Every golf experience can be a learning experience toward playing better golf!
Sixteen of us again went on our annual Golf Trip to Florida, and had as usual a great time. As I noted a week ago, this trip was both different and very special for me. Different because I had not played golf for over a month and am still not totally recovered from some shoulder issues. Special because just being able to go was a gift that I will always remember.
It was also an opportunity to hopefully learn some golf lessons that I will remember and that maybe can resonate with you if you ever have a similar experience. Here they are….
LESSON #1 – Solid Contact Can Rule. I was not able to make "full" swings pretty much any time during the trip. But there were times when I made abbreviated golf swings where I hit the ball as far or farther than I have when not injured. I flew a couple of greens on par threes where I would not have believed it possible. Maybe there is something to solid contact, no?
LESSON #2 – Accept Your Limitations. For the first 2 rounds of golf, I had absolutely no expectations about score. While I did not score well, I knew I was doing as well as could be expected. But on the Third Day, we started our annual Cup Challenge rounds – and I let go of no expectations. Miserable golf, lousy scoring, no fun. Went back to no expectations last 2 days, had some good scoring from time to time. It is important to know what you can and cannot do, and accept it.
LESSON #3 – Why Did I Hit This Shot This Way? If you are injured or not, knowing what causes you to hit certain types of shots can help you play well even when you are struggling physically. If you can be aware of what causes different types of misses in your game, you can work to "get out of a rut" during a round and get back to the golf shots you like the best.
LESSON #4 – Let Your Short Game Rule!! If I were to do anything over again before going on the trip, it would be to see if I could spend just a little time hitting short game shots and getting some of my feel back. This was the area of my game that really suffered the most from not playing. This was also the biggest opportunity for my future improvement from the trip – even if I cannot play a lot while recovering from my shoulder issues, I can spend some time getting a LOT better at putting, chipping, pitching, and sand shots.
What a great time, and an equally great learning experience!
HOW HAVE MADE OPPORTUNITIES OUT OF TOUGH TIMES ON THE GOLF COURSE? I look forward to hearing your stories too!
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony