In this week’s passions blog, I will be writing about exactly what goes through my head on the golf course and how it has changed the way I think on a daily basis. While there are a lot of physical and swing-structure factors that go into golf, golf is equally if not more a mental game. This is what truly makes golf an actual sport. Just in case any of you don’t know the basics of golf, basically the goal is to get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Make sure you bring two pairs of pants in case you get a hole in one! (That was one of my puns). The par of each hole is the recommended amount of strokes it should take for a good golfer to get the ball in the hole based on the length of the hole–there are par 3s, 4s, and 5s.
Now that you guys know the basics of golf, I am now going to address how I think throughout my round on the golf course. Similar to how there are multiple approaches to making a par on a hole in golf, I learned that there are many different ways to reach a goal in life. For example, there are many times I approach a hole in golf expecting to have a good tee shot in order to make it an easy hole, but then I mess up from the very beginning and slice my drive into the trees. In my early stages of playing golf, I would think that my hopes of making a par on that hole were over, but slowly I learned that it definitely is possible–and now I am more comfortable trying to make par from the trees. Instead of going for the hero shot, I decide to play it safe and just punch out of the trees, hit a wedge into the green, and sometimes I get lucky and drain that putt for par. Otherwise worse come worse I make a bogey but at least I didn’t risk getting an even worse score by going for the green.
Along with discovering that there are multiple approaches to an end goal similar to the many ways I can make a par in golf, golf taught me that overthinking can lead to unnecessary mistakes. Overthinking, especially before you take a shot, in golf can lead you to getting distracted while making a swing and it overall does not help you. It is much better to have a clear and worry-free mind and you end up shooting a lower score and even have more fun on the course! My rule of thumb is to have nothing but clear and positive thoughts in your mind, and there is no ifs, ands, or putts to it. (That was my other pun). I have adapted this mindset to my thinking on a daily basis and it has helped me a lot with managing my stress and mental health.
Interesting! I never viewed golf from this kind of lens — I always viewed it as a leisure activity to well… just have fun! I definitely agree with your assertion that there are multiple multiple approaches to making a por on a hole in golf (i.e., reaching your goal/end destination). Overall, good job! I can’t want to read about what your write for next week!