Purpose Driven Golf
Purpose Driven Golf
http://www.sports-stories.com/story52.html
I want you to meditate on a couple points for a moment:
Why an earth are you playing golf?
What are you getting out of each round?
What is the point?
Have you ever thought about any of these points before??
Here is an excerpt from "The Dave Way"... if you already
own "The Dave Way" please read this one more time to get a
few ideas of why you are on the course every weekend.
Pride
It.s almost like a proud parent raising a child successfully. You start
out hardly knowing anything about the game. Your scores are usually
horrible (in my case around 125) and your swing mechanics are usually
pathetic. Your shot making is non-existent and your drives are short
and very unimpressive.
And then, round after round (and after many nights and $.s spent at
the practice range) you slowly start to improve. I remember the first
day I broke 100 - and then the first day I broke 90 - and then the first
day I broke 80... few feelings in the world come close.
Status
Let.s face it, golf is rich in tradition. And whether right or wrong,
those that have mastered the sport are generally stuck at the top of
the social ladder in the clubhouse locker rooms and sometimes even in
the workplace.
Let.s say you.re talking to your buddies about a local golfer and then
somebody in your group mentions this person is a scratch golfer, no
matter what you though beforehand you hold that person in a higher regard
for some reason.
Focus
Even though focus is not necessarily why a person would pick up the
game of golf, after playing for a little while you will realize the
game can improve your mental toughness, your mental awareness, and eventually
your outlook on life.
Now I know that may sound a little deep and possibly a tad cheesy,
but it.s the honest truth. If you have been playing golf (even for just
one season) you know there are many ups and downs associated with the
sport. Those ups and downs can be found between years of playing, between
rounds, between holes, and sometimes (but hopefully not) between shots.
Through all these good times and bad times you learn perseverance.
You develop goal setting skills. If you stick with the sport (I can.t
tell you how many times I.ve heard .I.m going to sell my sticks in the
paper tomorrow!.) you will build up a .stick to it. type of attitude.
Your mind will become sharp!
No wonder those that have mastered this sport are generally known as
over-achievers.
Health
Even though I have listed health as number 4, this is one of the main
reasons I picked up a golf club.
My body was never in, what you would call, real good or athletic shape.
And when I would watch golf on the tube I noticed a some of the men
playing had guts. excuse me. un-chiseled abs J. Kind of like yours truly.
I though to myself .All my buddies are skiing, shooting hoops, hitting
tennis balls, or playing golf. looks like golf is the best way I can
fit in..
But what I soon found out is that golf has a sneaky way of adding a
little bit of exercise to your life. And that.s great for those of us
that hate to take the time out to exercise.
On a side note, I would encourage everyone to walk the course once
in a while. Here is what I suggest to my students who are golf newbie.s:
After playing a year or two, instead of trying to back up from the white
tees to the blue, try to walk more this year and wait until next year
to back up to the blue tees.
Fun
When I play golf I have a great time.
Fellowship with friends or being paired up with someone I don.t know
and making new friendships is another awesome benefit golf has to offer.
And there is nothing more exciting than dropping an approach shot next
to the pin, sinking a monster putt, or smashing a long drive in front
of your playing partners.
These are some of the reasons I play, but I think it is very important
to figure out why you are out slapping balls around too.
Figuring out the purpose of golf in your life can only make you a better
golfer... let me explain:
When I started off playing, I was not that good, as I'm sure many of
you weren't. That being said, I would get so frustrated at the poor
shots, the missed putts, the doubles and triples, and double pars. And
most of the time I would act like a complete fool. I would get frustrated
to no end... slamming my clubs down, or throwing them, and it was a
given that I would be ticked off the rest of the day.
I can't imagine what I must of looked like, probably an imbecile. There
are guys that I'm playing with that are 20-30 strokes better than me,
but I'm the one acting like an idiot. And there is no doubt in my mind
that this foolish behavior and mindset totally stunted my growth as
a baby golfer.
Then I realized, the only way to learn and get better is to play purpose-driven
golf... even if the only purpose for my next round was strictly just
to have fun.
What I would like for you to do before the next time you go play a
round is ask yourself "Why am I going out today?"
If you keep a focus through your round that:
I am out here to have fun
or
I am out here to hang out with my friends
or
I am out here to get healthy and be physically active
or
I am out here to feel like I accomplished something today...
then you will have that reason and not let your mind run aimlessly with
emotion.
Let the poor shots go away, let the good shots not get you too emotionally
high... just learn from each swing!