About Golf….

So, then, you want me to talk about the game of golf? (Say yes, please.)

Most Americans do not play golf.

Most Americans who play golf do not believe they play it well, but they try anyway.

Many more Americans watch golf on TV than play it.

It is entertaining for some, but they will not learn how to play better by watching it.

Much has been written about the game of golf.

There will never be too much written about the game of golf.

It can be correctly said that golf is like life.

It can also be correctly said that life is like golf.

Golf is an inner game.

Timothy Gallwey wrote several books about physical sports, all called “The Inner Game of (your game here)”, and one of them was “The Inner Game of Golf”.

Michael Murphy wrote a book called “Golf in The Kingdom”.

So, golf is a spiritual experience?

It is if you think it is.

Lee Trevino was quoted to say, “Golf is 90% mental. The remaining 10% is also mental.”

After one has acquired basic skills and a bit of muscle memory, what Trevino said is true.

Lee Trevino also held a one iron skyward during an electrical storm and declared, “Even God cannot hit a one iron!”

Hey, Lee, I bet she could if she wanted to.

A golfer only has one true competitor on the golf course. Himself or herself.

Very few games reveal and display who we truly are better than golf.

Golf has shown people who thought they were emotionally mature and well-adjusted that they are not as much as they think.

Golf has shown people that they can become skilled at something they never believed they could.

It does not matter how tall you are to play golf.

It does not matter how short you are to play golf.

It mostly does not matter what your age is to play golf.

If you can stand up and walk on your own without difficulty, you can learn to play golf.

You are your best coach and teacher when it comes to learning to play golf well.

You are best off not trying to imitate a professional golfer’s swing.

You do not have his or her body, and he or she does not have yours.

Your perfect golf swing is inside you, both mentally and physically.

You must pay close attention to what your body is telling you to find your true golf swing.

When you find your true golf swing, it will miraculously change everything you believe and feel about golf…..and even perhaps yourself.

It is only worthwhile to pay someone to teach you how to swing a golf club so you will know it does not help.

Someone else will never know you well enough to find your true golf swing inside you.

The best way for you to swing a golf club is one of life’s greatest paradoxes.

The harder you try, the worse you will play.

The more relaxed you are with your effort, the better you will play.

Golf has Mulligans and life has do-overs. Try not to do to many of either, else what you are doing becomes pointless.

The self-esteem you gain from learning to play golf well is transferable to any other aspect of your life you wish.

There is no benefit to thinking about the last golf shot you hit.

There is no benefit to thinking about the shot you are going to hit after the one you are preparing to hit.

There is no benefit to thinking about anything other than the golf shot you are preparing to hit in the moment.

Only you can and should define what playing golf well means for you.

Willie Nelson once told a fellow golfer that yesterday he birdied the hole they were getting ready to play because he decided that par for that hole was 15 strokes.

Since it was his own golf course, who could disagree with him?

The degree of difficulty of a particular golf course may be too great for you to score well.

You do not need to let that mean anything to you regarding how well you can play.

For most, playing well means consistently keeping the ball in the fairway and on the green.

Most golfers, including top professionals, cannot do that every time.

If someone who hits 1000 practice balls in a day cannot always stay in the fairway and on the green, you are not being reasonable to expect that you can do so every time either.

We all have personal limitations, and we can waste a lot of valuable time trying to rid ourselves of them.

Many times, we can choose to take advantage of our limitations instead of trying to overcome them.

Limitations can be our most valuable guide for how to accomplish something.

Learning to improve our golf skills by acknowledging our limits and using them to our advantage is one of golf’s most important lessons and gifts.

It is possible to improve your golf skills by thinking about them and visualizing what you want to do.

Your brain sees and reacts the same whether you are thinking it or doing it. That is science, not just my opinion.

Approach your personal golf experiences with the attitude and belief that you are going to learn something important about who you are, and it will be useful.

If you do not like golf and you want to replace that word with another, go ahead.

But it won’t be the same.

Can you add to this? Please share.