One of my main intents in creating this website earlier this year was the desire to share a book that I read - Extraordinary Golf by Fred Shoemaker - that inspired my biggest breakthroughs, not by teaching me how to improve my swing, but by transforming how I think on the golf course. The day after reading the book, I broke 80. One year later, I broke par.

Not bad, but it pales in comparison to a story I just read about a practicing surgeon in Cambodia who at 47 years old returns to golf after 28 years, and after surprisingly finding his skills still mostly intact, decides to realize his neglected potential by first sharpening his competitive skills in high stakes gambling games with some generals from the Cambodian armed forces, and soon after, pursues his tour card!


Striking it Rich by Reid Sheftall, M.D.

Reid Sheftall M.D. shares his unique experiences during this improbable journey in his new book - Striking It Rich; Golf in the Kingdom With Generals, Patients and Pros - a golf story that inspires and entertains while providing real-life wisdom and invaluable insights into the game. As one of his readers shares, "You've never read a golf story quite like this one." I agree, and I finally have a second book to recommend!

I was particularly drawn to the book initially since Sheftall takes up the game at nearly the same time and age I did. I was intrigued that someone our age could make such incredible progress so quickly, especially while working as a surgeon and running a medical center in Phnom Penh. I was surprised, not only by how much this story moved and inspired me, but, like Shoemaker's book, that it contained so many insights with the potential to transform your game. The book definitely rekindled my desire to keep improving.

I was also taken by how similar our approaches were. Although he was more skilled from the start, we both determined that with our limited time to play and practice due to having jobs, we had a much better chance to improve quickly by focusing on the most important fundamental, "changing how we think on the course", instead of working on our swing technique and taking lessons. Sheftall believes "the only way to change the quality and direction of your life is to change the way you think. If you believe something, truly believe it, your mind will figure out a way to make it a reality."

Sheftall, when asked frequently how he'd compete professionally if he hardly ever practiced or played anymore, would explain, "he kept things simple and would just swing the club the way it felt most comfortable. That way he didn't have to practice anything to keep it in tune." If asked how he developed such a good short game, he'd advise, "just think of the target and swing... Don't worry about how hard to hit the ball or how far back to take your backswing. Your brain will figure it out for you... Take a relaxed yet focused look at the target and keep that target in his mind when you swing... Never do anything mechanical or measured. Let your natural athletic grace guide you. It's swallowing, not carburetor repair." Ah, music to my ears!

An aspect of the book I found very compelling is how Sheftall weaved his incredible non-golfing life experiences into his story, from counting cards at the blackjack tables of Nevada to operating on children who had suffered disfiguring scars from acid attacks. It was interesting to learn how he applied so much of what he'd learned from these experiences in improving his thinking and decision-making on the course. One thing I learned from his experiences is to never make a wager with a card-counting M.I.T. grad.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned from his book concerned expectations. The books I've read suggest we let go of expectations when we play, but Sheftall suggests this is bad advice. In fact, he thinks that "the better players are beating the rest of us, because to a large degree, they expect to." Once we've put in the work and gained the necessary experience, we should expect success. Sheftall encourages expectations. The key, he shares, "is to not get too frustrated if those expectations are not met as precisely as you envisioned them." His personal mantra, "on any given day", is all about expectancy, and reminds me of the power of Shoemaker's phrase "the art of the possible".

So, at this point you might be asking, did Sheftall "strike it rich"? Well, I'll only share that he finally discovered what was missing in his game as a youth and what he suspects is missing in the games of a great many touring pros and amatuers alike, "Hitting one shot at a time isn't the answer - enjoying each and every shot is."

In my opinion, Striking It Rich would make a great gift for the holidays! And half of the proceeds from the book are donated to Operation Kids, a fund founded by Sheftall to provide free operations on children who have suffered disfiguring scars from burns. The surgeons at the American Medical Center in Phnom Penh have agreed to waive their fees in performing reconstructive surgery on injured children of limited means. To date, they have performed 92 such operations on 86 Cambodian children.

Labels: Books, Competition, Expectations, Reid Sheftall, Striking It Rich

Trip Kuehne, after winning the U.S. Mid-Am in Bandon Dunes last week, 13 years after loosing to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur final, shared the following comment regarding amateur golf in an interview with the USGA.

"Golf is a game, and you play games. My golf game was a heck of a lot better after I decided to do that, just play golf and play the game, and that's what I'm trying to do. It's been a great run. I'm thrilled. I want people to realize that you don't have to turn professional if you're an All-American. There are other things out there. You can get a good-paying job, you can enjoy the game of golf and play because you love the game of golf, and hopefully some people have done that, or will do that in the future. I know that the USGA is proud of it, and I'll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I don't like the fact that almost 100 people in this event are reinstated amateurs. I would love to see more guys that are 35 years old that have always been amateurs who play because they truly love the game of golf. That's why I play the game, because I truly love the game of golf. I think it's watered down a bit with the prize money."


