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.
Beware of Other People’s Negative Views
DO NOT GET MIRED in another player’s misfortunes. If your playing partner is getting into trouble, and is continually searching for their ball, lend a helping hand, but don’t get caught in their predicaments. If they start to curse and throw clubs, look the other way. Other player’s negativity is highly contagious. Do not comment on their torment, that will only cause more strife. Instead, be quiet and bide your time. The storm will pass, and when it does, lend a sympathetic ear. They will appreciate your detachment.
Understand What is Under Your Control
TO FREE YOUR MIND and give you control of your game you must learn to distinguish between what is within your control and what is not. Becoming obsessed with elements that are beyond your control will cause stress and misfortune. When it is a windy day, do not obsess about the wind and how it is adversely affecting your game. Nature’s elements are beyond your control. If you are playing with people who are not to your liking, release them from your mind. You cannot change their behavior. Other people’s temperaments and personalities we cannot control. Release all negative thoughts of these uncontrollable elements and your mind will be free to focus on those elements that are under your control. Your shotmaking is under your control. The clubs you choose and how you hit the ball are under your control. If you choose to be swept away by what you can’t control, then those things that you can control will be overshadowed and weakened.
Stay in Your Game
KEEP YOU MIND FOCUSED on your game. Do not concern yourself with the other player’s game. Their shots belong to them; they do not concern you. If you see another player hopelessly mired in obstacles, cursing and making bad shot after bad shot; do not get overly involved in their troubles. Keep focused on your shots. Do not let their negative feelings into your game. Likewise, if another player is making great shots, do not become a spectator and watch their game. You have your business to attend to, and you must make your shots. Golf is a game of inner control and discipline. If you focus your energy inward, your game will be under your control.
The Game is a Banquet
BE GRATEFUL that you find yourself seated at life’s greatest banquet: the game of golf. Be polite and courteous. When speaking, consider your words carefully. Do not feel compelled to comment on someone’s misfortunate shots. If someone makes an extraordinarily good shot, then give words of appreciation. Likewise, thank others for their kind words of appreciation.
Desire & Aversion
DESIRE AND AVERSION are two powerful emotions in golf. We desire to hit the shot well, to carry the water and hit the green, to drain a 40-foot putt and to drive the ball far. These opportunities demand to be satisfied. The dark side of desire is aversion. The course is filled with obstacles we’d rather avoid: bunkers, rough, woods and water. In our pursuit for fulfilling our passions and desires we skirt and play with our aversions. They are always lurking in our game. If you concern yourself solely with avoiding that part of the game that repels you, then you hamper your ability to achieve what you desire. Moreover, you will inevitably find yourself in trouble and if you become overwhelmed with this circumstance you will be trapped in your own aversions. If you accept this circumstance as part of the game, your mind will be free to pursue your desires.
Desire must also be under your control. If you let your desires run ahead of what you can control in your game, then you will be setting yourself up for failure. Learn what shots are under your control. If you continually pursue shots that are outside of your ability, seeking to fulfill your desire, you will be disappointed with the results. If, on the other hand, you accept what you can control, then you will feel positively about your desires and your game will be fulfilling and rewarding.
Assess Circumstances Honestly
BE HONEST with your game. Be honest with your circumstances. Do not fall into the trap of self-deceit. If you find yourself in a bad lie on the far side of long carry over water, do not deceive yourself into believing that the distance is shorter than what the yardage marker says, or that your lie is actually hittable for your normal distance. Accept the situation honestly, and then make a decision about how to play the shot. Do not be influenced by others, and your desire to beat the odds. Look inside and appraise the situation on your merits, and the most positive outcome. Your attitude is under your control. You can either resent the situation, or accept it as part of the game and move on. You will have many opportunities in the game, look forward to your next great shot.
