Putting - Mental

An article by: Bobby Eldridge on 12-18-2007
This article has been read 6021 times.

Putting - Mental

I have a number of quotes my mom passed on to me during her lifetime and one of my favorites is "Can't Never Did A Darn Thing". Sounds simple but let's see how we can apply it to putting.

I have never ever been a fan of the idea "think positive". It might go down as the all time worst bit of advice you can give anyone. Of course we all want to think positive all of the time. If it was that easy we would all be doing it.

I believe that having positive thoughts most of the time is a process. I think positive thoughts and positive thinking is a result of doing a number of things on a regular basis.

When you talk to successful people, whether it is in business, sports, construction worker you hear the same feed back all of the time. They just don't allow negative thoughts into their head. It sounds like a broken record but every one of them are on a journey with no end in sight.

Practice Makes Perfect

The second thing they talk about is how they WORK at it everyday. See, believing in yourself is not a part time job. To succeed in life and to succeed in golf they both have the same ingredients.

Finally, the one thing successful people and golfers talk about is the negative self talk that enters your mind during the day. If you walk when you play golf, there is lot of time between shots where you have the opportunity to tear yourself up.

If a round of golf takes five hours and it takes less than two seconds to hit a shot and you shoot 100, you have 298 minutes a day on the golf course to either be nice to yourself or destroy yourself.

Remember CAN'T NEVER DID ANYTHING.

Henry Ford said "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

I do not claim to be a renowned sport physiologist, however, after playing and teaching this wonderful game for the past 50 odd years I know I have spent as much time learning about what works and doesn't work on a golf course.

In closing I want to share a promise with you that I made in 1985. I did not touch a golf club for two years prior to this date. I was playing so bad and had tried to compete for so long I just walked away from the game. I actually gave my clubs, bag, shoes, golf balls, umbrella, gloves to my next door neighbor.

One day I went to hit some balls (I had to borrow a club) and before I hit my first shot I sat on a bench at the practice facility and I said to myself. "If I EVER find my own personal net worth in this game one more time I would quit FOREVER". If I ever measured myself against how well or how poorly I performed I would NEVER EVER hit another golf shot.

I must confess something else, I have shot my share of rounds in the 80's since that day. I mean to tell you I have played some horrible rounds but I have never ever thought less of myself since that day. And the opposite holds true as well, I have shot some rounds in the low and mid 60's since that day and I never thought anymore of myself when I was finished with the round.

Why am I sharing this with you? It changed my golf life. I do not have the negative self chatter on the golf course, no more can't do it attitude.

In closing yes this is a difficult thing do this old game of golf however is there anyplace you would rather spend five hours? I haven't found it yet.