Hey Fellas, May I Have Some Tournament Advice Please?
I've never played in a medal play golf tournament before and am playing in one on April 19th at TPC Boston (sponsored by the New England PGA). We'll be playing from 6400 yards (73.3/142...yikes!).
I'm a mid-HI, in my mid-50s, not the longest of hitters, but have a decent short-game.
Any advice you veterans can give me with regard to mental and physical preparation would be greatly appreciated. I've already mapped out the yardages and tentatively figured out what club I'll be hitting off the tees. The tournament site has satellite imagery of each hole and I calculated the yardages to hazards, bunkers, etc. I also did a side-by-side with TPC Boston's hole-by-hole descriptions.
I've been working hard lately on my impact position. I can actually feel the release when I trust what Joe Dante called the coefficient of angular momentum...and the ball goes further and straighter.
Just have fun Sean. Thats what the game is supposed be isnt it?
I know that sounds horribly lame but trying too hard can really ruin things, make you play worse than normal as opposed to better.
See the target in your minds eye, feel the pressures in your hands and your good. Just like in other sports. Keep your focus on the target not mechanics or shoulda couldas, barometric pressure or where the trouble is. Too much thinking is stinking thinking, in my tournament book. To play, and tournament golf is play, as opposed to practice, you have to play by feel, not mechanics. I know Im losing it when I start thinking about mechanics. Sometimes its unavoidable maybe, during rounds gone wrong.
After Sydney Crosby scored the gold winning goal at the Olympics a reporter ran up and asked him to describe it all. He couldnt answer, he didnt remember. The reporter kept trying differnt angles, Syd replied that he honestly didnt remember anything. On the other hand, Id venture we all remember every second of our golf melt downs in tournaments. Leave the brain alone so it can work its wonders with the hands. If you thought about shaving and how to do it, planned it, stayed up late to map it out etc you'd cut yourself to ribbons. Im not suggesting that you dont prepare or anything, but there comes a time when you have to perform, dance like no one is watching. Its best done with a clear mind.
Good luck with it. Good golf is fun and maybe just maybe having fun breeds good golf. I know this isnt the answer you want to hear but........but its something I try to tell myself when playing for keeps. You get what your last thought was before you hit I find. If, when actually hitting, through well intentioned preparation you perceive there to be trouble out there instead of the target, your focussing on the wrong thing. Make a plan, for sure, please, as an intelligent golfer must, but do so before addressing the ball. Then turn it over to a mental picture of the target when actually playing the shot. You dont drive down the street saying to yourself "dont do this, dont do that, dont turn there, dont ....." Thats our wifes job!
Oh and a more practical thought.............its not the bad shot that kills you , its the one(s) after it. So dont beat yourself up too much, stay in the game. Bad shots happen, and often, for everyone. And that is borne of blood, sweat and a lot freakin tears. I got my yardage horribly wrong once , over shot the green by 30 yards and ended up in third by a couple of shots, after three days of solid play because of ............... taking four more shots to get up and down, due to being so steamed at myself. The seven iron from 130 didnt kill me, the way I responded to it did! I quit. So dont. No matter how bad it may seem. Everyone else is probably suffering too. Its a cruel, cruel game after all. Especially tournament golf.
Maybe all of this is akin to whistling your way through the grave yard........ with a steel like resolve and an eye on the destination. Moe talked about a "healthy indifference". He could be quite profound sometimes. So yah, Id say its sort of like trying to have fun, staying focused, expecting bad shots and tasting blood all at the same time. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger.
Good for you by the way, there is nothing to lose and much to be gained! The hero dies but once , a coward dies a thousand deaths.
O.B., thank you for your thoughtful and considered reply. You gave me a lot to think about, a lot to "feel" about.
Moe's "healthy indifference" was what metaphysician Jane Roberts called "divine nonchalance". I like both. My problem is while I can understand these concepts intellectually, and those you postulated, it is very difficult for me to inculcate them emotionally, or mindfully.
I dance much better when no one is watching. I suspect tournament golf could take that to the next level if I let it. The dance becomes difficult when we allow ourselves to externalize our steps and not allow the internalization to work its magic. And, make no mistake, golf is magical. More often than not I suppress the magic and get caught up in the "trivia".
As you alluded to a golf shot is just that, a golf shot. It's our reaction to that shot that determines what happens next. I can very much relate to your reaction of the 7-iron you hit over the green. That's where my golf game is right now: getting upset and allowing the negativity to intrude. And when I try too hard, and the results do not match my expectations, I feel like a failure.
To be honest, having fun has not been in my golf lexicon, unless it was preceded by a good shot or a good round. Golf just IS. Like the energy that surrounds us it is neither good or bad. Our responses to this wonderful game determine what kind of mistress she will be.
A true golf handicap index is not measured by a number but by an attitude. In that regard I'm just a neophyte...learning to navigate anew the hazards, fairways and greens. Fear in golf is borne on an expectation rather than a result. When the two don't mesh we begin to put unhealthy labels on ourselves. I know, I'm an expert.
My goal is not only to play good golf, but to play with healthy indifference, with divine nonchalance. This is proving to be quite a challenge for me. I have to let go of expectations and surrender to the process, trusting that it will "work".
O.B., thank you for your thoughtful and considered reply. You gave me a lot to think about, a lot to "feel" about.
