For people struggling to shoot the number they expect, I had been going through some issues over the last two months and this past Tuesday I
played with my brother Jerry at Crosswinds in Plymouth, which is a shortish course, but with all kinds of elevation changes and trouble. Fast greens, blind shots, high winds,
brutal hazards. We both struggled which was depressing, but my back nine wasn't bad and I felt like I was figuring it out. It's a strange, yet beautiful course with
excellent conditions, but it got in our heads.
Two days later I played a longer course that was also hilly and somewhat rough condition-wise, hence the 26 dollar greens fee. I walked the course, shot
an 86 and the group I was with wondered what got into me, because I was much better than they'd seen, but they hadn't seen "me". It wasn't the courses, really that was a
minor factor. I just started finding my swing again which has been MIA most of the year. I was in better control and striking the ball solidly more often than not, which
was a switch.
Going in all I thought was simply "I want to hit more good shots and fewer shitty ones" and that was mission accomplished.
Can I shave 7 strokes off that 86 and break 80 for the first time? Yep, I definitely can. I believe that is realistic even if I go out and suck next week,
because I have the game to do it. All I have to do is get my head and body right. Both have improved. It's a realistic goal.
Golf is the most mental game there is. People tell themselves all sorts of stuff and a lot of it is somewhere between delusional and incorrect, but I choose
to tell myself I'm a sub-80 player and we'll see how that goes.
I had a chance to study the subconscious mind a while back and believe I learned some useful things. Now, when I hear people say"I just can't get out of the sand no matter
what I try", for instance, I know that is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Doom. If that person wanted to get better they should never let their subconscious hear something like that,
because that thing believes almost everything you tell it and will ensure you continue to fail. Instead, if that person stated a reasonable goal such as "I can be better out of the sand",
which is 100% possible, then it is entirely possible they would get better,
It's a mental game. What do you tell others about your game? What does your subconscious hear? It's both a powerful engineer and very prone to suggestion. It's not particularly bright, either, but it knows pure bullshit and ignores it. Reachable, reasonable goals are the key.
️
