inner_game_coach

Thanks all! Got out and played a nice par 3 course in CT with my brother and dad. 

Happy Birthday @Dog Faced Pony Soldier, @inner_game_coach, and @Mrs Golf!!  Fairways and Greens today!!

Happy birthday @Dog Faced Pony Soldier, @inner_game_coach and @Mrs Golf. Have a great day!

If I want to score well I do some course management pre-round work. It can be fun if you like strategy. I'll honestly try to find photos or videos of the course online and plan out the round. I look first for trouble areas (like sand, ob, water, etc.) and circle them. Then i'll go through and starting from the green, plot out spots I'd ideally be in. For example - straight forward 400 yd par 4 - water down the right side. I'll put a point about 100yds from the green. Then going back a little more I'll plot a point 150yds behind that (comfy 8i) That means I have 150 yds left to the tee.
So, when it comes time to play, even if I take a hybrid off the tee (cause I know my tendency is to fade it right with Driver) it'll go 210-220, so I'll still have about 180 left to the green. So I know I can hit a 100yd shot and get it within that 100 yd plot point I made. Now I have less than 100 yds for an up and down par (or two putt bogey at worse) and I avoided the trouble on the right

12 seconds, you say? Surely you can’t be serious. I am serious; and don’t call me Shirley.
Studies show that “being present in the moment” lasts for approximately 12 seconds. 12 seconds. Sit and do nothing for 12 seconds right now. I’ll wait.
That felt like an eternity. But you also know that 12 seconds is no time at all. Especially when a golf shot takes up about 2 seconds of that. What can you even do with the other 10 seconds?
 
Breathe.
No really. Take a couple deep breaths and feel your shoulders relax and tension melt away.
Therein lies the beauty to being in the moment of your game. It’s actually kind of a perfect fit.
Instead of using those 12-15 seconds over the ball to go through your swing thought checklist, just take a few deep breaths instead.
Focusing on the breath is a form of mediation and it brings our awareness to the moment. Stepping up to your ball and bringing your awareness to this breath and to this shot can be all the difference in your game.
 
Not so simple
You know this. Your mind loves to run away when given any chance. Think about the last time you stepped up to a shot over water. You couldn’t get the water out of your head. The tape in your head playing back the clear future where you either dunk it into the drink or chunk it short. Your chest tightened up and you couldn’t feel your hands.
We tend to play scared when we don’t trust our abilities. The only opponent you have in golf is you. And you beat yourself all the time. You’re so good at playing defense against you.
“Mastery over the game is really mastery over yourself” - Jayne Storey
You’ve been conditioning yourself for years to overthink and overanalyze every shot. You search your memory trying to pull at every thread for advice and tips of the past. This is especially true when you feel like your game is off - when something feels like it needs to change. We don’t allow ourselves to sit in the hard feelings.
 
Master those 12 seconds
It starts before you get on the course. Meditate.
You don’t need to be a monk or spiritual guru and meditate for extended periods of time. Try 3-5 minutes a day where you do nothing but focus on your breath. When your mind strays (I promise it will), practice bringing it back to the breath. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just you learning what it will be like when your mind strays on the course.
Next time you leave yourself with a less than ideal shot, instead of panicking and inducing the fight or flight response, stop, take a couple breaths and immerse yourself in the moment.
You keep practicing that, there’s no telling how good your game can get.
 
What would your game look like if you hacked those 12 seconds of being present every shot?

12 seconds, you say? Surely you can’t be serious. I am serious; and don’t call me Shirley.
Studies show that “being present in the moment” lasts for approximately 12 seconds. 12 seconds. Sit and do nothing for 12 seconds right now. I’ll wait.
That felt like an eternity. But you also know that 12 seconds is no time at all. Especially when a golf shot takes up about 2 seconds of that. What can you even do with the other 10 seconds?
 
