Here's to the Mud on Your Ball!

It's been raining hard lately. But, the course you are playing at has posted the Winter Rules sign, so when you finally find your ball on the edge of the rough, you know that you can pick it up , clean off the mud, replace it and you will be free to hit. No question! Right? Wouldn't you rather play with a clean ball?

The answer to this is obvious for all of us who play. It is so important for some players that they risk health and life by washing the ball in their mouth or licking it clean with their tongue. Yikes! But, it is just common sense that a clean ball will perform best as it is designed, clean from any accumulated stuff. So, why would you choose to hit the dirty ball? You wouldn't, would you?

Our reaction to mud on the ball is immediate and unquestioned. We see it, we clean it. Clean balls work better. Now, take the ball as a useful metaphor for our lives. But, with this metaphor, what is the "mud" equivalent for our lives? Our lives are designed to work well, extremely well, just like the ball. Have I lost my mind? Maybe, but let's play with the metaphor anyway.

Let's coin the phrase, "mental mud." How can we mentally muddy the ball? What is the nature of this kind of mud? Where does it come from? How does it affect the ball? To find answers to these questions, we could be drawn into the dark realms of Freud and Jung. But, instead, let's focus simply on the dynamics of striking a clean ball and the various ways we can "dirty up" our chances of success. Here are some of the most common ways to describe "mental mud;"

Mental Chatter: Perhaps most obvious is all the thinking and analysing that fills our consciousness before we begin our swings. In the moment of action, "thinking" only muddies the process, lessening our effectiveness with the ball. Typical is the temptation of trying to remember the details of swing mechanics. There is no mental room for the ball.

Memory Warnings: How often do you look at a particular golf situation through the lenses of the past? You might notice some of the physical symptoms, like tightness, nervousness or a bitter taste in your mouth as you approach certain lies that remind you of difficulties or even disasters of past rounds. The ball becomes an evil reminder.

Attitude Dictator: Attitudes form frames of reference from which we live our lives. Over time (repetitions), they tend to dictate our moods, physical reactions and patterns of thinking. Especially noticeable on a golf course are attitudes of resignation ("I'll never get this!"), fear ("Oh, my gosh, so much water!"), invincibility ("I think I'll hit from the Tournament Tees"), pride (I can drive the ball farther than he can!"). In these cases, the ball is irrelevant, your attitude is doing the most important work.

Demons of Doubt: Golf is such a difficult sport to master that doubt and uncertainty become our frequent playing partners. Our distrust will interfere with all aspects of playing this game well. Remember trying to hole a six foot putt while continuing to change your mind on the speed and line. It won't matter how clean the ball is, it ain't going where you want it to go.

Great Expectations: Whether driven by ego or by innocent hopefulness, we often view our playing moments (the ball) through a prism of expectations. Golf is a grand game, sometimes tempting illusions of greatness. We all want to putt like Tiger, flop like Phil and drive like Sergio. These images stand in between us and a clean ball, putting far too much pressure on our skill levels. Your ball is built for pressure, but not this kind.

Emotional Baggage: Missing a short putt, slicing a three wood into the lake, "chunking" a "gimme" approach shot, so many different ways during a round of golf that can get us crazy; ie., frustrated, angry, hopeless, etc. Standing over a new shot while carrying this kind of baggage can only interfere with your swing, mentally and physically. You might as well play with a black ball. (Nike got this right with their promotional Black Ball, only it wouldn't be a big seller. I wonder why?)

Create a Mental Mud Free Zone. If cleaning your ball makes common sense, then cleaning your mind should become an even more important practice. As you know, there is an essential connection between the ball and your mind. Why not develop ways to insure, to best of your ability, that you are bringing the clearest and cleanest mind to the game? Make these practices as simple and practical as washing your ball at each tee box. Every shot offers you the chance to succeed in a "mud free" zone. Why not take advantage of it and give yourself a chance to play your best? And,just think about all the money, time and intelligence that went into producing that $4.00 ball. Why waste all that perfection by covering it with your own unnecessary mud?