Play for Yourself

DO NOT BECOME preoccupied with how others view your game. Do not feel compelled to match the huge drive the other guy hit, and win the applause of your playing partners. Make shots that give you satisfaction. Make shots that will maximize your success, and eliminate shots designed to impress others. They will be more impressed when the game is complete and you have the lowest score. Even if you don’t have the lowest score, that should not concern you. That is the other player’s accomplishment. Create your own accomplishments. Set your own goals. Play to your own satisfaction. Make the most of your game. You can’t drive the ball far? Then create merit in other parts of your game. Derive accomplishment with what you can control. Work on areas of your game that have the best chances for success. At some point, accept your limitations, and play the game that gives you the most rewards. Do not worry about what others think of your game. Play your game, and live your life.

Events Don’t Control You, You Control Them

GOLF IS A GAME of accomplishments and setbacks. How you handle setbacks will affect your accomplishments. You will inevitably hit a bad shot, find yourself in a deep bunker, get lost in the rough, or shank a ball. You can either be overwhelmed by these negative events, or release them from your mind and be free to move onto an accomplishment. You control your view of events. Golf is played over many shots, over many holes, and for many of us, over much of our lifetime. The more you dwell on bad shots, or even bad days, the more you will be trapped in these negative thoughts. Get over it! If you’re having a bad day driving the ball, accept this fact, and focus your efforts on that part of the game that is working. You will inevitably overcome whatever ails you, and you will be better prepared to accept and enjoy your successes.

There is a Price for Everything

IS SOMEONE HITTING the ball farther than you? Does the other player always seem to drain their putts? These advantages came with a price. You will never know what the other player had to pay to get these advantages. Nor should it concern you. If they spent much time at the practice range, then their benefits belong to them. Do not be envious of their accomplishments; instead revel in their strengths. Everyone’s strengths come at different costs. For some, putting may come naturally, for others they may need to spend many hours on the practice green. If you are not willing to pay the price, then accept your shot outcomes, and accept that the other player did pay the price and is reaping the rewards.

Play in Harmony with Nature

ULTIMATELY, YOUR GAME is controlled by laws that you cannot control. Each of us are born with certain natural abilities. Your game is shaped by your given attributes. You can learn the fundamentals of the swing, how to grip the club and where to position the ball; but ultimately your game will be controlled by your natural ability. You can eliminate bad habits, but you cannot eliminate the abilities given to you. The more you try to go against nature, the more turmoil you will have in your game. Accept what has been given to you and free your mind. Strengthen those areas of the game that you are good at, and accept those areas of the game that give you trouble. If you work on your strengths, you will have the confidence to overcome your weaknesses.