Have Fun!

               Lots of people get super frustrated while golfing and I do not blame them. I know I get super frustrated whenever I golf. Golf is a 50% skill and 50% mental. That is not a true stat but it is something that I believe is true because I have learned many skills in the game of golf, but when it comes to actually playing, I cannot seem to perform the way I want. I can go to the driving range and hit a regular drive straight 10 times in a row, but when I get out onto the course, I might mess up once and that throws me off for the rest of the game.

               A problem that many golfers have is that they let one mistake get to their head. Like I said earlier, I might mess up on one thing and then for the rest of the round I cannot seem to play, as I know I can. This happens to lots of golfers, for example they will hit a bad drive on the 4^th hole and for the rest of the holes they will be trying to over correct and fix their mistake. Let’s say someone slices and hits the ball to the right on one hole. The next hole they are going to try to rotate their hands and end up pulling the ball. This means that they will hit the ball to the left of them, this usually happens because they are afraid to make the same mistake they made on the last hole.

 

               In the picture above there is a picture of a man that is calm and having fun. That is the main point in golf, even if you are making mistakes you have to be able to let it go and refocus on the next hole. As I have been saying repeatedly, the biggest mistake golfers make is overcorrection. Therefore, this golfer up top is a good example of someone who is having fun while the play.

               Question: How much money do you think people pay to play a round of golf?

Sand Bunkers

                Hitting out of the sand has always been one of the hardest things for anyone who has ever played golf. Not only because it is hard to get a clean shot, but also because you cannot get much distance, or accuracy. According to the book, How to Hit Every Shot (The Ultimate Guide to Shot Making and Scoring) there are two main types of sand bunkers. The first type is the fairway bunker, which a bunker in the middle of the fairway, usually about 100-200 yards away from the green. The second is a greenside bunker, which is a bunker that is usually 10 yards away from the green, 20 yards away at the most. Below, I will talk about the most efficient ways that you can hit out of the sand.

               There is the full swing, which is where you can place the ball in the front, middle or back of your stance. Either stance works, but usually it is best to line the ball closer to your back foot. It is most efficient to line up in the back of your stance because most bunkers have large lips that you have to hit high to get out of, so placing the ball in the back of your stance adds loft to your shot. No matter where you line the ball up, you take a full swing almost every time. You can take a full swing whether you are in a fairway bunker or a greenside bunker. From experience, I have learned that when you are in a fairway bunker it is best to hit the ball cleanly, trying not to hit a lot of sand. If you do not hit a lot of sand then you are able to hit the ball farther, which is important, especially in a fairway bunker. When you are hitting out of a greenside bunker, it is good to hit a lot of sand. The reason you want to hit a lot of sand is because then you can pop the ball up very high and not that far. This is good because you can land the ball on the green instead of hitting it far past the green.

               Another type of way to hit out is the flop shot out of the sand. The flop shot is placed in the front of your stance. The reason you place it in the front of your stance is to get a ton of loft on the ball. The best place to use this shot is when you are hitting out of a bunker with a very high lip. A high lip means you have to hit the ball higher than normal to hit it clearly out of the sand. The flop shot pops the ball up high and pretty short. “You usually want to use this shot when you are at a greenside bunker and the pin is close to you. This shot is never smart to use when you are in a fairway bunker because that means you will not hit very close to the green” (Golf Mag. 105).

               Above you can see a picture of a famous golfer names Phil Mickelson demonstrating the flop shot out of the bunker. In the “golfing world”, Phil Mickelson is known as one of the bests at hitting out of the sand and one of the bests and the flop shot. He chose to use the flop shot because as you can tell there is a big lip right in front of him that he has to hit over. Hitting out of the sand bunker is one of the hardest things to perfect as a golfer, so that is why most golfers just try there hardest to just stay out of the bunkers ;)

