Golf = Life

An end, a beginning.

2010-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'm ending this blog here. Its naturally evolved into a new one: Carefree Golf. Take a look after you've had a look around this one.

You're not that bad - or good

2010-07-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Once you make the decision to give up being dismayed by your bad scores you start to realize that you have to also give up being impressed by your good ones. Neither are really caused by "you". "You" simply can't control a golf ball to that extent. Learn to just observe your scores as an interested onlooker. Don't personalize them. A good score is no more an indication that you are clever than a poor one an indication that you are a fool. They both just "are". Your job is simply to play. The score you end up with at the end of the day - despite what you might like to think - is not really something you control.

Reality bites

2010-07-12T04:21:00.000-07:00

I've become convinced that one of the main causes of frustration for the average golfer is his failure to appreciate what I heard a golf commentator once say (I think it was Peter Thomson):

"There is the game the professionals play and there is the game everyone else plays. They are two entirely different things. They don't bear any resemblance to each other at all"

The sooner the average Joe realizes this and stops striving after wind the happier he will be.

Carefree Golf

2010-07-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

I think its time to start an alternative movement: Carefree Golf - golf with no concern about score.

The traditional, score-focused approach to golf has failed to achieve anything worthwhile for the average player.

Consider this:

a) Most high handicap golfers experience constant frustration and anxiety on the golf course and walk off feeling worse than when they started

b) They believe their frustration and anxiety would disappear if they shot lower scores

c) Most low handicap golfers experience constant frustration and anxiety on the golf course and walk off feeling worse than when they started

Clearly, golf isn't working. Its certainly not the relaxing pastime for most people that it should be. And based on the above it never will be! Its time to take another look at the whole thing. Its time to learn to play completely free of anxiety. Its time for Carefree Golf.

Carefree Golfers won't care about score at all. And they won't just use "I don't care about score" as some sort of mental device, secretly hoping that they WILL get lower scores. No. They ACTUALLY WON'T care about score. That will become apparent when they shoot low scores - even personal bests. They STILL won't care about score. You see, for the CG, the enjoyment will be in the PLAYING not the scoring. Even if pencils, scorecards and the ability to add up didn't exist, the CG would STILL ENJOY GOLF. See? Nothing to do with numbers. For them golf will be a meditation, an escape. For them golf will be art. Unlike their traditional counterparts, CG's will walk off the course refreshed, relaxed and unloaded. They will walk off feeling BETTER than when they started.

Impossible? I don't think so. I think we just struggle to imagine it because the traditional score-based approach to golf is so ingrained. I for one am going to give CG a serious go. Watch this space.

Freedom

2010-07-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

Golf is performance art and there's no right and wrong in art. You're free to play however you want. Listen to everyone else by all means but then DO IT YOUR WAY. You're free. Those who go against their instincts and play ''the right way" have given up their freedom and enslaved themselves to others.

You can't "practice golf" so don't try

2010-07-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

You can't "practice golf" any more than an actor can "practice first night". He can practice lines, facial expressions and movements but he can't practice first night. First night is first night. Its a unique event in space and time and then its gone. Its like an Andy Goldsworthy ice sculpture. Once its gone its gone forever. He can make another one - even a similar one - but he can't make THAT one again. "Hitting balls" can be "practiced" but "golf" can only be "played". You can't rehearse it.

Humility

2010-07-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

18 months ago I wrote the first post on this blog. It included this:

Some people tell me they “just enjoy the walk” or “just play for the social contact” or “don’t really care about the score”. I don't buy it. I used to say that too. I've decided that these are just the timid squeaks of the fearful. Golf is an addictive endeavour which never lets you go. You can either rise to its challenges and overcome your fears or you can say “I don’t really care about the score”

Three days ago I wrote "Peace in our time" which included this:

I've made a decision. I'm going to LITERALLY not care what happens any more........if I walk off with 100 thats fine....

Two lessons here:

1. Humility. You can't overpower golf. You have to respect it and submit to it. Do that and it might just smile upon you.

2. As Cameron Strachan (www.cameronstrachan.com) says: "You need to care without caring, try without trying"

18 months ago that first post concluded with this:

There’s no question about it, golf has made me a better person. I guess thats ultimately why I play it - to learn about myself.

I'm still doing that.

When you boil it all down...

2010-07-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

Boil down as far as you can why you play golf. Right down to the very essence. I'm talking beyond "good scores", "good shots" or even "the feeling of hitting the ball". I did and I discovered that for me its very basic: I just love the feel of a golf club in my hands. There's a strange comfort in it. I was laid up with injury recently and couldn't play. I couldn't even take a practice swing. But I found great comfort in just gripping the club. It was like a drug. It calmed me down and made everything alright. We cart a lot of garbage around with us when we play golf. Home in on "the essence" and play with an uncommon peace.

"Reckless" golf

2010-07-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Author Sue Woolfe teaches writing classes and tells her students to "write recklessly" or not at all. Helen Keller was blind, deaf and mute yet wrote "life is a big adventure or it is nothing at all". I don't know if Sue or Helen play(ed) golf but I reckon they would be fun to play with.

