Playing golf is basically hitting the ball from here to there. From here, you want the ball to go somewhere out there. Sounds simple enough but so many golfers never get the ball to there…because their thoughts are not here, where the ball is, at POINT A.
They are consumed with regrets over a shot that happened in the past or worried about a shot they’re about to make. Everyone’s done it. Learning not to do it takes a plan to be here… and practice.
Does this sound familiar? You’re in the fairway, 130 yards from the green. You’re looking at the pin placement, taking in all the negatives about getting the ball there and the flood of mental anguish begins. Enter confusion, doubt and anxiety.
“Is this enough club? What if I miss it right and it lands in the bunker? The last bunker I was in was a disaster. If I lose this hole I’ll go two down in the match.” Exit being here, trust, and confidence. You’ve just said good-bye to making your best shot simply because your thoughts were in the past or the future – not at POINT A, envisioning the shot you want to make.
Time to re-set. Take a deep breath. Let go of the errant shot that got you here and dismiss the thought of this shot going astray. Bring yourself back to here, to POINT A, and make the best shot you can.
From POINT A you can get from here to there all day long!
-Valerie Lazar