This book is my favorite mental game book that I've ever read. It really gives some great techniques helping with focusing on the present and taking one shot at a time, as well as a great method for calming the negative thoughts that tend to get our focus. What really makes this book a classic is that it transcends golf and applies life in general. If you haven't checked it out yet, definitely take the time to read it. Dr Parent evolved his principles of Zen Golf from studying and practicing Buddhist meditation and psychology, as well as an enduring passion for golf. One of his meditation teachers, Osel Tendzin is an avid golfer.
Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent
Introduction
I'm a golf coach, but I don't instruct golfers on their swings. I teach them how to use their minds on the golf course and how to play from their hearts. I try to give golfers a different way of thinking about how they play the game and how they treat themselves on the golf course. I teach golfers how to play "Zen golf."
Zen means "action with awareness" being completely in the present moment. The qualities that accompany the Zen experience include expansive vision, effortless focus, a feeling of equanimity and timelessness, abundant confidence, and complete freedom from anxiety or doubt. Interestingly, this exactly the way champion athletes describe "being in the Zone." It is also strikingly similar to the way golfers describe the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot, a feeling every golfer wants to have again and again.
Performance anxiety, emotional reactions, and distractions interfere with golfers' abilities. Overcoming such obstacles is the key to breaking through to lower scores. The stories and lessons in Zen Golf are about freeing ourselves from fear and doubt, and activating confidence--what every golfer needs. Many books and articles on the mental game will tell you, "Stay in the present, keep focused, clear your mind, don't get down on yourself." What makes Zen Golf special is that it teaches you how to do those things, with time-tested mindfulness and awareness techniques and exercises for working with thoughts and emotions, for settling and centering your body and mind, for changing unhelpful habits.
Through years of playing, practicing, and coaching the mental game of golf, three aspects emerged as the ideal beginning, middle, and end for any golf shot. I refer to them as the PAR approach to golf instruction--Preparation, Action, and Response to results (xvii).
Keys to preparation: clarity, commitment, and composure. Necessary for developing a sound, consistent routine.
The ideal state of mind for action: feeling confident, focused, and in the flow, with body and mind synchronized in the present moment. This allows you to execute a shot free from the interference of mental chatter or paralysis from analysis.
The best response to results: one that enhances future performance. You'll be introduced to a unique "post-shot routine." This special way of relating to the outcome of a shot is highly effective in fostering confidence by building on success and learning from mistakes without negativity.
It is my hope that this book will help you tap into the unconditional confidence that is already there in your heart. May it enable you to ride the ups and downs you encounter with poise, humor, and humility, making the game of golf and the game of life ever more rewarding for yourself and your playing companions.
Part 1: A Different Perspective
"Confidence is an unconditional state in which you simply possess an unwavering state of mind that needs no reference point. There is no room for doubt; even the question of doubt does not occur...This unconditional confidence contains gentleness, because the notion of fear does not arise; sturdiness, because in the state of confidence there is ever-present resourcefulness; and joy, because trusting in the heart brings a greater sense of humor. This confidence can manifest as majesty, elegance, and richness in a person's life." --Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Chapter 1: Empty Your Cup
A young man had read all the books he could find about Zen. He heard about a great Zen master and requested an appointment with him to ask for teachings. When they were seated, the young man proceeded to tell the master everything he had understood from his reading, saying that Zen is about this, and Zen is about that. After some time, the master suggested that they have tea. He performed the traditional tea ceremony while the student sat at attention, bowing when served, saying nothing. The master began to pour tea into the student's cup. He poured until it was full, and kept pouring. The tea ran over the edge of the cup and onto the table. The master kept pouring as the tea ran off the table and onto the floor. Finally, the student couldn't contain himself any longer. He shouted, "Stop! Stop pouring! The cup is full--no more will go in!" The master stopped pouring and said, "Just like this cup, your mind is full of your own opinions and preconceptions. How can you learn anything unless you first empty your cup?"
The empty cup approach doesn't mean giving up your intelligence and following blindly. The point is to receive everything that's taught in an open way, withholding judgment about it until you've tried it for a while. Try your best to understand what is being communicated, then give it a fair chance to see whether or not it works for you. Beginner's mind is a mind that is open, eager to learn, an empty cup. If your mind is open, empty of preconceptions, it is always inquisitive, receptive to whatever arises, and ready to engage.