Breathe.
No really. Take a couple deep breaths and feel your shoulders relax and tension melt away.
Therein lies the beauty to being in the moment of your game. It’s actually kind of a perfect fit.
Instead of using those 12-15 seconds over the ball to go through your swing thought checklist, just take a few deep breaths instead.
Focusing on the breath is a form of mediation and it brings our awareness to the moment. Stepping up to your ball and bringing your awareness to this breath and to this shot can be all the difference in your game.
 
Not so simple
You know this. Your mind loves to run away when given any chance. Think about the last time you stepped up to a shot over water. You couldn’t get the water out of your head. The tape in your head playing back the clear future where you either dunk it into the drink or chunk it short. Your chest tightened up and you couldn’t feel your hands.
We tend to play scared when we don’t trust our abilities. The only opponent you have in golf is you. And you beat yourself all the time. You’re so good at playing defense against you.
“Mastery over the game is really mastery over yourself” - Jayne Storey
You’ve been conditioning yourself for years to overthink and overanalyze every shot. You search your memory trying to pull at every thread for advice and tips of the past. This is especially true when you feel like your game is off - when something feels like it needs to change. We don’t allow ourselves to sit in the hard feelings.
 
Master those 12 seconds
It starts before you get on the course. Meditate.
You don’t need to be a monk or spiritual guru and meditate for extended periods of time. Try 3-5 minutes a day where you do nothing but focus on your breath. When your mind strays (I promise it will), practice bringing it back to the breath. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just you learning what it will be like when your mind strays on the course.
Next time you leave yourself with a less than ideal shot, instead of panicking and inducing the fight or flight response, stop, take a couple breaths and immerse yourself in the moment.
You keep practicing that, there’s no telling how good your game can get.
 
What would your game look like if you hacked those 12 seconds of being present every shot?

Probably because the golf marketers focus on selling $$$ clubs vs. one time $ mental coaching sessions. Over the past 10 + years I've had a few instructors,  none mentioned the mental side of the game. Their instruction, which always focused on swing mechanics,  reminds me of a quote from my 1st year psychology class; "when you're a hammer you see everything as a nail".  I would think that the best players are the ones that always have a great 'mental' game coach at their side simply because the pressure is so great. Sometimes it's a psychologist, sometimes it's a caddie with a unique skill. 
Because I seem to always kill a great round with a few blow-up holes - always in a row,  I have been focusing on the mental game I believe this part of the game is more difficult, at least for me, then  swing mechanics.  

12 seconds, you say? Surely you can’t be serious. I am serious; and don’t call me Shirley.
Studies show that “being present in the moment” lasts for approximately 12 seconds. 12 seconds. Sit and do nothing for 12 seconds right now. I’ll wait.
That felt like an eternity. But you also know that 12 seconds is no time at all. Especially when a golf shot takes up about 2 seconds of that. What can you even do with the other 10 seconds?
 
Breathe.
No really. Take a couple deep breaths and feel your shoulders relax and tension melt away.
Therein lies the beauty to being in the moment of your game. It’s actually kind of a perfect fit.
Instead of using those 12-15 seconds over the ball to go through your swing thought checklist, just take a few deep breaths instead.
Focusing on the breath is a form of mediation and it brings our awareness to the moment. Stepping up to your ball and bringing your awareness to this breath and to this shot can be all the difference in your game.
 
Not so simple
You know this. Your mind loves to run away when given any chance. Think about the last time you stepped up to a shot over water. You couldn’t get the water out of your head. The tape in your head playing back the clear future where you either dunk it into the drink or chunk it short. Your chest tightened up and you couldn’t feel your hands.
We tend to play scared when we don’t trust our abilities. The only opponent you have in golf is you. And you beat yourself all the time. You’re so good at playing defense against you.
“Mastery over the game is really mastery over yourself” - Jayne Storey
You’ve been conditioning yourself for years to overthink and overanalyze every shot. You search your memory trying to pull at every thread for advice and tips of the past. This is especially true when you feel like your game is off - when something feels like it needs to change. We don’t allow ourselves to sit in the hard feelings.
 
