One Shot at a time

As I made it to the driving range for the firs time this year, I was warming up with a few stretches and swinging a couple of clubs to try to get a little flexibility in this overweight underworked and just downright out of shape body, when I began to really think how much I have missed playing golf. Winter is over and spring is here. It has been a crazy year so far weather related, it’s rained a lot and its been cold and really hot as well! Welcome to Indiana! With a full time job, two kids and my better half it’s hard to get any time to play or get to the range but add weather to the mix and you have a recipe that seems to cook up disaster in the time category. None the less I’m here now and want to make the most of it. I started out hitting a few wedge shots trying not pull something and it went pretty well. I moved to my small irons and again not to bad. I went on to my long irons and had a few good shots but this is a area which seems to need a little work. I hit my hybrid club a few times and got really frustrated with it. I mean don’t get me wrong on the range I hit this club maybe better than any other club but on the course I cant hit it to save my life! I chunk it or skull it like a fumbling dork on his first date trying to undo his date’s bra. I then move to the woods. Same results as in recent years. Hit my five wood pretty well but my three wood for some reason I really struggle with. I then move to the big dog, the big Kaunas, what ever you call your driver. After hitting about 15 balls I would say two of three would have been fairway hits. Not to bad after a long winter off. The distance is not real good but at least I can keep it in the short stuff!

One of the things the last couple of years I’ve been working on is a good repeatable pre - shot routine. One of things I have come to realize is you need to stop, slow down and focus on each shot. It’s the only one that matters. It doesn’t matter what just happened, if you just shanked a shot or you hit one that looked like banana slice on steroids it’s in the past you cant change it now. That’s when it hit me. Life is the same way. You can’t focus on the past. You can’t dwell on what was done to you, the mistakes you’ve made. You have to let it all go and worry on the here and now. Make the right decisions’ with what you have now. You can however learn from the past and try to predict how this decision will affect you in the future. But in the end all you have is right now. I guess this is a lesson I am still struggling with.

My wife bought me a book several years ago called Zen Golf. I can’t tell you how much it has helped me over the years. I have read it from cover to cover at least three times. You think after the first two it would stick, but it hasn’t! So it appears I will need to pull it out and give it another read. Maybe this time it will help me stay focused on the here and now. Wish me luck!