When we begin, we have no thoughts of having already accomplished something. Then we can learn. But after a while, it can get stale. We may think we know something and lose our motivation. Our cup starts to fill and there is less room for something new. When we become aware that this is happening, we can take a fresh start and return to beginner's mind. We may find it challenging to keep to our beginner's mind. But it is so worthwhile. With beginner's mind we can learn from everyone and everything we encounter.
Four Kinds of Students
In describing the learning process, the Buddhist teachings once again make use of the metaphor of the cup. Four types of cups symbolize four kinds of students. Instruction is symbolized by water being poured.
The first cup is upside down, representing a student who is supposedly there to learn, but pays no attention. No matter how much is poured, nothing gets in.
The second cup is right side up, but has a hole in the bottom. We hear what's being taught, but we forget it all too soon (in one ear, out the other). We didn't chew on it and digest it and take it to heart.
The third cup is right side up and doesn't have a hole in it, but the inside is covered with dirt. When the clear water of instruction is poured in, the dirt makes it cloudy. This symbolizes the way we can distort what we hear, interpreting and editing it to fit into our preconceived ideas or opinions. Nothing new is actually learned, anything new that doesn't match our opinion is resisted, ignored, or disregarded.
The fourth cup represents the ideal way to be a student. It is upright, receiving what is taught. It has no holes, retaining what is taught. It is clean, open to learning something new. To whatever extent you can, be like the fourth cup.
An upright, clean, open, and fully covered cup is the ideal way to be a student.
Most golfers profess to want to improve their games. When people find out that I coach the mental game, many of them say, "Boy, do I need that." But most aren't really interested in learning--like upside-down cups (6).
It's delightful when someone who, like the fourth type of cup, comes back and describes the results of working on what we discussed, and has even begun to apply the instruction to other aspects of his or her game.
Thinking outside of the box:
To complete the Nine Dots Exercise (where you connect nine dots with only 3 or 4 straight lines without lifting your pencil from the paper) you need to go outside the artificial limits of the 'box' that the nine dots seem to define. If you assume you have to stay within the box, four continuous straight lines will always leave at least one dot unconnected. You have to think outside the box. The point of this exercise is to show how we limit ourselves by our assumptions. Looking at things with a big mind, with a larger or different perspective, increases our choices dramatically. It allows for so much more creativity. Sometimes aiming for the rough is the better play than playing down the water lined fairway, sometimes aiming for the slope at the back of the green will be a much more easier way to get the ball closer to the pin. When uncomfortable with your long irons and you face a shot with hazards surrounding the green, instead of going for the green, take a page out of Zach Johnson's book from the 2007 Masters, where he laid up on every par 5 that week and went on to win.
Par for the course:
'Par' is an example of an illusory 'box' that mid- to high-handicap golfers create for themselves. They would do well to think outside of it. Less than 1 percent of all golfers have completed a round of golf in par or better. That makes it a rather unrealistic target score for all but the most skilled among us.
Measuring yourself against the par on the scorecard is a setup for failure for the average golfer [...] when it was first used, the number set as 'par for the course' varied according to the difficulty of the course under conditions under which a competition was played. If it was played in a howling wind and driving rain on a long, tight golf course, par might have been set at 85 that day.
A scorecard on the other hand doesn't change with the weather. I suggest that you set your own par for the course. Change the par written on the scorecard to reflect your handicap, as well as the conditions, making it your 'personal par for the day.' Before each round, on your scorecard, cross out and rewrite the par given to each of the harder holes on the course. Add one for as many holes as you receive handicap strokes (and one or two more if the weather or course conditions are extra challenging). The harder par-4 holes are now par-5s, etc. For high handicappers (over 18), on some holes your 'personal par' will be two strokes higher than the par on the scorecard.
You will become much more at ease approaching a difficult hole from this new perspective. It will also encourage more patience in recovering from a miss-hit, knowing you have that extra stroke or two to get to the green. You'll also feel much better at the end of a hole or the end of a round by using this perspective-changing technique. For a 20-handicapper playing the hardest hole, instead of dejectedly saying, 'I made another double-bogey,' you get to say, 'I made my par!' at the end of your round, instead of saying, 'I shot a ninety-one,' you get to say, 'I finished at one under par!' It's pretty clear which will make you feel more encouraged about this round and more confident about the next one. The idea of reaching the par on the scorecard seems an insurmountable task when it is twenty strokes away. Getting there little by little with rewards along the way is much more workable (Parent 10-12).
