Not all of us really want to be champions, but we say we do. We need to be very honest with ourselves about our true goals. Do you want to shave a few points off your score, your handicap . . . or are you going for broke? A champion has developed a sense of being undefeatable and invincible. He feels unbeatable, even though he will lose many matches.
The
champion has mastered the art of focused relaxation . . . and relaxed
focus. This is the mind-body state in which you feel your best
and play your best. The champion’s mind is quiet, like a Samurai
warrior, who is poised in meditation, but ready to go into
battle. He does not over-react to disappointment, nor is he too
exhilarated by great shots during the day. His mind stays even,
unruffable, and stable. His mind is like a still lake. If
he gets too excited about a hole-in-one, that exhilaration may throw
his overall mental balance off, just as much as a triple bogie might.
The
irony about the champion is that he is less concerned with the final
outcome than you might think. He has learned how to be in the
moment, and stay present. The more you focus on the goal (low
score), the worse your score will be. The more you focus on being
in the moment, and enjoying swinging your golf club, simply because you
love doing that, the more likely you are to score well. The
attitude of the champion arises out of his ability to “be present.”
When
you play by instinct, you are fearless. You have “dropped out of
your mind” into your body, and trust that your body (which has spent
years in golf training) knows what to do . . . if you just get your
mind out of the way. You become a “golf animal,” which does not
mean you are mean or aggressive. It means that you let Body
Instinct take over. When you “play from the moment,” you are
utterly fearless. And when you are fearless, you have the mind of
a champion.