Peace in our time

2010-07-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

I've made a decision. I'm going to LITERALLY not care what happens any more. I'm not going to care if I top it, pull it, slice it or hit it fat. I'm not going to care if I take one putt or four. I'm not going to care if I leave it in the bunker or hit it in the lake or any other place. This doesn't mean I won't try. Not at all. I'll still be applying my mind to course management, to playing the percentages, to working out the optimum shot to play. But thats where it will stop. After that I am not going to care AT ALL what happens. If I walk off with 100 thats fine. If my handicap blows out to some big number, seriously, who cares? Not me. I'm just not bothered anymore. I've TRIED HARD all my life at golf and that approach has delivered nothing. NOTHING. What have I got to lose? Thats right: nothing. I just want peace and from now on I'm having it.

Everything's the same

2010-07-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

"Again and again I discovered that I couldn't create fiction when I was in conscious control of it. The work seemed stifled, artificial and counterfeit and ultimately bored me. To my astonishment I found that I had to put all ideas of control out of my mind"

Author Sue Woolfe talking about what it takes to write well.

Golf = life.

More things that make you go "Hmm..."

2010-07-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

You're out playing a social round with a mate. You hit a shot to the green which turns out awful. You say "hang on, I'm gonna try that again". You drop a second ball at your feet, move it casually into place with your club, take a look at the target and go "bam". Doesn't it nearly always end up a ripper? Don't you nearly always mutter to yourself "too late the hero"? The difference? The first one was studied, the second was instinctive. Hmm...

Things that make you go "Hmm..."

2010-07-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

I've noticed for some time now that I play bunker shots better than any other so I decided to look more closely. Here's what I found:

a) I move around a lot [I don't mean during the shot but before the shot.....a la Julius Boros]

b) I waggle a lot

c) I look from ball to target a lot

d) I get a very strong "sense" of the shot [not of the ball flight so much as how the swing will feel as I execute it]

(a), (b) and (c) all happen at once while I'm standing over the ball. I wait until (d) kicks in and don't start the swing until it does. When I do finally swing I just do what I've already "seen" and "felt". All up, (a) to (d) takes about 10 seconds.

Overall I would describe it as a much more fluid and flowing feeling than my other shots. From walking to the ball to hitting it, the whole process feels seamless. Fairway shots feel a bit stilted and contrived by comparison. Hmm...

Think big picture

2010-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

“DO NOT fix anything on the course while playing" was Steady's advice on a golf blog I subscribe to (www.cameronstrachan.com)

I’ve found this to be crucial if you want LONG TERM improvement. Lets face it we only tinker during the round because we’re so “round-focussed”. Forget the round. Think of the big picture. Golf improvement is like a share market graph. It has humps and bumps but OVERALL it steadily climbs. Thats the sort of curve WE’RE on. Just as you wouldn’t ditch all your shares when they hit a downward glitch, so we shouldn’t mess with our swing and routine when it hits a bump. The “bumps” are actually necessary when you think about it. Its how your body learns stuff. The body is like one of those cars that tunes itself the more you drive it. Trust it (your body, not your car!). It figures it out. All you have to do is give it a solid frame of reference to work in. That frame of reference is the "automatic golf" routine you should be using (see Cameron's Betagolf.com to learn how). Get out of your body’s way and let it do what it does best WITHOUT YOUR HELP. Most of all, ditch the FEAR. As long as you have that you’re smothering your natural learning system and your doomed to NEVER be any better. Let go. Live a little. What’s the worst that can happen? Somebody dies? I doubt it. Learn how to throw a golf club straight (see Fred Shoemaker or Betagolf to learn this critical skill). When you can do that you’re swinging “right”. Then just get out of the way and “enjoy the ride” as Steady says.

Injury

2010-05-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

The dreaded "i" word has struck. Its a particularly troublesome one too - achilles. Looks like I'm not going to be swinging for a while - maybe quite a while. It makes you realize you have to appreciate and enjoy each round. You never know - especially as you get older - when you might have to stop. It certainly makes playing with angst and fear look a waste of time when you CAN'T PLAY AT ALL!

Fear of failure

2010-04-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

The thing we fear is the very thing we attract.

We fear not being liked so we try really hard to be everyone's friend. No one likes "try hards" and everyone avoids us.

We fear poverty so we get tight with our money and conservative in our thinking. Our wealth slowly dries up and we end up poor.

We fear getting sick so we obsess over every ailment, stress ourselves out and end up ill.

Napolean knew he couldn't afford to take fear of failure into battle. "He who fears being conquered is sure to suffer defeat" he said.

So it is with golf. We fear missing putts or hitting it in the lake so we get tight and miss the putt and hit it in the lake.

The fact is sometimes people won't like us. The fact is sometimes we will lose money....or get sick...or miss putts. If we're able to just accept these as part of life and not worry about them the irony is they're much less likely to happen to us.

When we fear failure we attract it so its better not to think in terms of "failure" at all. Think "learning opportunity". As Henry Ford said: " 'Failure' is just the opportunity to more intelligently begin again".

The futility of self pity

2010-04-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

Its very easy to fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself when you play the game of golf (life). It sort of feels good to indulge yourself this way but it really is a luxury you can't afford. It has no positive outcome - in fact it only stalls the "healing" process - and the next thing you know your round (life) is over and no-one cared anyway!

The long haul

2010-04-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

You gotta be in this game for the long haul. Heck, you're in LIFE for the long haul aren't you? Golf, life - same deal. You learn until the end.

Try hards

2010-04-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Things in life you should try really hard at:

Opening jam jars

Things in life that "trying really hard" won't help and will probably make worse (in alphabetical order):

Aiming an arrow

Being a friend

Catching a ball

Dancing

Eating spaghetti

Finding happiness

Grinning

Healing

Inventing something

Joining in

Kissing

Loving children

Making putts

Nodding off during the afternoon movie

Organizing children

Parking your car

[Queen Elizabeth might be able to help with this one.....I've got no idea]

Reverse parking your car

Sitting still

Teaching anyone anything

Unravelling a ball of string

Validating yourself to others

Waterskiiing

Xylophone playing (what else?)

Yodelling

Getting some Zzzz's

Subconscious putting

2010-04-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

A work colleague has one of those automatic putting machines in his office - the sort that fires the ball back at you if you get it in.

I was seeing him about something the other day so picked up his putter, threw down a few balls and began putting while we talked. After a while I noticed that putt after putt was actually going in and firing back at me - I wasn't even using the other balls I had put down. Intrigued, my attention switched from our conversation to the putting - and I started missing as many as I was making!

Putting is like brushing your teeth, or throwing a ball, or walking. You don't think about it you just do it. [In fact TRY thinking about walking - as I did recently when I was trying to protect a foot injury - and you just about fall over your own feet!]

Automate your putting like you automate everything else you do. To learn how go to Betagolf.com - exciting stuff indeed for jaded golfers.

Joe

2010-04-02T22:12:00.001-07:00

I played with Joe a couple of weeks ago. He was obviously an older man (first time I’d met him) but he looked fit and strong and hit the ball well. I noticed that he thought his way around the course pretty well too. He acknowledged the “thinking” shots of others, he queried why they used certain clubs, he was basically involved and inquisitive.

After a while I got curious and asked Joe how old he was. He said 78. I laughed and turned to his mate and said “So how old is he really?”. He said “78″. It was one of the few times in my life I was actually lost for words!

After the round I shook Joe’s hand and said “Thanks for the education”.

He laughed and said “Education? I probably didn’t break 100!”

I said “It was an education”

Age has nothing to do with it when it comes to golf. You see courage, dignity and self control in this game from 18 to 80.

Great balls of fire

2010-03-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

I've decided I just like things that look good AND work.......Apple computers, Artifex sofas, automatic golf swings and now....(drum roll)...... Vision golf balls. Love 'em. Delicious looking balls that are long, sensitive and durable with a capital D. Great new Aussie product. Check them out at www.visiongolfball.com

Who are you?

2010-03-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

When you finally realize its worry that makes golf impossible you think you've found the silver bullet. And in a way you have. Get rid of the worry and you can start playing golf.

But its not quite that simple. Why? Because you play golf the way you live life. Golf simply reflects who you ARE. You can't just switch to being a carefree, fearless person on the golf course if thats not who you are in life. Could it be then that ultimately the way to be a better player on the golf course is to be a better person off it?

Trying too hard to stop trying too hard

2010-03-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we're so stupid its funny.

The problem with my golf game was that I tried too hard. I worried too much. Was my back swing too long? Too fast? Was I hitting from out to in? Was I transferring my weight?... blah, blah, blah.

So I learned from Betagolf.com to stop consciously controlling my swing and put it on automatic. The way you achieve this is to have a physical / mental routine to distract yourself while you hit.

Now I try too hard to do my routine! I worry that I might not do it right! Lets face it. I just worry.

Thats why this game is so good for you. Like eating brussels sprouts. Not always the most thrilling experience but good for you nonetheless. This game exposes what your problem is. You can then either run and hide or you can take it on. A decent man will stand and fight. Sigh.

What will others think?

2010-03-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

To play good golf you have to SERIOUSLY not care what other people think of you. This may be golf's greatest life lesson of all. Its also why we find it so hard to give up the game. Because deep down we know this to be true and we don't want to quit and admit that we never got past it. Deep down we know that if we can't conquer golf we can't conquer life.

Relaaaaaax

2010-03-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

I’ve been asking myself lately:

“Can you be TOO relaxed when you play golf?”

In the past I would have always answered “yes” along with everyone else:

“Nerves are good, you just need to control them”
“If you’re too relaxed you get sloppy”
“You need some adrenaline to perform at your peak”

Yada, yada, yada…..