Preview in How to Make Every Putt
Use this connect the dots drill as an exercise to get better at visualizing putts
Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent
Introduction
I'm a golf coach, but I don't instruct golfers on their swings. I teach them how to use their minds on the golf course and how to play from their hearts. I try to give golfers a different way of thinking about how they play the game and how they treat themselves on the golf course. I teach golfers how to play "Zen golf."
Zen means "action with awareness" being completely in the present moment. The qualities that accompany the Zen experience include expansive vision, effortless focus, a feeling of equanimity and timelessness, abundant confidence, and complete freedom from anxiety or doubt. Interestingly, this exactly the way champion athletes describe "being in the Zone." It is also strikingly similar to the way golfers describe the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot, a feeling every golfer wants to have again and again.
Performance anxiety, emotional reactions, and distractions interfere with golfers' abilities. Overcoming such obstacles is the key to breaking through to lower scores. The stories and lessons in Zen Golf are about freeing ourselves from fear and doubt, and activating confidence--what every golfer needs. Many books and articles on the mental game will tell you, "Stay in the present, keep focused, clear your mind, don't get down on yourself." What makes Zen Golf special is that it teaches you how to do those things, with time-tested mindfulness and awareness techniques and exercises for working with thoughts and emotions, for settling and centering your body and mind, for changing unhelpful habits.
Through years of playing, practicing, and coaching the mental game of golf, three aspects emerged as the ideal beginning, middle, and end for any golf shot. I refer to them as the PAR approach to golf instruction--Preparation, Action, and Response to results (xvii).
Keys to preparation: clarity, commitment, and composure. Necessary for developing a sound, consistent routine.
The ideal state of mind for action: feeling confident, focused, and in the flow, with body and mind synchronized in the present moment. This allows you to execute a shot free from the interference of mental chatter or paralysis from analysis.
The best response to results: one that enhances future performance. You'll be introduced to a unique "post-shot routine." This special way of relating to the outcome of a shot is highly effective in fostering confidence by building on success and learning from mistakes without negativity.
It is my hope that this book will help you tap into the unconditional confidence that is already there in your heart. May it enable you to ride the ups and downs you encounter with poise, humor, and humility, making the game of golf and the game of life ever more rewarding for yourself and your playing companions.
Part 1: A Different Perspective
"Confidence is an unconditional state in which you simply possess an unwavering state of mind that needs no reference point. There is no room for doubt; even the question of doubt does not occur...This unconditional confidence contains gentleness, because the notion of fear does not arise; sturdiness, because in the state of confidence there is ever-present resourcefulness; and joy, because trusting in the heart brings a greater sense of humor. This confidence can manifest as majesty, elegance, and richness in a person's life." --Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
Chapter 1: Empty Your Cup
A young man had read all the books he could find about Zen. He heard about a great Zen master and requested an appointment with him to ask for teachings. When they were seated, the young man proceeded to tell the master everything he had understood from his reading, saying that Zen is about this, and Zen is about that. After some time, the master suggested that they have tea. He performed the traditional tea ceremony while the student sat at attention, bowing when served, saying nothing. The master began to pour tea into the student's cup. He poured until it was full, and kept pouring. The tea ran over the edge of the cup and onto the table. The master kept pouring as the tea ran off the table and onto the floor. Finally, the student couldn't contain himself any longer. He shouted, "Stop! Stop pouring! The cup is full--no more will go in!" The master stopped pouring and said, "Just like this cup, your mind is full of your own opinions and preconceptions. How can you learn anything unless you first empty your cup?"
The empty cup approach doesn't mean giving up your intelligence and following blindly. The point is to receive everything that's taught in an open way, withholding judgment about it until you've tried it for a while. Try your best to understand what is being communicated, then give it a fair chance to see whether or not it works for you. Beginner's mind is a mind that is open, eager to learn, an empty cup. If your mind is open, empty of preconceptions, it is always inquisitive, receptive to whatever arises, and ready to engage.
