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 Whether it's a shot from the rough, a recovery from the trees or a blast from a bunker, the thing that all the great players do is accept the situation they have placed themselves in and relish the next shot they are about to play. Most casual golfers see these situations as frustrating and they result in poor execution and hurried swings. One bad shot quickly snowballs into two bad shots and the next thing you know you're trying to make a 10-footer for double bogey. We stress patience to the professionals we work with. We work on keeping them in their mode in order to execute each shot with a consistent level of focus. There is a great story about Tom Watson playing in the British Open some years back. Watson had been fighting a hook for several days leading up to the championship. On the first hole of the opening round, Watson hooked his tee shot into a bush. As the gallery groaned, he calmly walked down the fairway and smiled at his caddy, Bruce Edwards. When Edwards asked him why he was smiling, Watson told him that he simply couldn't wait to get to his ball and knock it on the green. It's that kind of dedication and enjoyment that allows the great players to recover and continue to play well even when they are faced with adversity on the course. It's the same thing Tiger Woods faced when he was struggling with the directional control of his driver. Despite the fact that his tee shots were flying farther off line, Woods was still able to maintain his place as the best player in golf. He loved the challenge of launching shots over and around the trees that blocked his path. He embraced the shot that faced him and executed it to the best of his ability. That, combined with an amazing short game, kept him on top of the game. What happens when we're faced with situations where our ball isn't where we want it? Anger and frustration are typical. We don't approach the next shot with the same clarity and enthusiasm that we might experience with an open wedge shot to the green. We might make a half-hearted punch or swipe at the ball. After the round, we talk about how the rough, the trees or bunkers kept us from playing our best. I remember coming home after a junior golf tournament and my dad asked me how I played that day. I told him that the rough was brutal. He told me that the guy who won the tournament probably handled the rough better than anyone else. That is exactly how we coach our tour players. When the wind blows hard, you have to be the guy who loves the wind. When there are four weather delays, you have to be the guy who stays focused every time play resumes. If the greens are running slick, you have to be the guy who loves that speed. Jack Nicklaus was famous for saying that he could walk through the locker room during an event and eliminate players from contention by listening to them complain about conditions, weather, course setup and what not. We often forget how difficult it is to advance the ball 400 yards down a fairway while avoiding all the lions, tigers and bears the architect has put out there for our enjoyment. If you want to improve your play, love every shot. Relish every situation your ball gets into during the course of a round and execute them with the same focus, skill and enthusiasm. It's a recipe for a happy and successful life on and off the golf course. We can't forget that at the end of the day, it's just a game. We should be enjoying it. SG Jamie Mulligan is a PGA professional and the chief operations officer at Virginia Country Club. |
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