Master those 12 seconds
It starts before you get on the course. Meditate.
You don’t need to be a monk or spiritual guru and meditate for extended periods of time. Try 3-5 minutes a day where you do nothing but focus on your breath. When your mind strays (I promise it will), practice bringing it back to the breath. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just you learning what it will be like when your mind strays on the course.
Next time you leave yourself with a less than ideal shot, instead of panicking and inducing the fight or flight response, stop, take a couple breaths and immerse yourself in the moment.
You keep practicing that, there’s no telling how good your game can get.
 
What would your game look like if you hacked those 12 seconds of being present every shot?

Tiger Woods. A name that carries weight. In this house he is the undisputed greatest to ever do it. Be more like Tiger; easier said than done.
There are countless examples of his superior mental game, but I want to expand on just one at the moment.
When I say Augusta 2019, I can tell you two things that stick out to you - 1. Tiger winning his 15th major and 2. Francesco Molinari blowing up his final round with multiple water balls.
Molinari was looking strong through 3.5 solid rounds at the Master’s on that Sunday of play. It looked like he was going to hold onto it through the back nine.
That is until hole 12, when the wheels feel off. He found the water in front of the green and he carded a double bogey while Tiger ended up with a routine par - leading to a shared top spot between the two.
I can’t say with certainty what caused the water ball at the 12th for Molinari but I can venture a guess that after that hole, the pressure had gotten to him.
Instead of playing the field, he was now in a race with himself, and his mind was in the lead. Doubt crept into his mind and after another ball in the water on the 15th you knew Molinari was all but out of the tournament. He went from contender to pretender in the span of a few holes. It didn’t matter how well he played for 3 days prior , it didn’t matter about how good his swings and shots looked for the week, he will always be remembered that year for the mental collapse he had on the back 9.
One the other side of the coin, we have Tiger, who by all stretches of the imagination should not have been in this position after everything he had been through over the past 10 years. There was a point when he believed he’d never play again. But this guy has the strongest mental game in golf. He could’ve have easily talked himself into retirement more than once and no one would’ve blamed him. He’s had one of the most successful careers you could have. But he believed he could still win. And belief is all he needed. He played that Sunday without doubts and carried himself to a win. And that’s not to say he played perfectly, he also had bad shots. The only difference is that he did not carry them with him to the next shot. He would step up, not question his swing or why that last shot ended up where it did; he gave it another rip, knowing he was capable of the shot he wanted or needed to pull off.
He is a masterclass in patience, resilience, and will. He was always known for not showing a ton of emotion while playing, only to have a huge release at the end. It’s not because he didn’t feel emotions; it’s because he knew that allowing elation or frustration or any other emotion would cause overthinking and tension to creep into his swing.
Even after years of examples of his mental game, the best to ever do it, a majority of golfers are so caught up in the swing and improving their own.
So why aren’t we putting more focus into to improving our mental game? Take the best golfer you know and put them in a fried egg in a pot bunker and ask them how they’re feeling. All the technique and YouTube lessons in the world can’t help them outperform their mind.

Great job!  I finally broke 80 with a 79 five or six weeks ago.  I’ve come close multiple times but something always happened.  I never add my score until finished but I know when I’m doing well, but when I shot the 79 I did feel it might be the one.  I was hitting drives and approach shots extremely well and even had the thought, or confidence I was going to continue with great shots. Ironically, last week I as looking at my GHIN scores and noticed I had a 78 for two combined 9 hole rounds. And both segments were for a par 37.  But I don’t really count that as breaking 80 since it wasn’t done together. I’m sure you will break 80 again! 

Absolutely!  Glad you liked it!

