by accident or is there some relationship between them both?

There is no question that your golf game is effected by your attitude towards life. Walking on to the first tee with a smile on your face (figuratively or actually) sets your mind in the proper place to play well on the course. Dr. Bob Rotella from Golf Digest states that there are 10 things a player must do in every competitive round; If you look closely, they also equate to life:

Play to play great. Don’t play not to play poorly.
Love the challenge of the day, whatever it may be.
Get out of results and get into process.
Know that nothing will bother or upset you on the golf course, and you will be in a great state of mind for every shot.
Playing with a feeling that the outcome doesn’t matter is always preferable to caring too much.
Believe fully in yourself so you can play freely.
See where you want the ball to go before every shot.
Be decisive, committed and clear.
Be your own best friend.
Love your wedge and your putter.

The same points for life:

Live life to its fullest. Don’t just exist.
Love the challenge of the day, whatever it may be.
Get out of results and get into process.
Know that nothing will bother or upset you during your day, and you will be in a great state of mind for what ever comes your way.
Live with feeling.
Believe fully in yourself so you can live freely.
See where you want your life to go.
Be decisive, committed and clear.
Be your own best friend.
Be Grateful and love your life.

There is a direct relationship between playing well in golf and life. It really is up to you to decide how well your golf game can be! The first step to playing well, as in life, is to make the decision to do those positive changes to lower your score. Anyone can do it – including you!

I am a grateful golfer! Enjoy the holiday season!