Focus On Golf

Prelude Since I was a boy I’ve been fascinated with the ability of accomplished performers to maintain their focus and composure in the most pressure filled situations. The feats of acrobats, martial artists, marksman, and all other precision athletes always intrigued me. Additionally, the best of the best in every sport seemed to make everyone else look simply average. I always wondered, what makes these performers so special? What type of edge did they have over everyone else? As I played a variety of sports growing up, it became quite clear to me that having talent and ability was insufficient. Some of the most talented athletes have a tendency to fold under pressure, and some of the more averagely talented athletes seem to pull off the most magnificent plays when it most counts. In most sports even the best performers experience periods of slumps. However, there are those few that always seem to have an edge. They always seem to make the most of their abilities. With these observations in mind, my life became a quest for the answers to developing the edge. Staying committed to this quest took me on an athletic journey. I played many sports in my youth, including gymnastics, tae kwon do, tennis, football, baseball, basketball, soccer, judo, water polo, archery, and of course golf. Since the first time I stepped on a driving range at the age of 9, golf was always my real passion. So when I turned 18 I made my first choice as an adult, I was to be a professional golfer. At that moment I committed my life entirely to golf, and golf became the venue for engaging in the quest. Surprisingly the quest for the performance edge would lead me to the fields of philosophy, psychology, kinesiology, nutrition, fitness, awareness training, and personal growth. And through it all I’ve become a coach as well as a performer. In 1992 I suffered a career threatening injury. I was unable to play golf for 4 years, incurred two surgeries, and underwent three years of physical therapy. In 1996 my doctors thought I’d never play golf again. However, I am happy to say I currently hold a +5 handicap. This seven-year journey to solve my physical problems provided me the opportunity to understand what truly makes the difference as a performer. Although my physical skills were neglect for many years, and although my body was much less fit than before my injuries, I was still able to score under par as soon as I was cleared to play golf. As a matter of fact, I shot 70 in my first round of golf after being cleared by my doctors to play. Since that round, I have regained my form and have become an even better performer, accumulating 8 hole-in-ones and set over fifteen course records. So, what’s made the difference, where did this performance edge come from? Many of these answers came to me while coaching others to reach their potential. Though I was injured for all those years, I was still able to coach on a daily basis. As a coach I spent much of my time observing the habits, tendencies, mind-sets, and performance characteristics of my students. It was within these observations that many of the answers have been found. And most of them seem to be tied to the inner game. As a player I had an incredible coach. He opened my eyes to what real coaching is all about. Early on he noticed my inquisitive nature, and he knew my thirst for knowledge would lead me to the arena of coaching. So, as my mentor he made the choice to share with me his insights into the field of coaching. Thus, I to became a coach. For that I am truly grateful, and I give thanks to my coach and friend Fred Shoemaker (author of Extraordinary Golf). Coaches open doors, they inspire awareness, they observe patterns in behavior, and share their observations with their students. Coaches help students become aware of how their thoughts, beliefs, disposition, and response mechanisms affect their performance. Coaches help awaken their students to the processes of productivity, efficiency, cause and effect, habit formation, trust and confidence, and the way of being your genuine self. Coaches guide their students into enlightened states, where factors of performance become obvious and natural. A coach’s first step is to open the door to the way you’ll eventually approach your life. Then the coach helps nurture this process. Your coach does this by helping awaken your senses, and this helps you become more in tune to what is going on in your environment. Awareness awakens you to true vision, effortless focus, unconditional confidence, and the freedom to be genuine in your actions. In short, coaches help you become aware of the state of being that guides you into the performance zone. Volumes of instructional materials have been compiled with regard to the golfer’s swing technique, and improvements in equipment and course conditions are well documented, however, the average golfers handicap has failed to improve over the past 40 years. Of course, instruction and technology do make the ball go further, which does influence the average golfers enjoyment and ego levels – if only briefly. However, that is insufficient for guaranteeing better performance, because once the golfers inconsistencies catch up to him, the enjoyment factor once again diminishes. Let’s take a peek into the state of being all accomplished players experience regularly. Accomplished players embody a sense of calmness and peace of mind. Their actions are free of tension and their focus is locked into target-oriented images. They are aware of their surroundings and committed to a game plan. Accomplished golfers are sure of the skills they possess, and understanding of the skills they are yet to internalize. With all this in mind, accomplished golfers maintain a productive disposition, one full of possibility and unconditional confidence. Finally, they appear to address the ball with calm preparation, they swing confidently, and they reflect on each performance with a sense of perspective. The average golfer embodies a state of uncertainty. Their minds are full of mental chatter and they often entertain images of impending disaster. Average golfers are unsure of their skills and lacking in the necessary confidence. Therefore, the average golfer is full of anxiety, born of mental distractions, resulting in interference, followed by misdirected actions and emotional responses. Thus, average golfers address the ball in a state of tension, swing with either hesitation or aggressive fury, and react to their performances emotionally. Which way do you want to be on the golf course? As you can see, there are considerable obstacles for the average golfer to overcome, whereas the accomplished golfer has learned how to by pass the obstacles by being focused and genuine in his actions. For the average golfer to become an accomplished golfer she, too, will need to develop a more confident and productive approach to golf. Becoming an accomplished golfer involves changing the way you perceive the game. It involves developing a new way of being on the golf course. If you show up to the golf course with the same old habits, same old mind-set, and same old attitude, then it is unreasonable to believe that you’ll have totally different and much more acceptable results. You must make a choice to change, and before you make the choice you must be willing to acknowledge that what you presently do fails to work in a satisfactory manner. So, change is a process of awakening ourselves to the way we are, the way we act, the way we respond, and the way we continue from this point on. This means, we must be awakened to our way of being on the golf course. This begs the question, “Are your habits a hindrance or an asset on the golf course?” “Do you have a productive disposition, or do you act with hidden agendas lurking in the back of your mind?” Knowing