How do you deal with obstacles on the golf course?
Does your strategy include a plan to avoid them? Do you succumb to a fear of them? Do you get uptight worrying about hitting into a water hazard, the trees, into a bunker, into high rough or over a forced carry?
A hazard on the golf course is any bunker or water hazard. Natural obstacles such as water hazards, deep rough, bunkers and rocks are an integral part of every golf course. They are added to a golf course for beauty and difficulty. Hazards are a key factor in determining the numerical USGA Course Rating and Slope which indicates the severity of the obstacles on the golf course as well as their psychological effect.
For a quick fix on the golf course; don’t worry, be happy
If you are a person who is a worrier, golf course hazards will cause you great concern. Worry is likened to a snow ball with a handle on it. The handle is soooo unnecessary. Worry is a form of wasted energy. It is a negative side of using your imagination. When you worry about hitting into a hazard, and succumb to that imagined fear, you will create the stress that produces that outcome.
It is impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time. You cannot worry and believe in yourself at the same time. To play well you need to balance what you think and feel with what you do. To believe in yourself 100% you need to let go of worrying.
“In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy…….”
This is an excerpt from the 1988 popular song by Bobby McFerrin, Jr. The sentiment goes double for the golf course. You have a choice to be happy and have fun, OR to worry about your shots, your score, your embarrassment, or your fears.
Although there are many different kinds of obstacles on the golf course, golfers seem to have the most difficulty overcoming hazards with water in them. If you repeatedly sing this phrase to yourself, “Don’t worry, be happy” before you encounter a water hazard, you will lift your spirit. This changes your physiology and helps you to swing with ease to create the shot you want.
If you are not happy playing golf, you are making the game more difficult than it needs to be.
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