What we have to do as golfers committed to improvement is believe in the possibility of our potential and challenge ourselves to reach it.

Regardless of our skill level, every once in a while we all experience a round where we get a glimpse of our potential. On these rare occasions, it seems that with little effort, the ball goes were we want, we hit more fairways and greens, and sink more putts. We're calm and relaxed and the game just comes to us.

It's during all the other rounds that we must remain open to the possibility of our potential and remain focused on our intention for each and every shot. It's during these rounds that we must make a choice to be confident, fearless - and artful.

Instead of letting our mind naturally wander towards thoughts of past or desired results, we must keep focused on the specific requirements of each shot. It's a simple choice, but requires our discipline and will.

Dr. Gio Valiante shares in his book, Fearless Golf, that "the opportunity to be a fearless golfer isn't dependent on anything other than our will to do everything possible to execute golf swings at precise targets, and to believe in the possibility that by controlling our interpretation of events and our approach to hitting a particular shot we have the opportunity to maximize our potential. Playing with confidence ultimately is not an after-affect; it is a choice. The power lies solely within us."

I had an opportunity to apply these disciplines in a round yesterday, coming off some very poor rounds in my recent outings and learning that my physical, emotional and mental biorhythm cycles are all at or near the bottom.

Nothing has been easy lately. I've been duffing chips, scalding pitches, and 3-putting greens. I've had more than my normal share of double and triple bogies, even a quintuple bogie! However, my commitment to focusing solely on each shot, one at a time, has lacked the necessary effort and concentration.

It appears that the confidence I gained by improving my game through these very principles, made me feel as if golf was now easy, and I could shot good rounds at will. Instead of striving towards even more improvement, I'd become self-satisfied and perhaps complacent. And now, far from being "in the zone", my scores and shot-making began to slip.

So yesterday, while playing with a couple scratch golfers, I made the choice to really focus, to remain open to the possibility of a great round, and to play artful golf. The worst thing that could happen is that I record another poor round, but it was also possible that I open myself up to playing closer to my potential, and even keep up with these better golfers. I did just that.

Even though I let my focus falter on a few occasions, resulting in horrific shots, I followed through with total concentration on the rest of my shots, yet remained detached about their outcome. Although nothing came easily, and a few shots were just plain horrible, I managed to score one of my best rounds ever at this difficult course, coming in with a 37-39-76. More importantly, I'd learned a valuable lesson.

The highlight of the round came on the par 3 5th hole. I topped my 9-iron off the tee and landed on the top of a mound of long fescue about half way to the green. It was one of my worst shots ever. Amazingly, I didn't let the shot phase me in the least. I didn't get mad at myself. I wasn't even feel embarrased in front these 2 scratch golfers, one of which I'd never played with, the other I'd played with only once. Instead, I took out my sand wedge and hit the next shot to within 2 feet of the pin and tapped it in for par! I stayed open to the possibility that my next shot could be extraordinary.

I can't wait to see what's possible when I make the choice to play artful golf during a round when shots are coming more easily!

Labels: Books, Concentration, Disciplines, Dr. Gio Valiante, Fearless Golf, Rounds

The primary motivation for many golfers is to earn recognition from others. For these golfers, what others say about them is more important to them than improving and developing their game. Rather than being lost in the thought of hitting the precise shot they want, these golfers often become indecisive and uncertain with the club in their hands - a quick way to unravel a golf swing.

In contrast, some golfers have as their primary incentive a desire to learn, improve and excel. A focus on learning and personal development is inconsistent with worries about how our results will be viewed by others.

In both these cases, a golfer's attention is on things related to hitting better golf shots - strategy, course conditions, tempo, and location of hazards. But the golfer intent on learning and improving is better able to stay focused and remain composed during their round.

And it's a pretty good bet that they're enjoying themselves a good deal more and worrying a lot less than their self-obsessed and self-conscious counterparts.

According to Dr. Gio Valiante in Fearless Golf, "these Mastery golfers get lost in the details, puzzles, and mysteries of the game, and they see their task as mastering those details and understanding the game's mysteries. Because they view mastering golf as a constant challenge, they find it easy to become fully involved in what they are doing, whether practicing chip shots or putting in competition. Their motivation for playing is not for awards or approval from others. For mastery-oriented golfers, the shot matters much more than the consequences. Awards, trophies, and public recognition are seen as natural consequences to excellence, not the primary motive for achieving that excellence."

Today I had the unique experience of playing a round with a local golfer who I just met last week online on a new golf community website. It turns out we both spend most of our time playing Monarch Dunes Golf Club - a new golf course designed by Damian Pascuzzo which was recently rated the top new course in California by Fairways & Greens magazine and among the top 10 new courses in the country by Golf Magazine. So, after a introducing ourselves via email, we decided to meet and play a round at our favorite course.


6th Tee at Monarch Dunes Golf Club, Nipomo

He had read my profile online which included information about my relative success in lowering my handicap from 16 to 4 in my 21 months of play, so I was a little concerned that I might feel a little pressure to live up to that level of play - and instead choke.

Instead, I stayed focused and relaxed, committed to play for my own enjoyment instead of impressing him or anyone else. I played well, hitting only a few poor shots.

However, going into the last hole with a chance to shoot a 76 with a par, I saw a couple course employees by the clubhouse, watching groups come in on the last hole. I had 180 yards in and thought to myself that it would be nice to give them a nice approach shot to admire on this hard-to-hit green. With that grand thought in my mind, I hit my 6-iron right into the lake well in front of the green. In all my many previous rounds, I'd never hit a ball into this lake! I dropped at 160 yards, hit a nice 7-iron to about 15 feet, but barely missed my bogie putt to end the round with a double-bogie 78. Argh.

Seems every round I play presents me with a new little opportunity to grow! I guess that's one of the reasons I play.

A funny side note is that when I finally met this new online friend face-to-face today before the round, I immediately recognized him. Someone in my group had rudely, but accidentally, hit into his foursome that was ahead of us a couple weeks earlier. He recognized me as well.

Labels: Books, Courses, Disciplines, Dr. Gio Valiante, Fearless Golf, Monarch Dunes, Motivation, Rounds