You know what, I’m really starting to wonder about that. I’m not sure you CAN be too relaxed. It seems to be the more relaxed I get the more enjoyable the game is. If there is such a point as “too relaxed” I certainly haven’t found it yet. I’m happy to keep trying though

Now its ME in control

2010-03-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

I learned something today which I thought I would share……

I just played my usual Saturday morning comp and didn’t score well. I had a great deal of difficulty staying automatic through the shot all day. I was uptight and kept “losing” my counting towards the bottom of the swing because I was anxious about the length of the course and just didn’t trust my smooth, “gravity fed” swing to get the job done.

End result: I walked off the course frustrated and disappointed with myself and started thinking about taking up lawn bowls again (:-))

But there’s a difference these days – and its a big one:

These days I KNOW WHAT I”M DOING WRONG!

Before finding Cameron Strachan's Betagolf.com I would walk off the course CONFUSED and have no real idea what went wrong – and even less idea what I should do about it. Now I KNOW what was causing the problem and I KNOW what I have to do to fix it. As a result I can regain my composure quickly and look forward to getting out there again and making a renewed effort at just letting go and TRUSTING.

Learning this is priceless as far as I’m concerned. It puts me back in control. So thankyou Cameron for showing us a better way to tackle this incredible “game”. [Of course you realize its not just a "game" at all - its really LIFE 101 !! ]

A beautiful thing

2010-03-01T04:51:00.000-08:00

When you move your whole body weight through the ball, your arms falling through the shot under gravity alone, the whole thing controlled subconsciously with no thought about technique at all, golf is indeed a beautiful and effortless thing. Experience it once and you're addicted. Want to see it? Fred Couples. Want to learn it? Betagolf.com

Letting go

2010-02-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

I’ve been amazed at how much courage it takes to truly play automatic golf. Sure, you can sort of play automatic and yes, you will get some results. But to truly let go and 100% trust is incredibly difficult. Its like the trapeze artist needing to overcome his fear of letting go of the bar and trusting that his mate will catch him. He knows there’s a safety net and he can’t really get hurt but its still incredibly difficult to let go of the bar. I’ve seen enough in my relatively brief journey into automatic golf to know that its worth conquering the fear of letting go. The little glimpses I’ve had of where TRUE automatic can take you are very exciting and compel me to keep going.

Practice or just exercise?

2010-02-17T00:12:00.001-08:00

When I practice a musical instrument I should sound lousy most of the time. If I sound fabulous I'm not really learning anything. I'm just doing what I can already do. I should be striving for something, experimenting, trying new things - and this usually sounds lousy to the casual listener.

The same applies to the driving range. If I pull out my favourite club and just belt a bucket to the end of the paddock I'm not learning anything. If you watch me at a typical practice session you'll see a variety of swings, some balls shooting out too low, some too high, slices, hooks and maybe even occasionally a long straight one (!) The point is I'll be experimenting. I'll be trying new techniques, experiencing new "feels". I'll be trying to find out where my limits are. Most people at the range are more concerned about what they look like than actually learning something. As Cameron from Betagolf.com says "they're just getting exercise, not practice". Sad but true.

Ego

2010-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest lessons I've learned since playing the Betagolf.com way is that ego will destroy your game quicker than just about anything else. Try and impress everyone and you impress no-one. Don't try and impress anyone and you impress everyone!

Guts

2010-02-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

When you have guts things happen. Have the guts to let go. Its terrifying but its the only way doors will open to let you out of the tunnel you're in. Be bold. Be courageous. The joy of golf (life) awaits you. To learn how go to Betagolf.com

How good are you?

2010-02-14T00:33:00.001-08:00

Many of us play with a sense of "I'm yet to realize my potential". This mindset results in continual frustration and always being on edge.

Here's a different mindset:

"I'm going to swing care-free and well within myself on every shot, I'll hit every chip with a simple, gentle swing and soft hands, I'll stroke every putt in a completely relaxed fashion without a care in the world whether or not it goes in. Whatever score I end up with at the end of the day from doing this week in week out IS HOW GOOD I AM AT GOLF. PERIOD. Sure, over time I'll probably improve - you usually get better at anything if you keep doing it over and over - but for now, thats how good I am. I might not like that I'm a 20 handicapper, but that's how good I am".

Accept it. Enjoy the game.

Trying to reproduce a golf swing or shot

2010-02-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

Every golf swing / shot is a unique moment in time. The exact circumstances, feel and mood are something unique to that moment. Trying to reproduce a certain swing or shot is futile and doomed to failure. We should be simply trying to implement the pre-shot routine that produces an automatic golf swing and let fate take its course. No two shots will EVER be exactly the same. Ceasing trying to make them so opens us up to the magic of free flow golf. To learn a routine that will produce an automatic golf swing for you time after time go to Cameron Strachan's Betagolf.com

Cameron's Way

2010-02-13T05:56:00.001-08:00

I recently went out for a practice round and re-committed to the Cameron Strachan routine (see Betagolf.com). I immediately saw improvement - both physical and mental. Today was the first Saturday comp opportunity since that day and I was determined to carry my commitment through no matter what.

