As every golfer improves, their desire to play better grows. Through my golf journey, I experienced many peaks, valleys and plateaus in my game. I think this is normal for any athlete who wants to improve in their selected sport. Golf is no different or is it. I find that my desire or passion to improve is never satisfied. I always think and know I could have shot better even when I broke par. I always felt that I left a few strokes on the course and that my score could have been better. This desire can be a challenge, mentally, for many players as it was for me in my early years!
I stumbled across a video by Jon Sherman that encapsulates many stages of my golf journey. Over the years, I have developed a mental strength for the topics Sherman mentions. As a quick reference, here is what he is going to chat about:
- Commitment to Fun
- No One Gives a Sh*t
- Stop Being a Control Freak
- Stay In the Moment
- Growing Your Grit
- The Caring Game
- Swing Thoughts
- Pre-Shot Routine
- Post Shot-Routine
I am confident that there are a few topics that caught your attention. So, lets see what he has to say in its entirety.
The two topics that resonated the most for me were No One Gives a Sh*t and Stay in the Moment. When I used to play more competitive golf, I was concerned about being watching and analyzing my game. I would become very anxious and it would cause me to make mental errors. These would transfer into physical errors and ultimately cost me unwarranted strokes. It took a great deal to effort to stop worrying about what others thought. Now, I could not care less.
Staying in the moment is another mental skill I learned/developed over the years. I would sometimes get ahead of myself and start focusing on the score for the next few holes. Then suddenly, my current shot goes awry because of a lack of focus. It took a few years to identify the challenge and a few more to fix it. Now, for the most part, I am in the moment for every shot. I focus on the shot at hand and execute all the steps to a successful golf shot. Staying in the moment is a definite must for my golf game.
Golf is a fun sport. Chasing the dream of being a scratch golfer has never left, but I realize that the chances are becoming slimmer each year. Regardless, I want to improve where I can and accept the state of my game when I cannot make improvements. It is okay to want more out of your golf game and if you are on the journey to improve, have a great time! We only travel this path once.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
