Comments on: Emotions

By: David Arnar

David Arnar — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:44:24 +0000

From my limited experience as a hacker at the game, you just have to analyse what went wrong, I sometimes take a full analysis of every shot and create detailed statistics for the round to see exactly were the problem lay. Sometimes it helps. Mostly it boils down to what Rotella says, taking one shot at a time and accept the outcome of the shot.

But I do know this, it often takes a genius to construct something, anyone can break things down.

Good luck with your project!

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:13:55 +0000

One of the most interesting things I read in a Rotella book was the idea that you cannot control how well you play, you can only control your mental response to how well you play. Whilst it seems fairly evident that you can exercise control over your mental approach to the game, the notion that you cannot control how well you play in the first place is both fascinating and liberating to me. Sounds counter intuitive, but seems to be true in my experience – out on the course, the ONLY thing you can control is the mental side of your game. And once you realise that, two things happen: 1) you stop worrying so much (very useful) and 2) you truly understand how important your mindset is and you become more protective of it as a result.

Reminds me of a Seneca thing - he believed that anger and fits of temper could be attributed to a fairly fundamental error in reasoning. We get angry, he said, when we exist in a world that is NOT, rather than the world that IS. So if you were to hook a ball out of bounds on the course and get angry, Seneca would tell you that’s because at least part of you still exists in a world where you hit it straight down the fairway. The answer, therefore, is pure acceptance of what IS. And this all comes back to just playing the next shot.

All very easy to write, hugely difficult to put into practice. Good luck, Dan.

By: dan

dan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:54:28 +0000

Hi Doug,

Thanks for posting this. Since you did I have referred to the list a number of times. I like Rotella and love having this list on the blog comments to check periodically.

Thanks!

Dan

By: dan

dan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:51:39 +0000

haha, Thanks Charlie

Good stuff.

By: dan

dan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:39:19 +0000

Hi Brice,

I can’t find a place to buy it. Any suggestions?

Dan

By: dan

dan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:58:09 +0000

Sean,

Definitely. I have to be aware of my tempo as, like you, when I hit a bad shot I tend to speed it up on the next one which typically produces a bad shot and faster tempo after… It’s a bad cycle. My coach has me deliberately slowing down after any poorly struck ball. It seems to help.

Dan

By: dan

dan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:56:38 +0000

Martin,

Very true. The mental side is the elephant in the room for most people. So many golfers are technically sound, but just can’t break through when it counts. Working on that mental side right now..

Hope the rain stops in Ireland!
Dan