When we begin, we have no thoughts of having already accomplished something. Then we can learn. But after a while, it can get stale. We may think we know something and lose our motivation. Our cup starts to fill and there is less room for something new. When we become aware that this is happening, we can take a fresh start and return to beginner's mind. We may find it challenging to keep to our beginner's mind. But it is so worthwhile. With beginner's mind we can learn from everyone and everything we encounter.
Four Kinds of Students
In describing the learning process, the Buddhist teachings once again make use of the metaphor of the cup. Four types of cups symbolize four kinds of students. Instruction is symbolized by water being poured.
The first cup is upside down, representing a student who is supposedly there to learn, but pays no attention. No matter how much is poured, nothing gets in.
The second cup is right side up, but has a hole in the bottom. We hear what's being taught, but we forget it all too soon (in one ear, out the other). We didn't chew on it and digest it and take it to heart.
The third cup is right side up and doesn't have a hole in it, but the inside is covered with dirt. When the clear water of instruction is poured in, the dirt makes it cloudy. This symbolizes the way we can distort what we hear, interpreting and editing it to fit into our preconceived ideas or opinions. Nothing new is actually learned, anything new that doesn't match our opinion is resisted, ignored, or disregarded.
The fourth cup represents the ideal way to be a student. It is upright, receiving what is taught. It has no holes, retaining what is taught. It is clean, open to learning something new. To whatever extent you can, be like the fourth cup.
An upright, clean, open, and fully covered cup is the ideal way to be a student.
Most golfers profess to want to improve their games. When people find out that I coach the mental game, many of them say, "Boy, do I need that." But most aren't really interested in learning--like upside-down cups (6).
It's delightful when someone who, like the fourth type of cup, comes back and describes the results of working on what we discussed, and has even begun to apply the instruction to other aspects of his or her game.
Thinking outside of the box:
Par for the course:
'Par' is an example of an illusory 'box' that mid- to high-handicap golfers create for themselves. They would do well to think outside of it. Less than 1 percent of all golfers have completed a round of golf in par or better. That makes it a rather unrealistic target score for all but the most skilled among us.
Measuring yourself against the par on the scorecard is a setup for failure for the average golfer [...] when it was first used, the number set as 'par for the course' varied according to the difficulty of the course under conditions under which a competition was played. If it was played in a howling wind and driving rain on a long, tight golf course, par might have been set at 85 that day.
A scorecard on the other hand doesn't change with the weather. I suggest that you set your own par for the course. Change the par written on the scorecard to reflect your handicap, as well as the conditions, making it your 'personal par for the day.' Before each round, on your scorecard, cross out and rewrite the par given to each of the harder holes on the course. Add one for as many holes as you receive handicap strokes (and one or two more if the weather or course conditions are extra challenging). The harder par-4 holes are now par-5s, etc. For high handicappers (over 18), on some holes your 'personal par' will be two strokes higher than the par on the scorecard.
You will become much more at ease approaching a difficult hole from this new perspective. It will also encourage more patience in recovering from a miss-hit, knowing you have that extra stroke or two to get to the green. You'll also feel much better at the end of a hole or the end of a round by using this perspective-changing technique. For a 20-handicapper playing the hardest hole, instead of dejectedly saying, 'I made another double-bogey,' you get to say, 'I made my par!' at the end of your round, instead of saying, 'I shot a ninety-one,' you get to say, 'I finished at one under par!' It's pretty clear which will make you feel more encouraged about this round and more confident about the next one. The idea of reaching the par on the scorecard seems an insurmountable task when it is twenty strokes away. Getting there little by little with rewards along the way is much more workable (Parent 10-12).
Thumbs up and smile!
Cover the Roads With Leather
Somewhere in ancient India, there was a king whose feet were very sensitive. He complained constantly about the kingdoms roads which were rough and rocky. Finally, the king decided he would have all the roads covered with leather, so that he could walk on leather anywhere he wanted to go and his feet would be comfortable. He invited the best craftsment in the land to bid on this formidable project. One replied, "I can do the job, but it will cost all that is in the kingdom's treasury." Another said, "I can cover the roads with leather for half of what is in the treasury." Then an old woman came to the king and said, "I can do the job for ten rupees. I'll just strap a piece of leather under each of your feet and you'll be walking on leather wherever you go."
