I was just coming off my home course after a practice round in which I had intended to put into practice my latest theories to help me to swing and play well. Unfortunately the practice had not been ideal and I had not been timing the ball well. I was GRUMPY!!
I met another member in the car park. Somebody who I knew through having played one or two rounds in various club competitions.
He hailed me in his normal friendly manner and asked how my game was. I told him, possibly in more detail than he cared to hear. He said that he was just going out for some practice, as he was hoping to play in the memorial event on Thursday. He looked like a dog with two tails, so keen was he to get out in the sunshine. My mood moderated a little, and I managed a smile and to come down a little bit from Mount Sorry-for-myself.
I then remembered. This cheerful, well-mannered and courteous individual was dealing with a prostate cancer that had spread to his spine, and could well finish him off.
Sometimes, it does us good to be reminded that our game is not the most important thing in the world. Learn how to enjoy yourself on the golf course, through good times and bad. There will come a time when you will not be able to be out there, and when that day comes, hopefully not for a long time, boy would you give anything to be out on the golf course no matter how badly you might be playing.
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Having a nightmare
Who hasn't had a terrible day on the course? I'll tell you who, it's somebody who has never played the game. Whilst Jordan Speith's nightmare round is probably good enough to beat the majority of club golfers, he of course is judging his play by his own high standards, and falling short. It doesn't matter whether you are good, average, or a less-talented golfer, we all judge ourselves by what we believe we ought to be doing, often this is far removed from our average, and hence statistically most likely scoring patterns.
Justin Rose was interviewed after a bad round, for him. He has been working with mental coach Dr. Gio Valente, amongst other things, keeping his life in balance, on and off the course, using breathing exercises to relax, and creating a kind of mental tunnel, tunnel vision if you like in which he held 3 or 4 key thoughts. When he found his mind wandering, Justin would tell himself to get back in his tunnel.
But this interview was after a bad round. From his demeanour, you would not have been able to say whether Justin had had a bad round. In fact he appeared quite cheerful. He acknowledged that he had played badly, particularly on the greens, but said a couple of times, that he knew that he was a good golfer and he refused to dwell on the mistakes made. This did not sound like somebody trying to convince himself, he said it without arrogance, but with conviction.
This belief, would help him in his next outing. He followed up his bad round with a round of 5 under par and climbed back up the leaderboard.
When you have a bad round, the most important thing to take away from it is the right attitude. You may wish to have your pro look at the technical aspects of your swing, but do not on any account feed your hungry sub-conscious with a whole slew of negative thoughts. So drop the bad round, in the mental rubbish bin and let your thoughts dwell instead on your last great round.
Justin Rose was interviewed after a bad round, for him. He has been working with mental coach Dr. Gio Valente, amongst other things, keeping his life in balance, on and off the course, using breathing exercises to relax, and creating a kind of mental tunnel, tunnel vision if you like in which he held 3 or 4 key thoughts. When he found his mind wandering, Justin would tell himself to get back in his tunnel.
But this interview was after a bad round. From his demeanour, you would not have been able to say whether Justin had had a bad round. In fact he appeared quite cheerful. He acknowledged that he had played badly, particularly on the greens, but said a couple of times, that he knew that he was a good golfer and he refused to dwell on the mistakes made. This did not sound like somebody trying to convince himself, he said it without arrogance, but with conviction.
This belief, would help him in his next outing. He followed up his bad round with a round of 5 under par and climbed back up the leaderboard.
When you have a bad round, the most important thing to take away from it is the right attitude. You may wish to have your pro look at the technical aspects of your swing, but do not on any account feed your hungry sub-conscious with a whole slew of negative thoughts. So drop the bad round, in the mental rubbish bin and let your thoughts dwell instead on your last great round.
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