Many events have happened since my last post. Tiger has returned, a Stanley Cup won, LIV Golf Tour has come into existence and Hockey Canada is going through Parliamentary hearings on a variety of items, which is a subject for another time.
As for me, I continue to think about full retirement and the fact that I am getting older and my golf game is not what it was. In fact it has gotten to the point where I am taking instruction again. I prefer not to use the word “lesson” as it implies I have lost my way, which I have not. In my case I have gotten away from the basics in the golf swing and needed a tune up. I will be 67 next month and my process for the year is to get to that number. Lofty to say the least. At the present time I think that number is very safe, but I continue to take instruction and work my processes. I have laid out written practice plans, followed a constraints based practice exercises, and continue to work on my mental game.
At my Club where I study and focus on game improvement, I take some barbs because of the amount of time I work on game improvement. Those who hand out the barbs ( some actually are funny) think that all I do is hit balls. Nothing could be further from the truth! I was a ball beater in my youth, but not now. What I am now is a golfer who has a purpose to their game improvement. Every time I go to the development area ( practice ground) I look around and see who has a development plan and is it written down. So far, I am the only one who takes time to make notes and review the plan. I Coached hockey with an excellent Coach for years and we always showed up with written practice plans. We had a purpose and a plan. That is why we had a large amount of success. We also knew how to measure success. Many golfers do not know how to measure success when in the development phase. Golfers on the other hand, show up dump a pail of balls and start beating balls and expect improvement. They have no purpose or a plan. That is why they do not get any better or get only temporary marginal improvement. They keep going back to the phrase, which is so romanticized “the secret is in the dirt”. The ball sits on dirt, but secret is how you prepare to strike it off the dirt. If you do not have purpose and preparation, which is an investment in us, the only thing we have to rely on in the moments of pressure is the hope of success. That is not a sustainable performance model. That is why golfers do not improve. Harsh words, but it is what I believe.
So I will continue to invest in my preparation, knowing full well I will not get immediate gratification because we have a tendency to relate that to talent, but I will at some point get long term improvement. I will take Long Term improvement at 67 any day of the week!
Until next time!
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