Here's what happened:

I started off very scratchy indeed with a double bogey. It was tempting to drop my bundle a bit because that certainly wasn't how I saw the script running. But I was committed this time and stuck to the routine. I continued to scratch around a bit over the next 4 or 5 holes - my ball striking was not "on" today - but I kept the routine going. Cameron always says forget about counting your score, count how many times you perform the routine and I was determined that that was where my focus would be today. I continued in this fashion for the rest of the round. I included for the first time in a full round the additional routine of not looking up to the target at all once over the ball - just hitting and trusting that my "Einsteining" would set me up correctly. It did. I never quite got the ball striking to where I know it can be but I stuck to the routine come hell or high water. I managed to actually do it on every shot bar one for the day - for some inexplicable reason I decided out of the blue to abandon it for a particularly important little chip and surprise, surprise the chip was a shocker (!)

At the end of day when I added up the damage I'd racked up 39 points.

Lessons learned:

1. Cameron's routine WORKS

2. The "keep your eyes fixed only on the ball as you approach it" part of the routine is REALLY important.

3. The routine gives you CONFIDENCE. I noticed when it came to the business end of the round my playing partners were getting a bit rattled with their games. Nothing unusual there - I do that as much as anyone. I just hadn't been so aware of it until today because today for the first time I noticed that I had a quiet confidence that the routine would "get me through" when it came down to those crucial last few holes. And it did.

4. Even when your ball striking is average the routine allows you to KEEP SCORING.

I haven't played a full round in competition mode with this degree of commitment to the routine before. Not that I perfected the routine today by any means. I was very aware of the shots where I performed the routine with less than total trust. But it was a very powerful lesson to me today. Cameron's way works.

Don't Look

2010-02-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

The biggest change to my golf happened when I started playing the Betagolf way. The cornerstone of this approach is automating your swing - you allow your subconscious mind to control things not your conscious. You do this by having an imaginary line about 3 or 4 metres behind the ball. You do all your thinking about the shot behind the line (which club to use, type of shot to play, line to take etc etc). Once you cross the line and start walking towards the ball you start counting in your head (1, 2 ,3, 4 ....) and fix your eyes on the ball - you don't look at ANYTHING else as you approach. You take your stance and play your shot, all the while keeping the counting going right through until the finish of the follow through (...21,22,23,24). The counting prevents you thinking about your swing - ie it keeps the conscious mind out of it.

The process works well but I took it a step further last weekend. I added something that Betagolf hints at but doesn't insist on: I DIDN'T LOOK UP AT THE TARGET AT ALL ONCE OVER THE BALL. I just went ahead and hit the ball without having a last second "check". Sounds ridiculous but if you've done your homework behind the ball there's actually no need to. What are you going to see? That you're out of alignment? Its too late to start adjusting that once you're over the ball. You would need to go back and start again anyway. Trust yourself that you're able to get your alignment right if you've thought about it before you approach. I proved to myself that you do!

I found this one simple step very powerful and liberating. A bit hard to describe just how much so actually - something you need to experience.

Unearthing your natural swing

2010-01-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

To re-discover your natural swing (the one that is there lurking under all that fear that causes your swing to be forced and unnatural) try swinging CRAZY care-free. Not just carefree but CRAZY carefree. Sure, it'll be too loose but better to go too loose and gradually bring it back than not go loose enough and never really find where your limit is. Just pick up a club, grab it any which way that feels good and start hitting balls. In my case it meant having hands slightly spread on the club even though this is a "no no"(who says?) and on the back swing letting my left foot come wildly off the ground. I instantly knew I was onto something. I have since refined the grip and leg action but if I hadn't gone CRAZY care-free I would never have re-discovered some important aspects of my natural swing. Its a very peaceful thing when you finally find your natural swing again. It feels like you've come home. (Dealing with the resultant anger at all the wasted years is another matter!) Go to Betagolf.com to get started. Best thing I've done in 30 years of golf.

Try less, achieve more

2010-01-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

"After the first few laps you relax and as you relax you start to do faster lap times" [Patrick Dempsey, race car driver, talking about the start of the Daytona 24 hr race]

Try less, achieve more. Is there anything it DOESN'T apply to?

Why we play {2}

2010-01-26T04:25:00.001-08:00

"Golf is a test, not so much of the muscle, or even of the brain and nerves of a man, as it is a test of his inmost veriest self; of his soul and spirit; of his whole character and disposition; of his temperament; of his habit of mind; of the entire content of his mental and moral nature..."

[Arnold Haultain, "The Mystery of Golf", 1908]

"I don't know"

2010-01-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

I was at the dentist the other day. He's a keen golfer to say the least (try member of the R&A and regular trips to St Andrews to play!) I knew he was also no slouch at the "great gemme" so took the opportunity to ask him a question:

"What do you think about when you're swinging the club?"

He stopped what he was doing and stared into space.

"Hmmm, I don't know. NOTHING I guess".

