A Golfer's Mentality: Part 1

You don’t have a perfect golf swing, join the club. What else can you do to take your game to the next level?

Answer: Improve your mindset. Here are two schools of thought to do so.

Stoicism

Marcus Aurelius was afforded the world's greatest living tutors, and the many stories and lessons from manuscripts written by the Stoics who came before him. He was able to apply this knowledge and become Rome’s greatest emperor by all accounts because he practiced a premier tenet of Stoicism. That a man should be immune from reaction to all things external to him. This practice allowed Marcus to perfect his internal discretion, and rule without bias. In the same breath, you should aim to become immune from reacting to your golf game.

You can’t control a poor shot after it’s been hit, but you can control your response to it.

I have friends that will give up on a hole, even an entire round, after a poor shot.

They will usually say things like “If only I had” or “I got unlucky” on such and such holes. Is there such a thing in an unpredictable game? Anticipate turmoil, and it won’t catch you on your heels.

Always be eager to hit the next shot because it’s the next opportunity to do well. That’s the beauty of golf, and the reason players come back. The difficult part is maintaining this behavior in real time, and it requires self-discipline.

Optimism

Tiger walks up to the 1st tee of every event thinking he is going to win. In his own words, “why else would you show up?”

The optimist only considers that he will play exactly as intended, and is surprised when he does not. Be surprised by your failures, and manage your response.

Golfers are less in control of their game than they think, and so they assign more blame when they underperform their own expectations. Learn to detach your ego from the result.

When you watch your friend slice the ball into the water with the ball below his feet, you don’t throw him a pity party, because his mistake is not your own. However, you probably have a couple ideas of what went wrong. Consider your game a spectacle, and assess it as though you were a spectator. Become a student of your own game and understand that the most important shot is the next, because it is.

It’s simple to be realistic with yourself, and there is nothing worse than playing with a proud golfer, no matter what his handicap is. We all know people that make excuses for their golf game, and it’s pathetic. You are not your golf game, but if you are disrupted by it then you become a reflection of it.

Conclusion:

The point of this article is that you should utilize schools of thought as it suits your game. Pull from ideology that benefits you, and implement it while you play.

Subscribe to it, believe in it, and watch your game improve.

Takeaway quote:

“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens”

Epictetus

With respect & devotion,

The Fairway Destiny Team