Don't Get Trapped
into Conditions that Kill Interest
by Dr. Richard C. Myers
WWW.THINKANDREACHPAR.COM
When I was in college I attended a seminar on recreation.
The speaker gave us advice on what hobbies we should select for ourselves
in the future. His advice was to select hobbies that we could engage in
for the balance of our lives. I choose boating, golf, and hunting. They
have proven to be good choices, even thought I do very little hunting
these days.
Here are some precautions that you should take to keep from weakening
your interest:
-
Avoid competing games. There is still a lot of truth in the old adage,
"Jack-of-all-trades, but master of none." You can get a lot
of satisfaction out of winning at one sport, but if you try to do too
many different things, you cannot be exceptional or succeed in all of
them. Just focus on one or two hobbies and do your best with them, rather
than 4 or 5 and do poorly in all of them. If you do poorly all the time,
it will make you feel inferior.
-
Avoid false discouragement. Keep records of your practice and play,
so that you know precisely what your present level of skill is. Most golfers
who become discouraged do so unnecessarily. A golfer who keeps records
knows that practice brings about improvement--even with poor methods.
The other old adage "practice makes perfect". Harvey Penick
once said, "You can learn to hit the ball with any method".
Of course you have to use sound methods of practice to improve your game.
But you must practice to improve.
-
I read an article the other day by a psychologist who said that if youth
would keep themselves busy studying and practicing, they would achieve
the final result they are looking for. They would wake up one morning
and find themselves among the competent ones in their class. The same
old adage "practice makes perfect".
False discouragement (which is discouragement not based on facts) can
also place you in a position of defeat. Repeated defeats are not good
for your ego. You must have some successes to keep from getting discouraged.
Here are a few practical ways to avoid discouragement:
-
Do not play with golfers (on a regular basis) who are better than
you are unless the handicaps are such that you win at least half of
the time.
-
Do not limit yourself to players who always outdrive you.
-
Do not increase your betting when you will have to come from behind
to win.
-
Do not bet against poorer golfers if they demand handicaps which
will insure their winning.
-
Do not attempt shots you do not have in your bag.
-
Do not lie about your score. It is better psychologically to win
in a lower flight than to lose in a higher one.
-
Do not concede any putts to yourself or your opponent that can be
missed. You may think you are playing badly, when in reality you are
playing your regular game.
-
Do not pull against your opponent.
-
Do not play with people who increase your anxiety. Golf is suppose
to be a game of fun…keep it that way.
-
Avoid anxiety and worry in your personal life. If the worries from
everyday living affect your golf, do something about it. Worry and the
super stress from living can affect our golf, business, and personal life.
This stress can result in illness and financial loss. Therefore, if this
is a problem, I would suggest that you seek professional help and do not
take his unhappiness for granted.
-
Avoid false pride. Many people will not seek emotional help from a
professional because they consider it a sign of weakness. The same is
true about golfers. Do not be afraid to seek help from other golfers.
Most good golfers are anxious to help those with less skill. The golfer
with the sort of false pride that prevents him from seeking help can waste
years discovering what someone else can give him in a few minutes.
There are all kinds of golf training supplies, videos, books, CD's, cassettes
tapes available to help you with your game.
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