To Care or Not to Care

To care or not to care, the situation that I have to deal with almost every time I play in a golf match. Other than the negative confidence I used to have, another problem was when I would give up or "care" for the game. It always gets to me when I start getting bogeys and double bogeys (not a good thing in golf), all of the negative thoughts arise. For example, in my district match to get into state, my day started out rough, getting bogeys and such. It wasn't the bogeys that made me play worse, it was thought that if I don't play really well now, then I won't be able to make it to state. This turned into the thought of not caring, and I was at the point where I was so frustrated, I just didn't care. That ended up being the worst round I had played in 2015, and it was because I didn't care. In the book Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent, he says that the word "care" is usually misunderstood and turns into unwanted problems. Care could mean "have interest in" or "worry about". He knows professional golfers do not worry about misses. The common golfer usually confuses these two meanings, and try to act as if they didn't care. This causes careless shots and sloppy golf. And they know that they do actually care, and you wouldn't be playing if you didn't care (143-144). He says this to convey the commonly used word when golfers want to find an excuse. From my personal anecdote, this relates to me very closely, and now have put thought into my mental attitude every time I play golf. And as you can tell, my mood before in golf can change from "care" to "not care" fairly easily. Once I start keeping the care motive (I have always cared or else I wouldn't be playing), my confidence will stay consistent throughout the whole round.

I have been working rather quickly with my confidence levels, and caring is still a main problem with my mental golf game. I end up either worrying about my score, or not care (I still care it's just that state of not caring). Dr. Joseph Parent states, "You can care without worrying. If you care in the sense of being interested, you'll be focused and go through your process and trust your routine, and the stroke will be smooth and free." (144) I have never really put any thought into whether I cared or not. But it turns out that it really does affect my golf game when I worry. This weekend, I have made a turn for the better. I have been a lot more confident being not as worried as I usually am and have improved my score as well. I'm glad to say I feel that I am only improving from here on.

Is confidence an issue for yourself, whether it be a sport or in general?

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print.

Rembering to Breathe

Golf, the game that tests your mental toughness and how well you can deal with problems. One of the most important factors you should strongly take into consideration for approaching any stressful problem is to take a breath to relax yourself. I have never thought of breathing to be an asset to my confidence within my body and mind. I am now realizing that when I used to get irritated from what I had thought were bad shots, I only had dealt with them by smacking my club down. Or even before my shots, I would feel pressure and would start breathing quickly, causing many faults in my shots. The book Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent has expanded and really has made an impact on the way I think of breathing while golfing, or being in any conflict. He explains an exercise in which you take your golf stance and close your eyes, to think of  a situation that causes you anxiety. He states that in most cases, your breathing will not be relaxed, rather quick and shallow. In order to achieve a relaxed state, you must allow your lungs to breath at full capacity. Which will lessen all anxiety and pressure to keep you focused and stress free (67). I found this technique to work with me through golf and in day to day situations. The other day when I was practicing at the range with my friend, an exceptional golfer, I always felt anxiety because I thought that I wasn't as good as him. But since I had starting thinking about my breathing, I could swing with confidence and I could see that in his eyes as he says "Nice shot". I can now calm myself when i'm in a stressful or anxiety filled situation by monitoring my breathing.

Since my last blog post, I have improved myself on staying confident and not too over-focused. The next step to improving my overall golf experience is to concentrate on my breathing. Dr. Joseph Parent says, "Stand eight to twelve feet behind the ball, where you can look straight down your aim line. Having engaged your mind fully in the image of the shot you've planned, gently take a full breath through your nostrils and slowly exhale through your nostrils and/or mouth. Only when the exhalation is completed do you start your approach to the ball"(72). With the confidence that I have grown through reading this book, breathing would have an even greater effect on my golf game. It will cause me to evaluate the current situations with my shot and stay confidence and calm throughout every shot. Not only will this improve my confidence through golf, but when I am in tense situations, this technique should allow me to stay calm and confident.

How do you keep your composure in stressful situations?

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print.

Synchronizing the Mind with the Body

The present time is where we are all in right now; does everybody think in the present time? Most likely not, though not a bad thing, we tend to always think either more into the future or past instead of staying in the present time. I am one to never think of what is happening at the moment and instead think of what has happened in the past or what will happen next. Dr. Joseph Parent believes "When the body and mind are synchronized for a golf swing, they are unified in purpose, presence, and focus. They are functioning in the same place at the same time"(106). This will ensure that I will be focused and as confident as could be when I stay in the present time. I feel that when I think too far forward or backward, I tend to have anxiety feeling while I am on the course or anywhere. Preserving those thoughts for a later time other than on the course will give me a better perspective while playing and will guarantee me a much more comfortable and confident swing.

