Written by Scott Dunford
We’ve all had days where it seems like the ball goes exactly where we want it to go. At least we feel in control of our swing and have a day to remember. We look at the ball, then the target and just swing. The ball sails through the air with the greatest of ease and wonder, “Why the hell can’t I do that every time?” I think it boils down to feeling at ease with yourself, your surroundings, and to a lesser extent your overall life. Think about it for moment…can you honestly say you shot the round of your life when you had other bad thoughts running through your brain?
Take Tiger Woods for example. There was a time when he couldn’t do anything wrong when it came to golf. He held a magic wand that he could command like no one ever saw before, the modern day Harry Potter. He pulled off amazing saves and made fellow professional golfers shake in their golf shoes whenever he was a stroke or two coming from behind on a Sunday. They began to have self droughts about their ability to stay the course under such enormous pressure. You don’t see that any more from the new and much more confident pros when Tiger is a few shots behind. They know all too well he’s very human and has just as many demons and gremlins as they do. Maybe more! That, plus the worry he no doubt has, that he can no longer be the Tiger of old. That spells a very unhappy Tiger Woods, thus the YIPS!
Tiger’s golf problems started when he was caught up in a huge scandal. He got busted for being arrogant, immoral and dishonest. He lost millions of supportive fans and was knocked down from his lofty multimillion dollar image. Even though most of his endorsements remained, he lost his beautiful wife and his ability to have a family under one roof. He was so caught up in being Tiger Woods, the fame, the glory, the self confidence with a smile that said, “I’m a very happy guy! We all said it at one point or another, “It’s good to be Tiger Woods.” Not so much anymore. Once that sense of happiness left and the security of his family and loved ones began to slip away, his confidence and soul as a good person and golf’s greatest began to waver. It was compounded and verified by the press and by his sad admission. Imagine if that happened to you. The shame and loss of our family would do most of us in. Even though he changed his couches, retooled his swing four or five times, he still can’t find that magic he once had. He’s not a happy Tiger anymore.
So that brings me to my point in the title of this story. Happiness in all things creates the ability to focus intensely on one thing. Golf is a series of things. Like I’ve stated in previous articles, don’t over think your swing, your game or your last bad shot. Rather focus on one thing and perfect that. Golf is just too complicated. Trying to focus on multiple things in your life that need your attention plus golf is like solving a Rubik’s Cube in five minutes. Resolve that fight you had with your wife this morning. Learn from the sale you lost to your competitor. Spend some quality time with your kids before you commit to a round of golf with your buddies and so on.
In order to play well you’ve got to feel good about that first swing thought. When I’ve had my best rounds of golf, I was totally happy in that moment. I didn’t have any other distractions. I could focus on just the take away, my grip or my hip rotation. Golf for me is an escape from unhappy thoughts or other distractions. It’s a place where for a split second and hopefully many more, that I feel in control of my earthly station. I feel grounded and alive in my surroundings. Listening to the birds, the wind and the sound of a well struck golf ball. On those precious days, I feel happy. I’ve done the best I could to take care of those other distractions and have turned my phone off knowing what ever it is can wait for 4-5 hours.
“Word Power” the candid talk of Sam Snead (Reacting to a missed putt at the 1947 PGA Championship) about his gremlins 35 years ago helped bring together sport psychologists and golfers.” Ref. Golf World Nov. 11, 2013. Call it word power or self talk it’s one of the same. It comes from our conscious and unconscious mind. If you’re struggling with a challenge in your golf game, go back to a time when you felt positive thoughts about it. Rather than focusing on the bad rounds or missed shots of the past, focus on the good memories. Psychologists’ readily agree with this philosophy and that’s why their place in professional golf is very powerful these days. We as humans tend to lean towards the negative. “What’s wrong with me?” I’m such a hack.”
As a general rule, over 90 percent of all professional golfers now days rely on the instruction of not only a swing couch but also a golf psychologist as a vital part of their team. Those that prefer old school thinking like Butch Harmon say… “I’ve never understood why an athlete needs to have somebody tell them to try as hard as they can,” says Harmon. “I guess if Hogan and Nelson, Snead and Demaret, Palmer, Nicklaus and Trevino had a sport psychologist, they’d have been pretty good. Oh, that’s right, they were really good.” Or, as another swing instructor puts it: “Are you trying to get them to play better or get them to feel better about playing bad?”
Feeling better about a bad day of golf is like feeling better about loosing your job! It sucks and it’s no way to live your life. Feeling better comes way before you hit that first golf ball or walk into the office. You’re excited to begin your day. You’re happy that it’s with good friends and collogues or you’ve worked hard and now deserve a day of play because you’ve taken care of the needs of your family, work or personal commitments. You’re in a state of happiness ready to commit to the focus needed to play a great round of golf. Great for your level of play anyway with no regrets about a bad shot because you’ve got 17 more holes to improve!
You can pay big money for a sports psychologist or you can simply try this out for yourself. It’s worked for me but it’s difficult to always be happy. Like a great swing it takes practice just like life takes practice. It won’t always work because there are over 150 things that will affect your ball flight, but it will be worth it. See your happy faces on the links!