Trip Kuehne holding the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy after winning the 2007 U.S. Mid-Am at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Trip Kuehne, 35 from Irving, Texas, is the older brother of LPGA Tour player Kelli Kuehne and PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne - both USGA champions. Kelli Kuehne won the 1995 and 1996 U.S. Women's Amateur titles, and Hank Kuehne won the 1998 U.S. Amateur.

Sandy Tatum, another strong advocate for amateur golf and past USGA President, writes in his book, "A Love Affair with the Game", that "The word amateur derives from the Greek words meaning, as a verb, to love and, as a noun, lover. That word, therefore, puts amateur golfers in the right frame of reference, because they are the lovers of it whose love provides the heart, and indeed the soul, of the game of golf."

Both Sandy and Trip simply ask talented young golfers to consider an alternative to turning professional, one that preserves their love of the game, instead of taking them down a likely path of frustration, lack of income, and eventual failure. At the least, Sandy Tatum encourages these youngsters to take full advantage of the education available to them in college, instead of focusing solely on their golf game. He even tried to persuade Tiger to finish his education at Stanford before turning pro.

Many pros certainly "love the game", but once their livelihood begins to depend on it, their relationship with the game inevitably changes. Dan Millman even observes that, "those who do sports for the trophies or pursue a career mostly for the money are missing the point."

In an interview, this month with The Outdoor Journey, Millman goes on to say that, "It's all a path of personal growth. Sports are a form of voluntary adversity that develops strength and character. This is why I've never aimed at winning or success (since I can’t ultimately control such things). I am only for excellence -- doing the best I can in a given moment, and let the outcomes be what they will. No matter the outcomes of a race, if we learn something about ourselves, it is a victory."

I think Bobby Jones would be proud of Trip and his artful pursuit of excellence... Congratulations!

Labels: Amateur, Articles, Competition, Dan Millman, Sandy Tatum, Trip Keuhne

I love to compete. I love to play well. However, I don't put undue importance on winning or loosing. For me, competition provides the opportunity to test myself, demanding my full attention, energy, and spirit. Compared to playing recreationally, competition exposes your strengths and weaknesses more fully. These strengths can be reinforced, weaknesses corrected.


Golf Competitors by gcoz7 at flickr.com

Whether I win or loose, I've learned the outcome has little meaning or lasting impact. If I happen to perform better one day than my opponent does, that doesn't have much significance. But how I respond to the challenges I face, when my opponent does his best to outplay me, provides plenty of opportunity for lasting learning and growth. By trying my best, I provide my opponent the same benefit. This perspective encourages me to always try to win, but without a trace of hostility and negativity - traits that often characterize competition.

Fred Shoemaker shares in Extraordinary Golf, that "people who compete well and don't get in their own way understand that the benefits of competition happen only during the event. These people seem to play very close to their potential and rarely tighten up. On the other hand, people who think that the benefits of an event come only when it is over will tighten up often. If you feel that the joy and satisfaction of competition can happen only when the game is over - the praise and status that you get if you win - I believe that you will always feel a tremendous amount of pressure and have a hard time playing up to your ability. As much as you try, you can't control whether you win or lose."

The real contest is not you versus another but you versus you. Competition provides a means for your old self to become your new self.

Dan Millman discusses competition too in Body Mind Mastery. He says that, "the natural athlete has a way of forgetting the game's outcome the moment it is over, but he remembers its lessons. The usual athlete learns no real lessons, because he's still stuck in the outcome. A natural athlete can't afford to revel or despair over the past. The ancient Olympic wreaths, made of laurel, reminded their wearers that fame is fleeting, and glory fades. The only lasting value in the competitive experience is the lessons we learn and keep alive."

He continues by sharing, "In the competitive arena, there will always be those more and less skilled than yourself. Some may be near the top of their own mountain; others are perhaps struggling up the first steep paths far below. As you continue onward, make use of competition to stimulate your efforts along the way, but be careful not to become too preoccupied with the peak high in the distance, or with those athletes who are far ahead. If you do, the pleasure of the climb may be lost in craving for the goal. Keep your own natural pace. Whether your path on any given day is clear or rocky, the real and only measure of your achievement can be found in the answer to a single question: 'Have I done my best today?' All winning, losing, titles, and fame fall into the shadow of that question."

The artful golfer looks to competition to learn about who he is and strive towards who he can become.

Labels: Body Mind Mastery, Competition, Dan Millman, Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker