More insight from Grayden:
Cam
If I had to sum up the secret to golf in one word it would definitely be TRUST. Its a constant challenge to overcome your fears and trust. I’m starting to wonder if we EVER actually win this battle (?) Probably not really. We get better at it but probably never actually conquer it completely. What do you think? I’m going through a stage of being somewhat dismayed at my own feebleness in this regard. Its actually one of the problems with golf. It brings out your frailties and puts them right in your face week after week. It can get a little tiring at times, eh? Where’s your mind at at present? Enjoying it? Jaded with it? Excited about it? It really is a foolish pastime in a way isn’t it?
Best regards,
GP
My thoughts:
Yep, you need to have trust. Trust in your subconscious to hit the ball where you want it to go. To do this you have to let go – to let go you need trust. Here’s a quick story.
I’m back playing for my golf team this year and last Sunday I was up against a really good player. I remember standing on the 1st tee feeling really nervous. By really nervous, I’m talking about the butterflies and lots of internal chatter.
“don’t duff your drive”, “don’t embarrass yourself in front of all these people”, “you’re a crap golfer and you can’t beat this guy”.
Seriously, Pesky was giving me everything with both barrels. What did I do?
I had a chuckle, I was thinking about Grayden’s email and how many might thing that I have some special power to block out these bad thoughts and feelings. How I can turn up and play great golf more often than not. But I don’t.
And there’s no getting away from the fact that you’ve got Pesky on your shoulder all the time. You’ve got to accept this, which also takes courage and trust.
Can we win the battle?
If we can accept that we’re human and we’ll never play perfectly that’s a good start. If you can understand that the golf swing is not overly important and playing the game trumps all else then you’re well on your way. If you can trust your game from the first tee to the last green I reckon you’ll win more than you lose.
And by winning I’m not talking about 40 stableford points or nett 69 (but that can happen). Winning is walking off the course and knowing you’ve won the internal battle, you’ve learned something and you’ve had a good time doing so.
Grayden’s correct. All this comes down to trust. And yes, it really can be a stupid game. Especially how grown adults can get completely carried away with hitting the little white ball.
What goes through your mind when you play? How do you feel? Asking these questions is also a step in the right direction. Leave your thoughts below