Have you ever given any thought to why you don’t improve at golf?
You take lessons, you spend good time at the driving range pounding golf balls, trying to dig the secrets of the game out of the dirt. You devour every bit of information on the game that you can and somehow, it’s still lacking. You still suck at golf.
Golf is such a complicated endeavor that it’s easy to focus on the wrong things. It’s so personal that simple things can make a world of difference to the results we all so desperately seek. We watch the best players in the world and try to emulate their every mannerism on the golf course, thinking that it will make a difference, but it doesn’t. The only thing that happens is that we slow our games to a near halt.
So, what can we do that will make a difference?
The great Bobby Jones once said, “Golf is played mainly on a 5 1/2 inch course; the space between your ears.” Golf is a mental game with physical components. It’s a strategy game against the golf course, the elements and the rest of the field. But it is the mental component that carries the most weight.
I spent many hours on the range beating countless golf balls trying to develop the control that I so coveted over the golf ball. I practice putting every day and my short game before every round of golf. By the time I tee it up, everything seems to be in place and ready for the round of my life. Instead, something happens out there that just derails the whole train.
The problem here is the weight of expectations and the associated anxieties. I had stopped “playing” golf. I got so caught up expecting a good score because of the work that I’d put in that I had forgotten how to just go out on the golf course and just play. The improvements I saw in practice created expectations, and this increased the anxiety level especially when under pressure. Things began to improve as soon as I let go and just played.
It wasn’t anything that I planned on or consciously set out to do; it was something that just developed while I worked on my game. When I missed a shot or missed a green, it stopped affecting me negatively. I just thought to myself, “I can still make par from there,” and went about my business. I stopped thinking and just reacted to the situation. I took what I got and made the best of it.
Call it emotional acceptance. I began to accept the fact that I couldn’t hit them all well and stopped beating myself up over it. I began to relax and enjoy the game. I began looking at my misses as opportunities for creativity instead of beating myself up over them. I became child-like in my approach and began to play, really play, the game.
The process isn’t over yet, there are still more secrets to dig out of the ground, but I genuinely feel that I am on the verge of something really good here. It’s the beginning of a new journey in the game.
The takeaway from all of this is that if you really want to improve your scores, it is important to focus on the aspect of playing the game. Forget expectations and anxiety, they have no place in the game. No one hits it perfect every time. Not even Tiger Woods. Why be so hard on yourself if you miss? Bring back that inner child in you. Just play.
It’s not necessary to strike the ball perfectly to score well. It is playing to your strengths that matter. It’s creating a strategy which plays to your strengths. You might not have the physical prowess to hit the ball 300 yards, but you can develop a recovery game. You might not be able to reach greens in regulation, but you can leave yourself in good spots from which to save par. It need not be pretty, just effective.
Take stock of your game. Make a brutally honest assessment. Don’t get caught up in the fluff and minutia of the game; focus on the essentials. Learn how to play the game; every facet of it. Revel in it. Find a coach that can work with you to create a strategy for your improvement, take you out of your comfort zone and your game to the next level.
I may have stumbled upon all this by accident, but since you’re reading this, you have a chance to do something extraordinary with your game. Don’t pass it up.
Image credits: Jeana Miranda