Them are beeeeeautiful words sir.

Nothing to lose

2010-01-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

Playing golf on automatic requires you to just "trust and swing". We tend to not do it because we think we will "lose" somehow. But really, what have we got to lose? A crappy golf game! Oh well, its a no brainer.

To learn how to automate your swing go to Betagolf.com

Copy the oldies

2009-12-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

I've been looking at a lot of video of the great players from the 1920's - 50's and it seems to me the club golfer would be a lot better off emulating them than the modern pro.

Firstly, they accepted the individual quirks in their swings and didn't try and change them to fit some pre-conceived model of what a "professional" golf swing should look like. (I'm sure if the golf teachers of today were around in Hagen's day he would have been told to take up another sport!)

Secondly they played fast. They just addressed the ball and hit it. Julius Boros almost seems to hit the ball on the run - he never actually stops moving. Since Jack Nicklaus the average club golfer now spends far too long deliberating over the ball. Worked a treat for Jack of course but is the ruin of the weekend warrior.

Enjoy now, play later

2009-12-27T23:45:00.000-08:00

Every golfer says "I'll start to enjoy the game when I start shooting lower scores". The trouble with that is you condemn yourself to spending lots of miserable days on the golf course.

Here's another idea: determine that you will play with joy no matter what happens. Ironically you'll probably find your scores start coming down! [Besides, take a look at the average pro out there shooting 68 every week. How happy do they look? :-)]

Don't construct your swing, uncover it

2009-12-27T20:13:00.001-08:00

Consider the idea that we don't have to " build a swing" because a natural swing already resides within. Our task is simply to chip away what covers it up - fear.

Michelangelo did this with sculpture. He pictured the figure residing within the block of marble and then set about freeing it.

We instinctively know how to swing a stick at an object. We just have to give ourselves permission to go ahead and do it with complete freedom. Whats the worst that can happen? Somebody dies? I don't think so.

Think process not score

2009-12-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

In golf (life) its better to focus on process than results because if the process is right the results will come. No good getting a result without a sound process because it won't be repeatable.

In a typical round I'll hit the ball about 84 times. What I'm most interested in though is how many times I performed my routine. I have a pre-shot / during-shot routine that allows me to play automatic golf. If I perform this routine religiously on every shot - and I mean every shot from 220m drive to 1m putt - I know I will score pretty well most weeks.

To learn a routine that allows you to play automatic golf check out Cameron Strachan's Betagolf.com. Its game (life) changing.

Lessons from speed golf

2009-12-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

Christopher Smith apparently holds the world speed golf record: 65 on a regulation golf course in a round that only took 44 minutes. He sprints between shots and plays within seconds of arriving at the ball. This is taking automatic golf to the extreme! Proves though that the subconscious is perfectly capable of playing good golf without interference from us.

I know how to play

2009-12-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

One of the unexpected benefits of playing automatic golf has been the realization that I already know how to play. Putting my swing on auto pilot has proven to me that I already have the basic shots required to play this game: drives, approaches, fades, draws, punch shots, bunker shots, lobs, chips and putts. After 30 years I can pretty much play them in my sleep, no real thought required. The only thinking I really need to be doing on the course is choosing the type of shot for the situation at hand. After that its just "go automatic" and hit it.

As a youngster I played hockey, cricket, football, snooker, table tennis and various other ball games. I considered I knew "how to play" pretty quickly and then just went out and played. Its finally dawned on me that golf is no different. I DO know how to play this game so from now on I'm just going to go out and play with no fear, no concern, no anxiety, no tentativeness. I'm going to think about the sort of shot I need to play and then hit it. Sure, shots will go "wrong" - thats golf, thats the game. It will always be like that. I watched a video today of Gary Player. He's sitting two on the fringe of the green on a par 5. He faces a very simple little chip into the hole for a possible eagle. He overcooks it and then proceeds to 3 putt for a bogey! Remember, this is one of the world's great players - how much more is it going to happen to the rest of us from time to time?! Golf will always be like that. Don't worry about it. Accept it as the nature of the game and just play. It's fun. To learn how to automate your golf swing go to Cameron Strachan's Betagolf.com.......Merry Xmas!

The unemotional golf swing

2009-12-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article about the stock market. The author likened playing the market to playing golf and talked about the need for an "unemotional golf swing". I like that. Observe your golf rounds, don't get emotionally involved in them. It will feel strange at first - almost as if you're not interested in your own round. But don't worry, you are - you always will be - especially as you start to realize you're actually playing BETTER!

The joyless game

2009-12-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

I used to watch golf on TV at every opportunity but I'm finding I'm less and less inclined to these days. Professional golf has become such a joyless game. The players seem constantly surly - and worried. After every shot they look disgusted (even if it makes the green) and immediately start checking their backswings, pausing at every transition point to assess their angles.

Where have the Lee Trevino's and Seve's gone? They didn't check their swings all the time. They played golf. And they enjoyed themselves.

