What a mess….

Like everyone, we’re all closely watching the markets today after yesterday’s disastrous dive on Wall Street.  And we’re all hoping that something can be done to stabilize the economy and quickly!  Not much to add about my golf game today, as I haven’t even been able to get out on the course for over a week.  But I spotted something in my class materials that has me thinking not just about golf, but about what is in the news as well.

“As important as your past is, it is not as important as how you see your future.”

How do we see it?  That’s the decision we’ll all be making.

Deep Thoughts

I HOPE that if you’re looking at this blog, you’re taking the time to read the responses that have been posted by my golf coach – the Golf Yoda – David Geier.  I’m grateful that he has generously taken the time to share his wisdom and some excellent pointers on the game with you – at no charge!  Many people (much better golfers than I ) have sought and paid for his coaching and perspectives, and through this blog you’re able to absorb a lot of this good stuff just because you happened by.    What may be surprising to some is that for many people,  golf  opens up a more spiritual path – one that resonates in all areas of life. 

Celebrate the weekend, your time with the special people in your life!

It’s A Perfect Day For Golf

The string of beautiful September days we’ve been enjoying this week has me, and I’m guessing every other person who enjoys outdoor activities but has a day job, longing for a few blissful, breezy hours in the sunshine.  The trees are developing more color, a lovely and poignant reminder that our temperate weather is fleeting.   Soak up every drop!

Meanwhile, I hope those of you reading my blog are enjoying the comments from Golf Yoda himself.  While what he has to say is relevant for me as a beginning golfer, I think his thoughts are very useful for anyone, whether a golfer or not.   And after you read what he has to say, you’ll understand completely why I started calling him GY.  It fits.

Golf Thoughts

“Golf teaches success and failure. Neither lasts long.”  Glen Kummer

“A golfer who learns to swing hard initially usually can acquire accuracy later, whereas a golfer who gets too accuracy-conscious at the outset will rarely be able to make himself hit the ball harder later on.”  Jack Nicklaus

“ The only club in the bag specifically designed to get the ball in the cup is the putter. Why not learn it first?”  Jackie Burke Jr.

“ Golf should be learned starting at the cup and progressing back toward the tee. If a beginner tries to learn the game at the tee and move on toward the green, postponing the short game until last, this is one beginner who will be lucky to ever beat anybody.”   Harvey Penick

Some thoughts from the greats about what can be a frustrating game!  The last two are especially pertinent, because Golf Yoda teaches “from the cup to the tee.” 

 ”The harder I practice the luckier I get.”  Gary Player

And that’s the truth.  Time for more practice, time to shake off that Sunday experience.  Hope this beautiful week is allowing you some time to pursue any outdoor activity that brings you pleasure!

Golf Ball Eating Trees

Oh boy.  Possibly the worst experience yet for me on the golf course.  WOW!  It felt like everything I’ve learned up until now flew out of my head and it was NOT pretty.  Yes the course was very wet.  Yes the grass was too long.  Yes, I lost four balls, including two that went “into” trees, but never came out again! (That’s what I get for thinking the sound of a ball hitting a tree is so funny.  Less funny now!)  But the biggest lesson proven on the golf course yesterday is that when one’s head is cluttered up with all sorts of “stuff,”  the “stuff” is what gets in the way of a good swing, rather than the ball! 

But I’m not giving up!  Maybe GY will weigh in on this subject here:  How do you get over an absolutely messy performance to feel good about the next one?  In golf – in life?

Celebrate!

Okay, it’s Friday and….yippee!….another round of golf with “Viv” in the offing for Sunday.  It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend, the last official one of the summer, and I urge you to take advantage of every moment, every drop of sunshine while you can! 

September and October are, for me, the most beautiful months of the year in Northeastern Ohio.  And one of the best places to appreciate the glory of nature’s raiment is on the golf course.  In addition to enjoying the great outdoors, I’ve come to appreciate the sounds of golf.  Not just the birds and the sound of wind in the trees.  But that “ping” I hear when my driver makes contact with the ball just right.  And the sound the ball makes when it rolls into the cup.  Aaaaah!  Then there is the inimitable sound of a golf ball hitting a tree.   That may be one of the top 5 funniest sounds in the world, particularly when it’s not your ball!