Moe's "healthy indifference" was what metaphysician Jane Roberts called "divine nonchalance". I like both. My problem is while I can understand these concepts intellectually, and those you postulated, it is very difficult for me to inculcate them emotionally, or mindfully.
I dance much better when no one is watching. I suspect tournament golf could take that to the next level if I let it. The dance becomes difficult when we allow ourselves to externalize our steps and not allow the internalization to work its magic. And, make no mistake, golf is magical. More often than not I suppress the magic and get caught up in the "trivia".
As you alluded to a golf shot is just that, a golf shot. It's our reaction to that shot that determines what happens next. I can very much relate to your reaction of the 7-iron you hit over the green. That's where my golf game is right now: getting upset and allowing the negativity to intrude. And when I try too hard, and the results do not match my expectations, I feel like a failure.
To be honest, having fun has not been in my golf lexicon, unless it was preceded by a good shot or a good round. Golf just IS. Like the energy that surrounds us it is neither good or bad. Our responses to this wonderful game determine what kind of mistress she will be.
A true golf handicap index is not measured by a number but by an attitude. In that regard I'm just a neophyte...learning to navigate anew the hazards, fairways and greens. Fear in golf is borne on an expectation rather than a result. When the two don't mesh we begin to put unhealthy labels on ourselves. I know, I'm an expert.
My goal is not only to play good golf, but to play with healthy indifference, with divine nonchalance. This is proving to be quite a challenge for me. I have to let go of expectations and surrender to the process, trusting that it will "work".
Sean, if all that have fun stuff doesnt work, I can become a miserable S.O.B. Which works sometimes too. In this circumstance I recommend you inflict pain upon yourself in a self hating but motivating and attitude readjusting manner. Its very cathartic and gratifying.
If you're really, really pissed with your self and you dont want anyone to notice what's going......... you can go behind a tree and slam a wedge into your shin. If there isnt a tree around, like say your in Ireland or something.......you can reach into your pocket and squeeze the crap out of those t'ings dat hurt the most when squeezed.
Im considering writing a book about self motivational attitude readjustment for the golfer. The handbook for the golfer, self flagalizer. Its working title "4 freakin shots from 20 freakin yards", or "this is gonna hurt me more than this is gonna hurt me". I cant decide.
This is such a great game, this golf is. Such a metaphor to life and life is suffering as you know.
Sean, if all that have fun stuff doesnt work, I can become a miserable S.O.B. Which works sometimes too. In this circumstance I recommend you inflict pain upon yourself in a self hating but motivating and attitude readjusting manner. Its very cathartic and gratifying.
If you're really, really pissed with your self and you dont want anyone to notice what's going......... you can go behind a tree and slam a wedge into your shin. If there isnt a tree around, like say your in Ireland or something.......you can reach into your pocket and squeeze the crap out of those t'ings dat hurt the most when squeezed.
Im considering writing a book about self motivational attitude readjustment for the golfer. The handbook for the golfer, self flagalizer. Its working title "4 freakin shots from 20 freakin yards", or "this is gonna hurt me more than this is gonna hurt me". I cant decide.
This is such a great game, this golf is. Such a metaphor to life and life is suffering as you know.
Guess you can tell I played like crap today.
Along with the book, and I think both working titles have merit so you have a sequel ready to go, you can perhaps introduce a clothing line modeled after hair shirts that flagellants used to wear as they wandered aimlessly from town to town...like we wander aimlessly from hole to hole in stunned disbelief.
I'm sorry you didn't play well today. But I think you have good karma and brighter days are ahead for you.
Tomorrow is another day! Bet your bottom dolla........ Got a friday tee off at 12;44, Sarasota National. Hope they have some grass to put under my balls unlike where I played today. Yes Sir, things are looking up.
.... April 19th at TPC Boston ...
......decent short-game.
..mental and physical preparation ....
Physical.
Assess your physical capability then crank it up a notch or 2. Do something that is cardio at your level . Walk, jog, run..every day - Diet, eat less/more of "good stuff", fiber fruit vegies. and lots of water. Balance, work on this 24/7.
Practice your short game. putt, putt, putt as soon as you can as much as U can chip, chip, chip... etc.
Drewitgolf - Communicate with him IMMEDIATELY. Please remember he is a professional and earns a living at his profession- Nuff said.
Oh yes, if I was your opponent I would be glad U know where all the water, bunkers and trouble is on the course. Try not to worry about it all the time. I would be happy to refresh your memory on every tee so you can try to miss the problems. OK
Don't let your self worth get wrapped up in your golf scores. In the big scheme of things, they don't matter.
You are going to be playing a beautiful golf course with like minded guys. HAVE A GREAT DAY, HAVE FUN!
Kevin
Great advice from you too. I intend to PLAY, as in the child sense of the word. AND enjoy the beautiful surroundings. In some ways my mental approach to the game needs more work than my swing does. But that's okay, sometimes we get so caught up in the destination that we forget about the journey.
Great advice from you too. I intend to PLAY, as in the child sense of the word. AND enjoy the beautiful surroundings. In some ways my mental approach to the game needs more work than my swing does. But that's okay, sometimes we get so caught up in the destination that we forget about the journey.
One addition Sean, it applies not only to tournament golf, but golf in general:
Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect
Bob Rotella
In fact, I need to reread it. The most wonderful attitude adjustment tool available!
Kevin
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