We seem to associate this quality with winning and success, in general. In many cases, it’s a big factor. No risk, no reward. We’ve probably all heard that saying. In business, that attitude is practically a virtue.
In golf, though, it should be used sparingly, because the negative outcome will usually be disaster.
Now, be honest. How many times have you been standing over your ball on a par five, about to hit your second shot, with 220+ yards [...]
posted in Golf Psychology •
Before I mislead you, I’m not talking about four-ball competitions, scrambles, or anything similar. Golf is a game of solitude. When it comes time to hit the ball, there’s no one there to help.
“So exactly what are you talking about”, I can hear you asking.
Have you ever played team sports? Football (either kind)? Baseball? Hockey? Basketball? Rugby, lacrosse, or volleyball? Let’s forget for a moment that those sports require teams simply to play the games. Let’s instead turn to what [...]
posted in Golf Psychology •
When I first set out to write this post, it was going to be a list looking at some of the more creative players in golf history.
That plan changed some as I leafed through the August 2008 issue of Golf Digest. In Jim Flick’s column (p. 48) he related a story that I found so fascinating that it made me want to shift gears and talk about the role of creativity in golf.
Flick shared a story where his colleague Mike [...]
posted in Mental Game •
I’m always fascinated at the number of different variations of putting grips I see. It isn’t just down at my local course, either.
Tune in to any PGA Tour event and look at the number of variations you see. Fingers overlapped and interlocked in different ways. Hands rotated around the shaft to different degrees. And that’s just variations on the conventional grip.
Then you have all sorts of unconventional grips: left hand low, the claw, the saw. There seems to be a [...]
posted in Mental Game, Putting Tips •
That’s right. I said it. You want to play better golf? Positive attitude is a great way to do it.
I’ve never read a book that covers the mental game that advocates anything but a positive attitude on the golf course. I’ve never heard otherwise in a lesson or from a pro or from watching an instructional program on television.
So why is it that so many players have such a poor attitude on the course? I’ll [...]
posted in Mental Game •