Thanks to everyone who’s reading my thoughts, and feel free to share your own.  Have a great weekend!

Trusting….trusting…trusting….

We’ve all been there:  a time in life when it’s difficult to trust others, maybe especially yourself.  A time when the voice in your head is telling you that you’re just not “all that!”  For many of us, this sort of self-defeating talk can rear it’s head when we’re really challenged to become more than we think is possible at the moment.

Early on in my golf instruction, my coach presented a series of steps to go through in the putting sequence.  In one of the final steps, he asked that I repeat to myself the words “trusting….trusting…trusting” as I moved into my backswing.  Out loud.  “Out loud?!”, I said, feeling a familiar wave of self-consciousness settle over me.  Even saying it amplified and illuminated how little I trusted myself to execute what I’d learned.   This lack of trust comes from a lifetime of thinking about myself as “not very athletic.”

Whether it’s learning a new skill, a big project at work, or speaking in public, almost everyone faces certain fears about their ability to measure up.  How do you get yourself out of those thoughts?  How do you become more accepting, and trust yourself to succeed?  Put your focus on the “wins” in your life, and appreciate how that feels.  And trust that you know…what you KNOW !  Everytime you get one of those ”home run”, “hole in one”, high-five moments, revel in it – and anticipate, expect that it’ll happen again! 

I’m working on it.

My Hole In One

Great golfers can go their entire lives without a hole in one.  I know this, because my Golf Yoda says it has never happened to him.  A few weeks ago, we were at a local driving range so he could help me work on my full swing.  As we chatted and I practiced,  he told me he’d never had a hole in one, and said something like “you better not get one before I do!”  Ahem.

Moments later, I swung and watched the beginning of what looked like a pretty poor drive to me, headed toward the closest flag.  Wimpy.  I turned back to GY, and as he continued watching my ball, his eyes got really big.  “Lee, you just had your first hole in one! Your ball rolled into the cup at that first flag!”  Great.  And I didn’t even see it!  On the other hand, I’ve wondered if – perhaps – GY is a pretty good actor, and wanted me to THINK I’d had a hole in one.  Hmmmmmmmm.   He can be pretty clever, that one.

GOLF BUDDIES

My usual weekend golf outings have been bumped for two weekends in a row now, thanks to a minor household calamity and then Sunday’s big storm.  I know, hardly a major problem considering the ordeal the storm has caused for so many people.  HOWEVER, I have to say that after about six weeks of reliable tee times, I’m missing it – the golf, and my golf buddy.

Let’s call her “Vivien”, since she hasn’t asked to be included in my blog.  (And because she bears a striking resemblance to the actress Viven Leigh.) Viv and I are at roughly the same level of skill, which is very helpful.  It means that neither of us has to be embarrassed by the sound of ….. nothing…after a very determined swing.  “Practice swing!”  It also means that we modify the rules of golf to suit our abilities.  No scorecard, and if the ball needs to be “adjusted” to improve the odds of getting it where it’s supposed to go, that’s okay too.  Fairway tees encouraged.` 

Playing the game of golf has become a true joy for me, but a big part of that joy comes from the friendship and laughter on the golf course.  Or at the driving range.  I’ll always retain a vivid picture of my friend Viv – after she dropped her token into the ball dispenser, but forgot to put a bucket beneath the ball chute!  Little yellow balls going everywhere, and both of us laughing until we’re almost falling down.  Not exactly decorous comportment, but such fun times! 

It’s National Friendship Week, as another dear friend has reminded me.  Hope you find a way to celebrate it with a friend of yours, someone you can laugh with, cry with, and especially act goofy with, because those times are such a gift!

BIG WIND

Just returned to Cleveland after a weekend with my family in Cincinnati – by way of OZ so it seems!  So many people are coping with major damage to their homes and property, a widespread loss of power and the difficulty getting supplies – ice, or gas for the car!  In Cincinnati it’s especially bad, and I didn’t find a working gas station north of the city until I got to Washington Court House, on fumes!  I have never personally experienced winds like we had in Cincinnati on Sunday, clocked at 78 miles an hour and higher -  hurricane force!  And all of that wind came without rain or thunder and lightning, extraordinary dust storms kicked up, just incredible! 

Well it’s nice to be home, and hope you’re doing okay as we all cope with the mess “Ike” left behind.