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Newsletter September 2014
Camilo Villegas was 254th in the world rankings when he entered the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. on August 11th. He had dropped from 7th place in 2008 and hadn't won a tournament in over 4 years. In 2012 he had to go through Q School to retain his tour card for 2013.
The 32-year-old Tour Pro from Columbia is known for his commitment to physical fitness and his personally devised putting routine. Crouching down parallel to the ground, extending his left leg back, and balancing on his right leg and putter, he positioned himself for getting a close up view of the slope of the green. For this singular posture he was nicknamed Spiderman.
Be patient. It's only a game.
Villegas now has mostly given up his Spiderman stance for reading putts. "Only on putts that [look] really, really straight, when I'm not sure which way it goes," he said. "The game is funny. I did it for a long time, trying to get a perfect read, and it seemed sometimes when you try to get too perfect it doesn't go as good. Right now I'm trying to be a little more free, relaxed and little more reactive, more athletic and natural."
On Sunday at the Wyndham, Villegas shot 63 matching his opening round 63 to card his 4th Tour victory by one shot, rewarding his patience for the past four years. He described his game as, "Ups, downs, good years, average years, bad years. And if you ask any player in the field, everybody wants to play better. Do I want to play better? Yes. Do I feel like I have played to my potential the last two and a half years? No. But again, it's not everything about golf. You've got to be little bit easy on yourself and just enjoy life."
Villegas prepared by going home to Columbia to visit his family and friends the week before the tournament to recharge mentally and physically. He didn't take his golf clubs and rode his bicycle more than 400 miles while there.
Patience with yourself is a combination of confidence and trust. If your game today isn't what you want it to be, just give it another day.
Good things happen to those who wait
Golf is like a puzzle. The pieces are always in front of you, but you need time and patience to figure it out.
In this day and time of instant gratification, many golfers set themselves up for failure by trying to force their results. As Villegas said there are many ups and downs in a round of golf. You are not a machine and need a strong mental game to overcome your human tendencies. Pro golfers take the time to choose the best shot and make the smart play.
Golf will reward you most of the time when you are patient and make good decisions.
Make the smart play by remaining patient and decisive
If you are one of those golfers who likes to play "all or nothing" by swinging as hard as you can to make the most out of each shot, you can improve and lower your scores by being patient.
Here are some of the mistakes amateurs make when they aren't patient:
- They hit their driver on holes that require a lesser club.
- They hit to the pin instead of the percentage shot to the middle of the green.
- They attempt miracle shots instead of making a safe play.
- They rush their shot out of trouble when uncomfortable or embarrassed.
- They go for par 5's in two instead of laying up short of the greenside bunkers.
- They attempt to hit long shots over water instead of laying up.
- They believe they have to make a birdie after making a bogey or worse.
- They are impatient with the slower group ahead.
- They let their emotions control their actions instead of making solid decisions.
Patience is a mental ability that can be improved by everyone. Type A personalities who like to "grip it and rip it," to think ahead, and to crave action can choose to change their thinking by slowing down their behavior on the golf course.
When you are not patient on the golf course, your thoughts will digress, you will lose your focus and your enjoyment will be adversely affected. Being patient and staying positive and decisive will improve your score every time. It is up to you to choose.
"If you don't have patience playing golf, the game will teach it to you." - Byron Nelson
Play ”In the Zone” With Joan
Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances
Camilo Villegas was 254th in the world rankings when he entered the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. on August 11th. He had dropped from 7th place in 2008 and hadn’t won a tournament in over 4 years. In 2012 he had to go through Q School to retain his tour card for 2013.
The 32-year-old Tour Pro from Columbia is known for his commitment to physical fitness and his personally devised putting routine. Crouching down parallel to the ground, extending his left leg back, and balancing on his right leg and putter, he positioned himself for getting a close up view of the slope of the green. For this singular posture he was nicknamed Spiderman.
Be patient. It’s only a game.
Villegas now has mostly given up his Spiderman stance for reading putts. “Only on putts that [look] really, really straight, when I'm not sure which way it goes,” he said. “The game is funny. I did it for a long time, trying to get a perfect read, and it seemed sometimes when you try to get too perfect it doesn't go as good. Right now I'm trying to be a little more free, relaxed and little more reactive, more athletic and natural.”
On Sunday at the Wyndham, Villegas shot 63 matching his opening round 63 to card his 4th Tour victory by one shot, rewarding his patience for the past four years. He described his game as, “Ups, downs, good years, average years, bad years. And if you ask any player in the field, everybody wants to play better. Do I want to play better? Yes. Do I feel like I have played to my potential the last two and a half years? No. But again, it's not everything about golf. You’ve got to be little bit easy on yourself and just enjoy life.”
Villegas prepared by going home to Columbia to visit his family and friends the week before the tournament to recharge mentally and physically. He didn’t take his golf clubs and rode his bicycle more than 400 miles while there.
Patience with yourself is a combination of confidence and trust. If your game today isn’t what you want it to be, just give it another day.
Good things happen to those who wait
Golf is like a puzzle. The pieces are always in front of you, but you need time and patience to figure it out.
In this day and time of instant gratification, many golfers set themselves up for failure by trying to force their results. As Villegas said there are many ups and downs in a round of golf. You are not a machine and need a strong mental game to overcome your human tendencies. Pro golfers take the time to choose the best shot and make the smart play.
Golf will reward you most of the time when you are patient and make good decisions.
Make the smart play by remaining patient and decisive
If you are one of those golfers who likes to play “all or nothing” by swinging as hard as you can to make the most out of each shot, you can improve and lower your scores by being patient.
Here are some of the mistakes amateurs make when they aren't patient:
Ø They hit their driver on holes that require a lesser club.
Ø They hit to the pin instead of the percentage shot to the middle of the green.
Ø They attempt miracle shots instead of making a safe play.
Ø They rush their shot out of trouble when uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Ø They go for par 5’s in two instead of laying up short of the greenside bunkers.
Ø They attempt to hit long shots over water instead of laying up.
Ø They believe they have to make a birdie after making a bogey or worse.
Ø They are impatient with the slower group ahead.
Ø They let their emotions control their actions instead of making solid decisions.
Patience is a mental ability that can be learned by everyone. Type A personalities who like to “grip it and rip it,” think ahead, and crave action can choose to change their thinking by slowing down their behavior on the golf course.
When you are not patient on the golf course, your thoughts will digress, you will lose your focus and your enjoyment will be adversely affected. Being patient and staying positive and decisive will improve your score every time. It is up to you to choose.
“If you don’t have patience playing golf, the game will teach it to you.” – Byron Nelson
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