GETTING MENTALLY READY TO PLAY
The sun is barely up over the horizon
and early morning mist still lingers as one to four players stand at the first
tee, stretching, sipping coffee, each in their own thoughts, ready to conquer
the world. Golf is the most difficult game that was ever invented, but at the
same time it is divine. And it is important for you to remember that when you
feel the brash need to throw your clubs into the nearby lake, the whole point
of lugging the heavy thing down to the course was to have fun was it not? You
almost made that stroke out of the rough like a pro…almost. Amateur golf is a
different game than the one the pros play on T.V. But the objective is the same,
and that is to make the ball go into the hole with a reasonable amount of
strokes. But how you accomplish this feat is different than a PGA Tour
professional. It is crucial for you to understand that if you are intending on
becoming a steady amateur golfer shooting regularly in the 90s, you have to
play your game, not theirs, but you can learn a great deal from watching them,
discounting the fact that they were born with exceptional hand-eye coordination
and God given talent that he forgot to give to you. Now that your blood
pressure has gone up a few notches let’s continue.
For
me over the years I have found that the worst of my woes that inevitably turned
out scores so horrific I can’t mention them here, happened right on the first
tee where my confidence was shredded so ferociously that I couldn’t recover and
by the end of the round, despite the use of “the mulligan,” I was above the 99
mark, hanging my head and feeling like a drunk who just fell off the wagon. It
was no laughing matter. You get back home and the question is asked, “So how
was the golf?”
“I
had some decent shots,” you respond. The person nods or grunts.
“You
stunk it up didn’t you?” They say, but by the crazy distant look in your hollow
eyes, they leave it at that. There is no need to press the situation, test the
waters to see if there are any sharks swimming. There is a certain
understanding between golfers and even the spouses of golfers who have learned
over the years when to let the conversation drop.
“I
have some laundry to fold, or I’m heading out to get the car washed,” they’ll
say to slip away.
Now that you have been prepped it’s
time to dive into the details and begin rebuilding our mental attitude as
amateur golfers to become one of the top ten percent in the world and score
regularly in the 90s.
-Greg Evans (American Writer)
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