I stood on the 18th tee not aware of my score - it is recorded automatically through Arccos. I knew I was playing well (to my standards) but it didn’t feel lights out. There were some mishits, but they were saved. Some short putts that were missed. I didn’t even card a single birdie - which I have done in the past multiple time and still card in the high 80's, low 90's
I put a drive about 245 into the fairway - I am not a long hitter. I had 135 left to the front of the green, pin set 10 paces on. I stood over my bag and without thinking or making judgments, I let myself pull my 8i. On the range my 8 is my 150 club - but I took the ego out of the situation and trusted my feeling. I put a smooth swing on it and the ball just cleared the sand trap guarding the right of the green - pin high, 10 yards to the right of my target.
So, when stepped up the 18th green at Architects to take my 35ft birdie putt, I was surprised to see that I had shot a 75 through 17 holes and that if I carded a par here, I’d break 80 and my lowest round ever. I immediately got nervous and though there was no one to care about my score and no crowds watching me, I felt this perceived pressure mounting. Something I had avoided for 17 holes. I let my thoughts get the best of me and I left myself with a nerve-wracking 5ft left. I became acutely aware of my tense upper body so I took a deep breath and allowed my shoulders to relax. “This truly doesn’t matter one way or the other”, I told myself. I stepped up the ball after getting my read and I imagined the feeling of picking the ball out of the cup and took my shot. It landed true and I finished the hole with a par. 79.
While I celebrate that accomplishment, I know that some days will be better or worse than others and that I should not feel defeated if the next time I go out I shoot an 89. Expectation is the enemy of enjoyment.
Up until that round I hadn’t played 18 in 3 or 4 weeks. I had been to the range a bunch because I am one of those nuts that loves to practice. But practice has been different lately. Instead of trying to “perfect” a certain swing, or come more from the inside, or hitting the ball first, I am working to practice what I preach - learning how to feel and getting my mind in the right space to play. I am learning to trust that my body can make the swing that it needs to make to get the ball where it needs to be.
I was going out with little expectation on myself. The only thing I told myself as I played was trust your “learning self” and accept the uncertainty - because uncertainty is part of the fun. If I could control every shot, I’d be great but at the cost of not enjoying the game. I was great at my job and could control most aspects of the work I did, but I still quit because it didn’t bring me joy in doing it anymore. I don’t want golf to be a job. I’m here to have fun, release stress, and enjoy nature.
Accepting the uncertainty in turn allowed me to unconsciously loosen up as a played. And being loose allowed me to have a smoother, more athletic swing than normally wanting to control how I swing and tightening up.
I don’t know how often I’ll shoot that low, but I’m inclined to continue accepting the uncertainty and enjoying the game a little more. I know working on my mental game will make a larger impact for me than trying to engineer a better swing.

I stood on the 18th tee not aware of my score - it is recorded automatically through Arccos. I knew I was playing well (to my standards) but it didn’t feel lights out. There were some mishits, but they were saved. Some short putts that were missed. I didn’t even card a single birdie - which I have done in the past multiple time and still card in the high 80's, low 90's
I put a drive about 245 into the fairway - I am not a long hitter. I had 135 left to the front of the green, pin set 10 paces on. I stood over my bag and without thinking or making judgments, I let myself pull my 8i. On the range my 8 is my 150 club - but I took the ego out of the situation and trusted my feeling. I put a smooth swing on it and the ball just cleared the sand trap guarding the right of the green - pin high, 10 yards to the right of my target.
So, when stepped up the 18th green at Architects to take my 35ft birdie putt, I was surprised to see that I had shot a 75 through 17 holes and that if I carded a par here, I’d break 80 and my lowest round ever. I immediately got nervous and though there was no one to care about my score and no crowds watching me, I felt this perceived pressure mounting. Something I had avoided for 17 holes. I let my thoughts get the best of me and I left myself with a nerve-wracking 5ft left. I became acutely aware of my tense upper body so I took a deep breath and allowed my shoulders to relax. “This truly doesn’t matter one way or the other”, I told myself. I stepped up the ball after getting my read and I imagined the feeling of picking the ball out of the cup and took my shot. It landed true and I finished the hole with a par. 79.
While I celebrate that accomplishment, I know that some days will be better or worse than others and that I should not feel defeated if the next time I go out I shoot an 89. Expectation is the enemy of enjoyment.
Up until that round I hadn’t played 18 in 3 or 4 weeks. I had been to the range a bunch because I am one of those nuts that loves to practice. But practice has been different lately. Instead of trying to “perfect” a certain swing, or come more from the inside, or hitting the ball first, I am working to practice what I preach - learning how to feel and getting my mind in the right space to play. I am learning to trust that my body can make the swing that it needs to make to get the ball where it needs to be.
I was going out with little expectation on myself. The only thing I told myself as I played was trust your “learning self” and accept the uncertainty - because uncertainty is part of the fun. If I could control every shot, I’d be great but at the cost of not enjoying the game. I was great at my job and could control most aspects of the work I did, but I still quit because it didn’t bring me joy in doing it anymore. I don’t want golf to be a job. I’m here to have fun, release stress, and enjoy nature.
Accepting the uncertainty in turn allowed me to unconsciously loosen up as a played. And being loose allowed me to have a smoother, more athletic swing than normally wanting to control how I swing and tightening up.
I don’t know how often I’ll shoot that low, but I’m inclined to continue accepting the uncertainty and enjoying the game a little more. I know working on my mental game will make a larger impact for me than trying to engineer a better swing.

