Sunday, December 29, 2013

Know Thyself & To Thine Own Self Be True

When we watch golf on television or play with better players, it is tempting to try to hit the golf ball as far as the best players in the world (or the group we are playing with) can.

As a young man, this was probably the prime focus of my game.  Hit it as far as the pros, with the touch and finesse of the short game as a low priority on my list.  Predictably, with this as the prime focus of my golfing world, I ended up being able to drive the ball around 300 yards, but, managed to  be stuck at around a 5 or 6 handicap.  The ball striking was fairly impressive, the score...not so much.

In my late thirties I had the good fortune to find myself teaching golf and preaching being in the present moment to students at Haystack Mountain Golf Course in Niwot, Colorado.  Here, at this beautiful and laid-back executive course nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, I had the opportunity to return to the game from a different perspective.  This short, fun golf course taught me the value of knowing myself and building a predictable and reliable game within 100 yards of the hole.

When I started out at Haystack, I would shot about the same amount over par that I would on a full-length course.  My usual score was around 3 or 4 over per nine.  It was obvious that the weakness of my game was in the short game.  By the time I left, it was very common for me to shot Even or 1 under on this course and I even had the fun experience of taking it down to 3 under on one glorious summer afternoon.  I'm still gunning for that course record of 5 under that I witnessed set by CJ Ebel.  Of course, having witnessed that course record personally, I know it requires a bit of short-game magic and a lot of being "in the zone" to make that kind of a round happen.

Haystack Mountain Golf Course, and the short game transformation I experienced there, molded me into the fundamentals/short game/mental coach that I am today.  One of my teaching mantras that I often say to my students is, "Not everyone can hit the ball 300 yards off the tee...but everyone can become an excellent putter and chipper of the golf ball."

As I worked more and more with the short game and worked with my students on theirs, I came to a basic conclusion.  I decided that there is a reason that golf professionals practice shots within 100 yards about 75% of the time.  In this short game practice we develop touch, confidence and understanding of our own physical and mental tendencies.  We watch how one day it all feels so easy and effortless and the next it feels awkward and strange.  Through this experience, we get to explore the question, "What is different in my mind and body today?"  This, I believe, is the true gift of the game of golf to us.  It offers us an opportunity to get to know ourselves better and to see our tendencies, especially in relation to the continuums of trust/doubt, relaxation/tension, confidence/hesitation.

The centering practice of putting/chipping/self awareness has become one of the great pleasures of my adult life.  Through these small swings, I see all the tendencies I have in my full swing and in my mental approach to the game of golf.  I have the opportunity to once again relearn and fully commit to what I am doing and to get to know myself just a little bit better.

When was the last time you carved out an hour or two for yourself to just take a wedge and a putter and go pitch, chip and putt around?  You might just learn...or rediscover... something about yourself and this wonderful, challenging game that we call golf.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

In and Out of "The Flow"

As is the case with most things we spend our time with in this life, golf offers us a window into our soul.  Because it is just us and that little white ball, all kinds of interesting inner dialogues take place.  There is no real defender to our goal, just a neutral area of nature that we relate to in any way we choose.  If we are thinking clearly, positively and with trust in ourselves...amazing things can happen out on that neutral field of the golf course.  You may find yourself taking a swing that you were not fully aware you were able to make.  You may find a moment where you and the feeling of solid impact are in total harmony and you can sense the slightest changes to the weight of the swinging pendulum....and then....its gone.  A negative thought, a doubt, a tension creeps into the golf swing and it can feel like the golf swing has become this uncontrollable monster that you will never tame.

You can spiral down that trap door of doubt and heaviness and anger in the game of golf....or you notice how far you have gotten away from that free, easy, relaxed and effortless place and the journey back to your centered self begins anew.  The journey to return back to the place that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi refers to as "In the Flow".

A sense of humor and lightness of emotion go a long way towards playing the game well.  Find people that make you feel good and make you smile in your soul and go spend some time with them on the golf course.  A great time and a flowing experience will be had by all.