Meditative golf

2009-12-22T05:52:00.000-08:00

Successful golf for me is a tranquil walk around a beautiful place interspersed with minimal swings and golf balls pinging effortlessly off club heads the way the manufacturers designed them to. I walk off the course a little physically tired but mentally refreshed and emptied of all stress. I have played in a peaceful, meditative fashion so that by the time I finish I'm calmer and quieter than when I started.

I hadn't been able to really achieve this until recently. The difference? An automated golf swing. Learn how at Betagolf.com [no, I'm not on the payroll, I just love the product]

Put your swing on auto pilot

2009-12-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

I went to hammer some nails the other day. I hadn’t hammered nails for years. My first few hits (quite a few if I’m honest) were all over the place. Did I stop and think how far back I was taking the hammer? Did I have a look to see how many knuckles were showing? No. I just kept hammering and assumed it would eventually come good – and of course it did. The body figured out what I was doing and made the necessary adjustments by itself. Auto is definitely the way to go. We do it every day with all sorts of tasks, why not with golf? To learn all about "automatic golf" go to Cameron Strachan's Betagolf.com

PS: Went out for a quick 9 recently all keen after reading a lot of stuff on Cameron's web site. Double-bogeyed the first hole. Walking to the second I was very disappointed but had to admit I hadn’t really been doing what Cameron says…….I was secretly still trying to manipulate things. I re- committed then and there to auto. As always it felt daunting but I stuck with it – and parred holes 2, 3 4, 5 and 6! Got to hole 7 – a shortish par 3. Put the ball nicely in the middle of the green, 6m from the pin. Thought to myself, “Hey this could be a pretty good nine after all” and proceeded to 4 putt. Yuh. Say no more.

While I'm feeling all poetic.....

2009-12-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

Robert Frost also wrote a famous poem called "The Road Not Taken" which included this:

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference"

If you want what every other golfer has (fear, frustration and bewilderment) do what every other golfer does.

If you want something different (peace) you've got to do something different.

I reckon this is it:

www.betagolf.com

Actually I don't reckon, I know. Check it out. You won't go back.

Success and failure

2009-12-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

In his poem "If", Rudyard Kipling says:

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same......"

Golfers tend to think in terms of "success" and "failure" but really they're imposters. There isn't success and failure - just learning. Golf is a continuum of learning from the day you first pick up a club to the day you hit your last ball. You shouldn't beat up on yourself when you "fail" but you shouldn't go over the top when you "succeed" either. Just observe them. Observing your rounds of golf rather than getting so emotionally involved in them not only makes the game more enjoyable, it makes it easier for your body to learn what happened each time you hit.

Why we play

2009-12-17T02:04:00.000-08:00

"I realized what I wanted to do: assist people through golf discover their own extraordinary nature. Golf can be a vehicle for so much more than getting a single-digit handicap" Fred Shoemaker

I'm only just starting to appreciate what he means - after 30 years (!)

Keeping perspective

2009-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Strive to improve, yes. But remember that no matter how good you get at golf there will ALWAYS be someone better than you. For that matter there will always be someone worse too. Actually that last bit's not quite true. There's this guy I played with last week........

Seriously though, its good to remember that you're as good at golf as you are. Sounds obvious but its worth thinking about. Takes the pressure off.

Fear

2009-12-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

I was watching an interview with Lee Trevino last night. He was asked "who's coming through to replace Tiger?" He said "Maybe Anthony Kim. He's got the game but importantly he has no fear"

Once you start to become aware of it you realize that fear basically dominates everything you do on a golf course - and ruins everything too. There are the obvious fears of duffing the drive, yipping the putt, leaving the ball in the bunker and so on but there are the more subtle anxieties you may not even be aware you are carting around: Does my swing look professional? Does my pre-shot routine look like I know what I'm doing? Can the other players see my putter head deviate on the way back? Anxiety is everywhere when you start looking for it.

Try and imagine playing a round of golf completely without concern. Hard isn't it? That latent anxiety is so ingrained in our games we can't even imagine a game without it. But wouldn't it be wonderful if we could play without those fears? Wouldn't golf be a completely different game? Wouldn't we basically play a whole lot better!

Well, "can't" doesn't exist does it? We can do anything. As a bricklayer once said to me when I asked about the possibility of making some changes to the job he was doing for me: "All things are possible, the impossible just takes a little longer". If we can imagine it, we can do it. But we've got to be able to imagine it first.

If you get a chance watch some video of Lee Trevino playing. Now there's a man who played without fear. "Ugly" swing, weird putting action - he was clearly not concerned about what others thought of his game. His joy on the golf course shone through however. He was having a ball.

Long time away, lots learned

2009-12-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

To say its been a while since I posted would be an understatement - try nearly 12 months! But to say I've learned a bit about golf (life) would also be an understatement. I've learned a truckload.