Hell yeah, TCB! Those are some great goals.
I've got my books open if you're looking for some coaching on the mental side of the game.

This is such a cool reminder. I may steal this idea

This is such a cool reminder. I may steal this idea

A friend (who was a 3 hdcp) told me that breaking 80 is like popping the cork off a bottle, once done it will all flow from there… so long as you don’t think about it.  
 
I think he is half right. It does get easier.  If you don’t think about it the pressure is off because you’ve done it.  You know you can do it because youve done it.  Good scores often come in streaks. So long as you don’t think about it.
 
I try very hard not to look at my arccos until the end of the round. Check that the hole is right - no missed putts, but I try not to let my eye wander to that upper right hand corner…

Congratulations breaking 80.  For the majority of amateur golfers around your handicap breaking 80 can seem like that unattainable target.  With that perception, we can often be our own worst enemy when we walk up to the finishing holes with the opportunity to break it.   I can't tell you how many years I played and how many times I shot 80 or 81.  Each time I found ways not to break that barrier.  I was born, raised and worked in Rochester, New York.   In 1994 we had an unusually warm late November, so a friend and I headed out to play.  I was playing pretty well coming down to the last two holes.  My "friend" turned to me and said if I pared the last two holes, I'd break 80.  "THANKS", I thought.  Being a Buffalo Bills fan, it's like saying "Scott Norwood never misses at this distance" then wide right!  I ended up doing just that and broke that at time seems that insurmountable target.  The next week it was warm as well, we played a different course, and I broke 80 again.  
My lesson to myself was that once you think and know you can do it, the easier it becomes to do repeat the success of breaking 80 or any other golf score barrier.   After almost 30 years since breaking 80, I've done it many times.  To help me remember what's possible, I try and save golf balls from rounds that I accomplished something special.  They include many of the balls used to break 80, shooting par for 9 holes, making an eagle and playing three rounds in Myrtle Beach courses I never played before with the same golf ball.  I keep these on the wall in my office to remind me that almost anything is possible.  

Congrats that’s awesome 

Wow. Great job. I hope you enjoy and remember that round for a long time or until you break 78. Great job my man. Who Ah!!

Well done and trusting your swing is a breakthrough hurdle.
 
Brought back memories of my closest encounter with score in 60s. Par would be 69. I three putted from 18ft for a 70.....glad you made yours. Believe me, it does matter. .. 40 years later I am still regretting that 3 putt ! 
 
