The last few years have been good for me. My golf game has continued to improve and I have found a way to play consistently. For the most part I enjoy golf more and I’ve had my fair share of success.
But you can’t win all the time…
My last few matches for my golf team have been a bit of a let down. Not because I didn’t play well but because I didn’t win. Although it’s been a difficult lesson for me to learn, I now realise that I can do everything correctly but still hit poor shots and lose matches. Automatic and natural playing is not a miracle cure. It maximises your chances of playing well (winning) but it doesn’t guarantee it!
My confession today is that I haven’t been the best golfer I can be. Although I have been playing well – I’ve let myself and others down with my poor attitude and frustration. I’ve been expecting to hit the perfect shot at the perfect time. This is not realistic and is putting extra pressure and strain on my system.
Expecting miracles to happen is emotional evaluation. Emotional evaluation is letting your emotions and feelings override what reality is. When things don’t match this unrealistic reality you can feel angry, frustrated or worse.
I’ve taken my eye off the ball and stopped playing golf. I’ve been expecting things to go my way and when they haven’t my frustration and stress levels have risen. By expecting too much I have not been able to handle bad bounces, poor luck and the rub of the green.
To play your best golf you need some emotional detachment to what you’re doing. By letting go of all the baggage, expectations and stories you can break free and experience your best golf. It’s not an easy thing to do but something well worth the effort.
Good golfing,
Cameron
4 Comments
John
May 8, 2008Hi Cameron,
Ben Hogan states that he expected to hit 7 bad shots around, knowing that, he didn’t let that interfere with his game. Expectations only add a burden to your game. For example if your in the last round of a club championships and you say to your self I need to shoot 3 over to win, then your focus is going to be on that expection of shooting 3 over. Where your focus is, does determine how well you play. The physical and more so the mental preperation in your preshot routine is your rod and staff to consistency, not so much a great score. But a consistent score for that day. Look at any scores on a wet cold and windy day in comparison to a fine sunny day. I hope this helps any golfer who is struggling as I have also found my self in this situation. Take your focus off the outcome and try to be content with what happens. All golfers, have been able to play under pressure at some time needing a clutch put or a chip in to win. That is the reason why Tiger woods is so good. He makes the clucth putts or chips in at the right time. I hope this advice has helped.
Cheers John
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