Complaining, wanting all the conditions to be just the way we'd like them, doesn't get us anywhere. In fact, we're just distracting ourselves from the task at hand. Instead of complaining, recognize that everyone has to play the same course. Sure there are times when the morning groups have bad weather and it clears for the player teeing off in the afternoon, or vice versa. So what? Golf and life aaren't fair on a day-to-day basis. But those good and bad breaks even out over the llong run.
Learn to play a variety of conditions. Adapt yourself and your state of mind to whatever you encounter. Cover your feet in leather and you'll be walking comfortably no matter how rough the road.
My teacher Osel Tendzin gave one of his students this very powerful instruction about complaining: Don't complain about anything, not even to yourself.
How Big is Your Mind
A Zen master asked a student, "Where is your mind?" The student said, "When I perceive my thoughts it is as if someone were speaking inside my head. So my mind must be in my head." The master motioned for the student to approach him. When the student stood right in front of him, the master banged his fist down on the student's big toe and said, "Now where is your mind?"
If we notice a sensation in our foot, it is actually experienced in our mind. So perhaps our mind is the size of our body. But we also experience what we see, so perhaps our mind is as big as our field of vision. What if I asked you to imagine the farthest star in the farthest galaxy? Now how big is your mind? Ultimately, our mind has the potential to be as big as the universe. The more open our mind, the bigger it is. The more consumed by worry and petty concerns, the smaller it is. Tunnel vision might be very focused, but if you miss a critical variable in your planning, the shot will be a disaster. Temper tantrums make for a very small mind and lead to awful decisions. Worrying about missing a four-foot putt makes your mind feel about as tiny as a thimble. Playing your best golf comes from having the biggest mind. Whatever you encounter, connect with the space around it, see it in as big a context as you can. Look at the lay of the land and start reading your putt when you're fifty yards from the green. See the big view.
If we get "ball-bound" before we swing, we lost track of the space we're sending the ball into. A small mind interferes with making a free swing that follows through toward the target. After a good drive or iron shot, watch it fly, without a lot of comment, just appreciating the whole picture. Notice how open and expansive, how big your mind feels. Connect with that experience and call it up before your next shot. You'll be surprised by how much more you see and feel.
***Big Mind Exercise: On a level area of the putting green place a ball about 20 feet from the hole (flag removed). Set up for the putt, focusing on the hole, and get a feel for the distance from the ball to the hole. Instead of stroking the putt, stand up and turn to face the hole. Now close your eyes, walk towards the hole and holding the putter by the head, try to put the grip end of the putter into the hole (Don't count steps, just put the putter grip down when you think you've gotten to the hole).
Most people stop short of the hole taking smaller, tentative steps as they get closer to where they think the hole is. The hole is the assumed limit, the end of the "box" they can't go outside of. Their mind is only as big as the space between the ball and the hole. There is also an optical counterpart to this psychological effect. Visually focusing tightly on an object foreshortens the perceived distance to that object. In other words, it looks closer than it actually is. Combine that with being afraid to go past the hole, and the ball never gets there; that's one reason why we leave putts short so often.
Now set up to the putt again, but this time look beyond the hole. Expand your view to the far edge of the green, then come back to the hole, seeing it within the larger space. Now walk again with eyes closed and try to put the grip end of the putter in the hole. This time you were probably much closer to the hole, or even a little bit beyond it. That's the impact of letting your mind be bigger.
In summation, when getting ready to putt, let your view include more of the green and see the distance to the hole within that bigger space. Bigger space, bigger mind. Bigger mind, bigger results.
You are not your thoughts
The student respectfully approached the master, bowed, and requested instruction. "My mind is very difficult to control," he explained. "When I want some thoughts to go, they stay. When I want others to stay, they go. How can I control my mind?" The master said, "The mind is like a high-spirited wild horse. If you try to control it by locking it up, it will be agitated and restless. If you try to force it to be still, it will kick and fight even more. "Take a bigger view of control. Within the big meadow of awareness, let the wild horse of your mind run here and there. With nothing to struggle against it, it will eventually settle down on it's own. When it has settle, you can tame it; when it is tame, you can train it. Then you can ride the horse of your mind, and it will swiftly take you wherever you want to go."