 

Congrats on breaking 80!
I'm still trying. I've shot 80 three times. The last time I had a  triple on the 18th. I now do not monitor my total score on the last 9 holes. I add up my total after completing 18.
I'm confident it will happen, but at 70 yrs old it's not getting any easier 😉
Carl L
 

I stood on the 18th tee not aware of my score - it is recorded automatically through Arccos. I knew I was playing well (to my standards) but it didn’t feel lights out. There were some mishits, but they were saved. Some short putts that were missed. I didn’t even card a single birdie - which I have done in the past multiple time and still card in the high 80's, low 90's
I put a drive about 245 into the fairway - I am not a long hitter. I had 135 left to the front of the green, pin set 10 paces on. I stood over my bag and without thinking or making judgments, I let myself pull my 8i. On the range my 8 is my 150 club - but I took the ego out of the situation and trusted my feeling. I put a smooth swing on it and the ball just cleared the sand trap guarding the right of the green - pin high, 10 yards to the right of my target.
So, when stepped up the 18th green at Architects to take my 35ft birdie putt, I was surprised to see that I had shot a 75 through 17 holes and that if I carded a par here, I’d break 80 and my lowest round ever. I immediately got nervous and though there was no one to care about my score and no crowds watching me, I felt this perceived pressure mounting. Something I had avoided for 17 holes. I let my thoughts get the best of me and I left myself with a nerve-wracking 5ft left. I became acutely aware of my tense upper body so I took a deep breath and allowed my shoulders to relax. “This truly doesn’t matter one way or the other”, I told myself. I stepped up the ball after getting my read and I imagined the feeling of picking the ball out of the cup and took my shot. It landed true and I finished the hole with a par. 79.
While I celebrate that accomplishment, I know that some days will be better or worse than others and that I should not feel defeated if the next time I go out I shoot an 89. Expectation is the enemy of enjoyment.
Up until that round I hadn’t played 18 in 3 or 4 weeks. I had been to the range a bunch because I am one of those nuts that loves to practice. But practice has been different lately. Instead of trying to “perfect” a certain swing, or come more from the inside, or hitting the ball first, I am working to practice what I preach - learning how to feel and getting my mind in the right space to play. I am learning to trust that my body can make the swing that it needs to make to get the ball where it needs to be.
I was going out with little expectation on myself. The only thing I told myself as I played was trust your “learning self” and accept the uncertainty - because uncertainty is part of the fun. If I could control every shot, I’d be great but at the cost of not enjoying the game. I was great at my job and could control most aspects of the work I did, but I still quit because it didn’t bring me joy in doing it anymore. I don’t want golf to be a job. I’m here to have fun, release stress, and enjoy nature.
Accepting the uncertainty in turn allowed me to unconsciously loosen up as a played. And being loose allowed me to have a smoother, more athletic swing than normally wanting to control how I swing and tightening up.
I don’t know how often I’ll shoot that low, but I’m inclined to continue accepting the uncertainty and enjoying the game a little more. I know working on my mental game will make a larger impact for me than trying to engineer a better swing.

I stood on the 18th tee not aware of my score - it is recorded automatically through Arccos. I knew I was playing well (to my standards) but it didn’t feel lights out. There were some mishits, but they were saved. Some short putts that were missed. I didn’t even card a single birdie - which I have done in the past multiple time and still card in the high 80's, low 90's
I put a drive about 245 into the fairway - I am not a long hitter. I had 135 left to the front of the green, pin set 10 paces on. I stood over my bag and without thinking or making judgments, I let myself pull my 8i. On the range my 8 is my 150 club - but I took the ego out of the situation and trusted my feeling. I put a smooth swing on it and the ball just cleared the sand trap guarding the right of the green - pin high, 10 yards to the right of my target.
So, when stepped up the 18th green at Architects to take my 35ft birdie putt, I was surprised to see that I had shot a 75 through 17 holes and that if I carded a par here, I’d break 80 and my lowest round ever. I immediately got nervous and though there was no one to care about my score and no crowds watching me, I felt this perceived pressure mounting. Something I had avoided for 17 holes. I let my thoughts get the best of me and I left myself with a nerve-wracking 5ft left. I became acutely aware of my tense upper body so I took a deep breath and allowed my shoulders to relax. “This truly doesn’t matter one way or the other”, I told myself. I stepped up the ball after getting my read and I imagined the feeling of picking the ball out of the cup and took my shot. It landed true and I finished the hole with a par. 79.
While I celebrate that accomplishment, I know that some days will be better or worse than others and that I should not feel defeated if the next time I go out I shoot an 89. Expectation is the enemy of enjoyment.
Up until that round I hadn’t played 18 in 3 or 4 weeks. I had been to the range a bunch because I am one of those nuts that loves to practice. But practice has been different lately. Instead of trying to “perfect” a certain swing, or come more from the inside, or hitting the ball first, I am working to practice what I preach - learning how to feel and getting my mind in the right space to play. I am learning to trust that my body can make the swing that it needs to make to get the ball where it needs to be.
I was going out with little expectation on myself. The only thing I told myself as I played was trust your “learning self” and accept the uncertainty - because uncertainty is part of the fun. If I could control every shot, I’d be great but at the cost of not enjoying the game. I was great at my job and could control most aspects of the work I did, but I still quit because it didn’t bring me joy in doing it anymore. I don’t want golf to be a job. I’m here to have fun, release stress, and enjoy nature.
Accepting the uncertainty in turn allowed me to unconsciously loosen up as a played. And being loose allowed me to have a smoother, more athletic swing than normally wanting to control how I swing and tightening up.
I don’t know how often I’ll shoot that low, but I’m inclined to continue accepting the uncertainty and enjoying the game a little more. I know working on my mental game will make a larger impact for me than trying to engineer a better swing.