Along with the many factors that create a better golf experience, I believe that one of the most important factors to think about while on the playing golf is to stay in the present time. As they are synchronized, you will become more focused and in the moment. I am always an avid thinker, and in most situations I usually think of what I could do next or what had happened. When I started to think in the presence of time and not further or before, I had a stronger and attached feeling while playing golf. I am now a lot more focused and can concentrate better than ever. I went down to the range today and hit a couple balls without thinking about any future concerns or what I could do to change my bad couple first shots. It turns out that those balls I had hit without thinking, I have a lot more fluent swing and a more relaxed feeling. Dr. Joseph Parent says that in order to have your body and mind synchronized, you can not have the "think about" aspect of what you are doing. For example if you are thinking about your swing, you are not swinging, you are thinking. If the mind and body are doing two different things, they are not synchronized (108). I have took initiative to not allow the think-about-this, and rather to not think of anything at all concerning my swing. This is because I truly know that if I am thinking too much about how I can perfect my swing, my body physically will not be in tune of my mind, causing problems within confidence. Doing this simple technique of synchronizing my body with my mind has made me more confident and more concentrated on what situations are given to me in the present.

How do you keep yourself in the present time?

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print.

Don't Focus Too Much, Enjoy Yourself

Balance yourself, whether it be life or a sport. In the game of golf you want to be focused on every shot, because every shot counts, an obstacle that I have found very difficult to perfect. But I have to realize that being too focused is not a good thing either, thus I must balance my senses. As Dr. Joseph Parent says in the book Zen Golf, having the sense of perceptions are necessary for the creativity to follow in your shots. He goes on to say that we use our senses to direct our mind, allowing you to execute your shots the way that you want it to be (41). 

I have never allowed myself to open up to my senses, only to just focus on shooting a good score or dwell on what I did wrong on my previous shot. I never had the thought of just seeing what's ahead, the sounds of nature (birds chirping, leaves rustling, wind blowing), the smell of freshly cut grass, and the feel of my hands holding the club. But I feel if I use my senses, it will give me a different perspective on how I act and react on the course. To be in that moment and to enjoy the nature and ambiance of the course should be my scapegoat from over-focusing. Today, I was playing out on the course and I was able to balance myself by using all of my senses to enjoy the game better. It ended up improving my actual score and I had fun at the same time.

Also, I have to allow myself to be confident with my decisions in order to have a stronger mental game. In  my previous blog I had said that I need to have a more confident mental game, and throughout the book, Parent has expanded on that. He says that "When we say to someone, 'Don't think of a monkey,' the image that comes to mind is a monkey. That's because the word 'monkey' refers to something we can perceive, but the word 'don't' is purely conceptual. On the golf course, when we say to ourselves, "Don't hit into the lake,' the image that appears in our mind is our golf ball flying toward and splashing into the lake."(Parent 44). I can relate strongly to this because; doesn't everybody have the same problem? When I am playing in a tournament or practicing, that is always a problem that gets to me. As I have played with other players in tournaments, I see that those people are having trouble with their shots and I see them dwelling on them. Most of the time it's because they over focus, and let their negative thoughts get to them. To prevent this from happening to me, I need to take time to let my mind flow with the course, thinking of negative thoughts but not worrying about them. To not let anything negative get into your mind, is a big step to master golf.

For any sport, what techniques do you use to help overcome your negative thoughts?

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print

Building Mental Toughness Through Golf

Golf is the sport that really tests your mental toughness. People have dubbed golf, the game of life. As you start trying to get better, there are many obstacles you will have to overcome. My biggest obstacle in golf is confidence. One would expect a person who has played golf for nearly 5 years now would know how to control their confidence, but it is a lot tougher than you would think. Throughout the book Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent, he directs my thoughts to be less pessimistic and makes the game more enjoyable for me. During the chapter, you are not your thoughts, he says, "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 feeling 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."(18). I am one to bring myself down when I am playing well, or even sub par. Parent has taught me to not be not too rough on myself when having a bad day or good day, and I'm now able to enjoy the game a lot more. His words of wisdom will improve my golf score and will allow me to take control of my confidence without any worries or doubts.

I can relate my experience through golf and seeing different perspectives in my daily life. For example, during a test, I would have to take time and not rush into any answers. I was taught from Dr. Joseph Parent that we can choose to respond rather than automatically react to a certain situation. But through life experiences, we know that we tend to assume or guess without actually knowing, which usually leads to a fault or mistake. (19) this taught me to take time in between shots and not just automatically react to what I think would be a perfect shot. Then to take a step back and give myself time to figure out what I could do to better my shot. Thus makes me more relaxed and more confident when I approach my ball, which will end up being more consistent and where I would want the ball to end up.

Does anybody have techniques that had helped their
confidence? (Sports in general)

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print.