Long story short: I rejoined my old club after many years, lasted all of about 1 month and hurt my back. A four month (!) layoff ensued. During that time I seriously considered giving up the game I've played for over 30 years. It was a slow recovery and I wasn't sure the back could take it any more. However this great game doesn't let you go easily. I eventually ventured out for some very tentative swings where my only thought was "don't hurt yourself". I didn't care how far the ball went. I cared even less about my score. I just wanted to be out there. You know what happened don't you? Thats right - I played BETTER than I had before. There it is: golf = life......try less, achieve more.

Coincidentally at the same time I stumbled across a golf blog by Cameron Strachan which explained to me why I played better: I had put my swing on automatic. All my thoughts were for my back and I didn't give a toss about grip, stance, ball position, alignment etc. I learned that my body already knows about grip, stance, ball position and alignment and will subconsciously adjust them as I go along if I just get out of the way. Anyway, long story even shorter: my golf game has changed for good. And I 'aint goin' back neither!

Here's what I emailed to Cameron:

Hi Cameron
I bought some stuff from you a while back and have been playing auto golf since (mostly anyway!)
This has been a like a great light dawning. A game that had
been hidden under a heavy layer of fear is gradually emerging into the daylight.
I hit a shot in my last round that I have never hit before in 30 years of golf (I'm 50).
Each time I play now I feel my body adjusting itself, tuning itself as it automatically figures out what I'm doing wrong and corrects it slowly but surely.
I've become an interested observer of my own golf rounds instead of embroiled in them. Its very peaceful. Playing 9 holes has become a 2 hour meditation from which I walk off feeling refreshed and relaxed regardless of the
score - instead of always frustrated, tired and unfulfilled.
Instead of my main thought being "there's always next week" as I head to the car park its "I enjoyed that" - even when the score wasn't too flash.
The difference is I feel my body has learned something each time I come off even though I haven't consciously thought about what it is. Its quite extraordinary to see how the body does this and fine tunes without any conscious input from me.
All this has suddenly thrown the conventional way of teaching into sharp relief as being totally the wrong way to go as you are constantly saying. Once the light dawns
you actually start to feel angry with golf teaching because you realize how much damage it is doing and setting you back rather than taking you anywhere worthwhile.
So I just wanted to say thank-you. I've never known golf like this and I've never enjoyed golf like this. Its become the wonderful, peaceful, relaxing, INSTRUCTIVE game that it should be for all of us.
And it all started for me with the insights I picked up from your website. Many thanks.

I started this blog because I was amazed how golf and life are linked. I'm still discovering just how inextricably. In fact they're really one and the same. Golf is just life compressed into 4 hrs.

Cameron has shown me just how much fear interferes with my golf - and everyone else's I suspect. He has shown me a path that I always suspected was there but wasn't quite sure where to look. My first steps along it have convinced me that it is definitely the path out of the jungle. Exciting stuff.

You can't hit a good shot until you don't care if you hit a bad shot

2009-01-17T04:08:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I look on a golf course I see people standing on tees looking scared.

Their stance looks stiff as they stand frozen in time, subconsciously afraid to actually hit the ball. When they eventually do get the courage to draw the club back the swing is first stiff and then rushed as they try to get the deed done as quickly as possible.

Why all this anxiety? Because they're worried about where the ball is going to go. So where does the ball go? Thats right - everywhere except where they wanted it to go. Its only when you don't care where the ball goes that it goes where you want!

Isn't that life? When you press too hard things don't go right. When you just live in the moment and trust your fundamentals, doesn't life sort of just unfold the way it should?

You have to give up control to get control

2009-01-17T00:53:00.001-08:00

This is one of the keys. It took me a long time to discover this but what a joy to finally realize it.

Its actually a bit hard to describe but I'll give it a go.

Its giving up the very strong desire to "hit" the ball - especially difficult if you're a big, strong type.

Its getting yourself aligned and then not actually even looking at your target any more and not even caring where the ball goes. (yes, thats right - you have to actually not care)

Its thinking only about rhythm and balance - nothing else.

Its having the courage to trust your fundamentals and not allow your screaming inner voice to prevail.

Its accepting that you can't make a golf ball go anywhere - you can only swing a golf club a certain way. The club will make the ball go somewhere, not you.

Wonderful isn't it? Just like life. You learn the fundamentals, you do them, life works out.

Golf is life is golf

2009-01-17T00:48:00.000-08:00

"The way to really know a man's character is to play golf with him"

[PG Wodehouse]

Thats what I like so much about golf - its a merciless mirror of character. It shows you what you are, warts and all.

Are you a person of honour or a coward? Golf will reveal it.

Do you have a deep and abiding self-control learned through much practice or just a thin, outward veneer? Golf will reveal it.

Do you believe in doing the right thing because its the right thing even if nobody will ever know? Do you refuse to cheat even though nobody will ever see? Golf will show me.

Do you have the courage to acknowledge another’s triumph even in the midst of your own disaster? Can you concentrate your mind to focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want? Can you overcome your fears and keep faith in fundamentals you know to be true? Play golf with me and we'll find out.

There’s no question about it, golf has made me a better person. I guess thats ultimately why I play it - to learn about myself.