Sunday, April 24, 2011

Mind Control

Friday was the first gorgeous, warm, dry day in a long time.  I was excited to get out there and play 18 holes @ Royal Oaks CC in Vancouver, WA in the afternoon.  I'm trying to work out all the winter kinks before my first tournament of the season next Saturday, so I put extra pressure on myself to play well.  The front 9 was disappointing.  I shot a 46 and was successfully stringing bogeys and doubles together.  The triple bogey on hole #7 after hitting my tee shot within 60 yards of the hole was the icing on the cake. 

I tried to stay focused and forget about my bad shots and my high score, but I couldn't get my head right.  My negative thoughts and lack of confidence became cancerous and I couldn't shake it.  At the turn, I was able to collect my thoughts and re-focus.  I ended up shooting a 38 on the back 9.  Not surprisingly, I was able to find that positive thinking and confidence that I didn't have on the front 9.  It was a very creative way to shoot an 84.

What I can't quite discipline myself to do is to think positively regardless of the score I'm shooting.  My thinking is dependent on how I'm playing, which is why its possible to shoot a 75 one day and a 91 the following day.  I need to find a way to trick myself into thinking positively no matter how well or how poorly I might be playing.  How do I remain positive even when I'm not playing as well as I would like?

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