Daily Golf Thoughts about Life

A thought a day! I was asked recently to identify the key thoughts that exemplify the value of studying the mental game of golf. That doesn't sound like too tall an order, so I enthusiastically embarked on writing two sentence capsules of mental game topics. After thirty keypoints, I thought I might have something. After forty-five points, I became a little more concerned as to how deep the well could be. At forty-six, I was sure there wouldn't be much more left to haul out of my well. I considered throwing the shovel down the hole.

But, as I uncovered just a few more jewels of insight, I began to consider that golf really does present an abundance of parallels to life, revealing endless lessons. The well was deep! And herein, was one of the mental game keys: Be open to discover what you don't already see. An open mind encourages an open heart. An open heart allows the body to be naturally relaxed and poised to act. A free and loose body is essential to a powerful and balanced swing.

Consider: every stroke offers an opportunity to learn. The flight of the ball has built-in feedback value. It can tell you much about how you hit the ball. Rather than react in judgment and emotion, use the ball flight as a learning tool. Direction, spin, loft and distance are all produced by your swing mechanics and perhaps even your mental attitude. For example; I might slice hook a drive simply because I am trying too hard to smash a long ball like my playing partner just did. Or, perhaps I have subtly allowed my grip to slip over time, leaving my clubface open at contact with the ball. But, I must be willing to learn from the information, not just react.

What am I really talking about is essentially, an "attitude," a basic way of viewing or a stance from which you react to the world. One fundamental aspect of a sound mental game is having an attitude that nourishes openness and sustains a genuine enthusiasm for playing the game. You are not born with an attitude, you develop one. All of us interpret everything that occurs within a round of golf. What is crucial is the effect of that interpretation on our mood or our emotional and physical temperament.

It turns out that after reflecting on this life phenomenon, suddenly I began to discover still more mental game thoughts for golf. Maybe it is really is all about "attitude?" My goal: one a day, for a year - only 294 left to go!