I stood on the 18th tee not aware of my score - it is recorded automatically through Arccos. I knew I was playing well (to my standards) but it didn’t feel lights out. There were some mishits, but they were saved. Some short putts that were missed. I didn’t even card a single birdie - which I have done in the past multiple time and still card in the high 80's, low 90's
I put a drive about 245 into the fairway - I am not a long hitter. I had 135 left to the front of the green, pin set 10 paces on. I stood over my bag and without thinking or making judgments, I let myself pull my 8i. On the range my 8 is my 150 club - but I took the ego out of the situation and trusted my feeling. I put a smooth swing on it and the ball just cleared the sand trap guarding the right of the green - pin high, 10 yards to the right of my target.
So, when stepped up the 18th green at Architects to take my 35ft birdie putt, I was surprised to see that I had shot a 75 through 17 holes and that if I carded a par here, I’d break 80 and my lowest round ever. I immediately got nervous and though there was no one to care about my score and no crowds watching me, I felt this perceived pressure mounting. Something I had avoided for 17 holes. I let my thoughts get the best of me and I left myself with a nerve-wracking 5ft left. I became acutely aware of my tense upper body so I took a deep breath and allowed my shoulders to relax. “This truly doesn’t matter one way or the other”, I told myself. I stepped up the ball after getting my read and I imagined the feeling of picking the ball out of the cup and took my shot. It landed true and I finished the hole with a par. 79.
While I celebrate that accomplishment, I know that some days will be better or worse than others and that I should not feel defeated if the next time I go out I shoot an 89. Expectation is the enemy of enjoyment.
Up until that round I hadn’t played 18 in 3 or 4 weeks. I had been to the range a bunch because I am one of those nuts that loves to practice. But practice has been different lately. Instead of trying to “perfect” a certain swing, or come more from the inside, or hitting the ball first, I am working to practice what I preach - learning how to feel and getting my mind in the right space to play. I am learning to trust that my body can make the swing that it needs to make to get the ball where it needs to be.
I was going out with little expectation on myself. The only thing I told myself as I played was trust your “learning self” and accept the uncertainty - because uncertainty is part of the fun. If I could control every shot, I’d be great but at the cost of not enjoying the game. I was great at my job and could control most aspects of the work I did, but I still quit because it didn’t bring me joy in doing it anymore. I don’t want golf to be a job. I’m here to have fun, release stress, and enjoy nature.
Accepting the uncertainty in turn allowed me to unconsciously loosen up as a played. And being loose allowed me to have a smoother, more athletic swing than normally wanting to control how I swing and tightening up.
I don’t know how often I’ll shoot that low, but I’m inclined to continue accepting the uncertainty and enjoying the game a little more. I know working on my mental game will make a larger impact for me than trying to engineer a better swing.