Happy Memorial Day, all! I’m coming at you today with something a little different than some of my recent posts. This is something that I have been thinking about a lot recently and it’s helped me feel a sense of clarity and direction. And that is remembering why I play and love the game of golf.
Everybody has tough rounds on the course and I just had one myself, even worse it was part of a tournament round, practically guaranteeing I will be out of the next round. So, I went home and sat down for my post round recap (more on this in a future post), then really thought about why I love this game so much.
For me, progress is the forever constant in golf. No matter what level, there is always a part of the game you can work on to improve. You are always trying to reach that next level of consistency and it is solely on you to attain it. It is a full blown obsession with me, a drive that I think about every day. I love thinking the next time I go out will be the a personal best score (of course it doesn’t always pan out that way). The only thing that is stopping you from getting better is yourself, putting in the extra shots on the range or putts on the green. And I love that. Golf is also one of those things that you can do almost forever, as long as you are able to take care of yourself physically. I personally love sharing rounds with my dad; we have been playing together for 15 years now and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon. Another thought I like to keep is that there is ALWAYS another shot. Hit a bad shot? You have a chance to hit the best shot of your life five minutes later. Having these kind of thoughts in mind puts the bad shots and bad rounds into perspective.
So, I challenge you to sit down and think about why you love playing the game. Write it down where you can see it or pass by it daily. Have it etched in your mind. Then, when you have a bad round or are going through a slump of bad play, remember the reason why you are out there in the first place. This is something you want to do, something that is supposed to be fun! I used to let emotion play a negative role in my game, but with a different mindset, I have been able to slowly make the bad scores lower and lower. I am positive you can too.
Mark Roberts Golf 