Many times I've heard golfers lament, "I know I have the talent, if only I could get out of my own way." What is it that's in the way? Most of the time, it's your thoughts. While playing well in a tournament, we might think to ourselves, "Well you've gotten away with it so far, but you'll screw up before too long." Believing in this thought gives it power. It creates feelings of doubt and anxiety, which interfere with our swing and produce errant shots. That makes us believe the thought even more, amplifying it in our mind. Eventually, the fear of failure becomes so powerful that our game is badly disrupted and the prophecy of the thought has been fulfilled. Yet aren't thoughts our own creations? Why would we knowingly create something that interferes with what we intend to accomplish? Let's take a closer look at our thoughts--and how we relate to them--from a different perspective.
Usually, it feels as if our thoughts and our mind are one and the same. Our thoughts seem to completely fill our mind. It's as if we are in a continuous stream of conversation with ourselves. Without hesitation we act on these thoughts and fears instead of having the freedom to choose whether or not to respond.
If we look carefully, we can see that thoughts arise in our mind, but they are not our mind. By observing our thoughts and the feelings that precede and follow them, we can begin to experience a gap in the sequence of impulse-to-thought-to-action, and we can choose how to respond rather than automatically react.
****Awareness of Thoughts: The practice of working with thoughts is fundamental to Buddhism. To begin, sit upright on a chair or cross-legged on a cushion remaining as quiet as possible. Eyes open, gaze slightly lowered, rest your attention lightly on the breath. This has a settling effect on body and mind. Let your awareness include bodily sensations and other perceptions, without letting them distract you from the breath.
As thoughts arise, you simply let them come up and go by, neither inviting them to stay nor get rid of them. Noticing them is enough; there's no need for analyzing or judging them. Doing this for just a little while creates the space that allows you to gain insight into the quality of thoughts. They come and go in your mind but they don't have to occupy it completely.
Doing this awareness practice regularly begins to change your relationship to your thoughts. You begin to see the contrast between being off somewhere in the past or the future and being here in the present. When you are present you are simply being aware. Whatever thoughts or feelings come up you can be aware of them without having to act on them.
There may be moments when little or no mental chatter occupies your mind. In that space of simply being, whatever sights, sounds, smells, or sensations you experience become vivid and clear.
In Buddhism, mind and awareness are synonymous.
Basic Goodness
One of the most fundamental principles of the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions, as taught by my teacher Chogyam Trungpa, is that the true nature of human beings is basic goodness. As he said, "This is not a matter of talking yourself into believing that everything is okay; you are genuine and good just as you are." It is the simple direct appreciation of being alive that is common to everyone. Golfers recognize it in that moment after a seemingly effortless swing sends a golf ball soaring into the sky.
It is a perspective of richness, wholeness, that nothing in our fundamental being is flawed or missing. Acknowledging our own basic goodness means taking the attitude that there is something fundamentally, essentially right with us. How we feel about ourselves as a person doesn't need to depend on the quality of a particular golf shot or the outcome of a round.
That perspective is very different from the attitude most prevalent in the world today. There is a need to prove our worth again and again, that stems from the underlying view that there is something fundamentally wrong with us. We think that in order to be who we want to be, we need to be something different than what we are. That is "poverty mentality" the feeling that we're not good enough, that we're broken and need to be fixed, that we are missing something that needs to be added to make us whole. Like the gold statue, over the years our basic goodness has become covered over by self-doubt and fear. Your memory of your natural contentment has faded, and we think that the way out of our feelings of inadequacy is to gold-plate ourselves into looking better.
We usually relate to our golf game from that kind of poverty mentality. Our swing is the gold statue of our golf game. When we make a poor shot, we usually assume something is wrong with our swing. Therefore, we think we need to do something to fix it, to add something to make it whole, to change something about it to make it right. That's like adding golf plate on top of clay. Quick fixes and patch-up jobs during a round will only take you further and further from understanding what you're doing when you swing, just as adding more gold on top of the clay takes us further from the real gold underneath. However by not fixing your swing you will start to recognize patterns and be more realistic in your targets and yardages. Seeing the patterns in your shots without trying to change them will allow you to be more aware of what you're doing to produce them. That gives you the information and insight you need to go to the practice tee and work on changing your habits.
