Articles

July 2005— South Carolina Amateur Golfer Magazine

Positive and verbal affirmations—how the affect your golf game outcome.

How many golfers do you know out there who talk about their potential? You're more likely to be able to name several that beat themselves up both verbally and emotionally. Why are there so few golfers out there cheering themselves on?

How about last month's U.S. Open winner? Michael Campbell was the most unlikely winner, perhaps to us, but he wasn't in his own eyes. Michael was overheard saying this before the last round, "I'm going to turn it up a notch and play the way I know how. It's time to bring my game to the next level and play to my potential.” What happened was he won the U.S. Open by bettering the number one player in the world. Campbell expressed in words his potential--he voiced a positive affirmation. Now, how many of you have played several fine shots in succession and then said “I'll probably screw up before long.”? Then you do. Fellow golfers, this game is hard enough without expressing low expectations and adding fear of imminent failure to the mix. Thinking of something gives the thought energy, saying the thought gives it power, and, by golly, if you write it, it will happen for sure.

We've all been in the zone when everything became so easy, effortless. We played beautiful golf. You probably have even said that it was so easy today. You might think that we'd get the message--that if great golf is easy then why don't we go about it with a sense of ease and grace. Chuck Hogan says, and I totally concur, that the answer lies in the fact that the traditional view of golf is not one of grace and ease, but one of grinding away. Golfers don't traditionally think about grace and ease. Conventional wisdom is that you must hit a thousand balls a day, that you must be practicing all the time, and that you'll never get anywhere without hard work. Furthermore, you must worry about the hazard, the trees, the rough. Ben Hogan said “the harder I work, the luckier I get.” He also said you must isolate yourself and eliminate everything from your life except golf. Sound appealing to you? Not to me.

Probably the best way NOT to reach your potential is to blame yourself, your swing, and stroke for every errant shot. How about this for poor self speak-- you strike a good shot and then you say “even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again”. Another proven route to insure that you don't reach your potential is to fail to take responsibility for good shots, especially the really great ones, and then to take the blame for all missed putts, O.B.'s, missed greens and fairways. This is the tradition of golf and the traditional thinking of many golfers. I know first hand. I see and hear it every day on the course and the practice tee.

Finally, to get you to rock bottom, add your emotions while blaming yourself for an errant shot, curse, whine, pout, and turn the volume up on your failures. Keep telling yourself how you blew it. Keep beating up on yourself, like the "red headed step child", in your mind. But on the outside act properly, though inside berate yourself. Why is it accepted behavior to slam a club or curse after a bad shot yet inappropriate to celebrate a good or great shot?

Have you ever looked at people on their way from the parking lot to the course, really looked at them? Mostly you'll see a bounce in their step, a lot of “how are you?”s, and comments about what a great day it is. The golfers are full of energy and are looking forward to the day's round. Then have you ever seen the same people come off of the last green, it's very interesting. Next, go inside the club house and listen... war stories abound, but they're almost all focused on the losses, bad feelings, troubles found, and not the fun of playing golf.

Fellow golfers, this is a game of good and bad shots, of being outdoors in beautiful surroundings, being with friends, and sometimes, competing. It is hitting a shot into the rough behind a tree and loving the challenge of getting it back into a good position for the next shot. It is loving all of what makes up the game, not just shooting par, or hitting every shot well, then beating yourself up if you don't. Heck, this is a game and we play games and games should be fun.

Look at most of the pros, a simple nod or a small smile after a great eagle. Why is it considered gloating or being inappropriate if you celebrate great shots but okay to act out after poor ones? Would you rather follow Peter Jacobsen, Fred Funk, Trevino or Chi Chi or someone like Duval, or other stoic pros. Who's having more fun?

The root problem in all of this is that the golfer has a huge tendency to identify with the outcome of golf, to take poor golfing results and transfer them to their identity. Golfers often wind up saying I'm a terrible golfer/person. Or how about this, “You're are a great person if you win, a jerk, a reject, if you lose.” Now couple this with the goal of perfecting the mechanics of golf and you're really headed for trouble. Bob Rotella wrote an aptly named book on this subject... Golf is Not a Game of Perfect . I'd recommend it to you. So the next time you hit the 2 iron to five feet, celebrate that, don't complain that you hit it a bit on the toe. If you do, chances are you'll miss the putt in order to pay your dues for the lousy location of the strike on the face of the club..

Contact me if you'd like to explore your game from a little different perspective you can do it by e-mail, phone or my website.

Website: www.carolinasmartswing.com ; e-mail me at: steve@carolinasmartswing.com. Office Phone: 843-556-0217 , Cell phone: 843-708-2837 .

Return to Articles Page ==>>