Happy New Year! Every Stroke!

OK. Now that you have enough time to digest the Holiday's indulgences, it is a perfect time to talk "turkey" about one of the great and greatly abused traditions of the New Year period, New Year's Resolutions. Here's my new resolution; write shorter blog posts! We'll see how long that lasts!

Honestly, how long does your usual new year's resolution last? A couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months? After a few decades of obligatory pretending, you've probably just given up the practice. Right? Well, maybe it is time to reconsider the merits of long standing tradition. There must be some practical value?! For the sake of this blog site, let's start with something simple, like your golf game!

Without delving into the psycho-phenomenology of the golf swing, it is sufficient to examine the simple act of letting go of the past and starting all over again as a basic element in playing golf well. Most great golfers have learned the skill of letting go of their last shots. A basic "golf for success" rule: Let go of your last shot!

The reasons for this are easy to understand. Carrying "energy baggage" (mental, physical or emotional) into the future will only obstruct the chances of something truly new and possibly exceptional, to occur. Have you ever tried to start an intimate relationship with someone new before you had actually completed on the mess of the last one? It takes a lot of extra work. Or perhaps your last missed putt nags your mood all the way onto the next green as you tried to calmly focus on making the next new putt. It is tough to accomplish.

New Year's Resolutions were invented to offer a socially and chronologically convenient opportunity for us to make peace with the past. It is a ritualized chance to say goodbye, declare completion and let go! When we clear the past, it is much easier for us to be genuinely enthusiastic about the next new chance.

Imagine starting every new round with a clear, clean conviction of intent? How extraordinary would it be if you could play the game and make little declarations of freedom, optimism and intent throughout your entire round? Every shot becomes a new chance. Next time you are out on the course, try it. Only now, we'll refer to this process as a "New Shot Resolution".