We don't need to gold-plate our swing; we just need to dissolve the clay of interference that obscures the pure gold of what our body already knows how to do. This leads into a "richness mentality." Recognizing basic goodness as our own nature becomes the impetus for discovering unconditional confidence. Then the wayward shots no longer become punishment or confirmation of our failings, but clues that help us discover how to remove more and more clay so that our game can eventually shine like solid gold.
Jim Furyk has one of the most unique unorthodox swings on tour but it works for him and he hasn't ever changed.
Unconditional Confidence
How well we play golf is often a reflection of our level of confidence. We'd all like to have the feeling that every drive will find the fairway and every putt will find the hole. It's important to recognize that there are three kinds of confidence.
False Confidence: doesn't help at all. It's just talking big, kidding ourselves. It can lead to taking unrealistic chances, usually with disastrous consequences. We may be trying to impress others into thinking we're better than we actually are. The truth comes out in no time on the golf course.
Conditional Confidence: depends on recent results. We are confident "on the condition" that we continue to play well. When things go well our confidence can build until we feel like we can make every shot. But if things go badly, we start questioning our ability. From there, down we go. If we're worried that we might hit a bad shot and we do, we feel even less confident for the next one. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. The antidote to this is unconditional confidence.
Unconditional Confidence: arises from connecting with our basic goodness. We believe in ourselves as decent people and in our golfing skills for our level of play. This doesn't mean that we expect to hit every shot perfectly. It does mean that we can handle whatever the result is. With unconditional confidence, our self-worth as a human being doesn't depend on how well or poorly we strike a golf ball. We see our nature and our abilities as basically good and the difficulties we encounter as temporary experiences. Instead of assuming something is wrong with our swing and trying to fix it, we reflect on what may have interfered with our intention on that shot. This approach makes it possible to quickly turn things around and play well again.
Unconditional confidence takes a big perspective, independent of moment-to-moment results. The bigger the perspective we have, the better we can ride the inevitable ups and downs within a round, over several rounds, or even longer. We can handle difficulties with a sense of humor, knowing that these things come and go. We can regard experiences of success with a sense of humility; these also come and go. Whatever we encounter, we can be fearless in the moment. That's the expression of true confidence.
clearing the interference
Like the sun appearing from behind the clouds, if we clear away the interference, our confidence will come shining through.
More Curious than Afraid
Too often as we are about to break through to a new level of success, fear gets in the way. It could be a fear of failure or a fear of success. If we try our hardest and still don't succeed we might feel devastated. We might feel that doing our best is still not good enough. If we give in to that fear of failure, we find a way to sabotage our round so that we won't be in the position to fall just short at the end. We succeed in avoiding the anxiety, but we never give ourselves a chance to win. The fear of success is contained in our projections of what will be expected of us afterward and the fear of not being able to meet those expectations. Again, we often find ways to undermine our success to avoid the anxiety we anticipate.
Like Ishi, we can take an attitude of openness and curiosity about the future regardless of what we might encounter. Facing challenges this way will help us step through our fears and give ourselves a real chance for success. It's been said, "Life is like a turtle. If you don't stick your neck out, you never get anywhere." However stepping into the unknown future can have negative repercussions if the ground isn't properly prepared. The key here is pre-acceptance. You need to settle the issue in your mind that you are making a choice with pre-acceptance of all the possible results, both good and bad. If you shoot at a pin near a deep bunker, you have to be willing to accept landing in the bunker as a risk you're willing to take against the chance of having a short putt for birdie. Without acceptance, your disappointment and frustration when things don't go your way will only make matters worse.
Pre-acceptance means taking the attitude that you can handle whatever results you encounter. This reduces fear of unwanted outcomes, meaning less interference with making a free swing. And that means a higher percentage of good results. If you accept the possibility of having to scramble, you'll find yourself scrambling a whole lot less.
Preview in How to Make Every Putt
Use this connect the dots drill as an exercise to get better at visualizing putts
- Imagine the line you expect a breaking putt to take, then set ball markers on that line every foot or two.
- Connect the dots in your mind to get a clear image of the line you think it will take, then focus on getting the ball started on that line.
- Watch how the ball rolls out, then adjust the ball markers to create a more accurate line
- Continue practicing this way until the putt rolls right along the line made by the markers and into the hole.
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