Tourney season kickoff

Spring is getting sprung all around us here in the Pacific NW with visual evidence of color popping up in trees and on the ground and the warmth of the sun peaking through the clouds; pushing the days to a very respectable 60 degrees. It’s the best time of year: March Madness is getting on way, baseball season is about to start, NBA is heading to the playoffs, the Masters is right around the corner and it all is leading towards the beginning of a healthy and enjoyable summer season where camping, swimming, biking and, of course, golfing amp up.

All of this seems a bit earlier here than most years as we have had an extremely mild winter in Portland. This weekend is the Iceberg Open at Rose City. It is really the first “big” tournament in the area and the weather is typically 40 degrees and raining during the two-day event. But, this go around we have a nice outlook for the weekend and I couldn’t be happier to kick the season off tomorrow.

Am I ready? I’ve asked myself that question a number of times over the past week. The short answer is that it doesn’t matter if you are ready or not as the time approaches and no matter your game or mental state you have to show up when the tee sheet summons you. That said, I am ready. I’m as ready as I’ve ever been and despite the sliding scores as of late I feel confident going into the weekend.

It’s funny, though. I went out for a practice round yesterday with the goal being to see where the pin and tee boxes would be and to get an idea of greens speed, but I walked away frustrated as I always am after playing Rose City. This course has a special place in my heart and it isn’t that warm and cuddly area you stick fond memories of childhood or the spot where success belongs, it’s the deep pit built to hold frustration and disappointment. Over the past few years I have read countless mental training books, golf books, sports psychology books/texts, spoken with professionals in the mental preparation field, etc, and I know that it’s important to associate with success and to not build in VERBs heading into a tourney, (VERBs is, according to Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson of Golf54: a self-pitying state where you see yourself as the VICTIM who is ENTITLED to better and instead of working wants to be RESCUED from a fate that you BLAME on conditions outside yourself.) but I still am having a hard time making positive associations with this course heading into the weekend.

I thought about it a lot last night and what I have decided is that instead of focussing on score or past experiences with this particular course, my goal for Saturday is to commit to each shot then remain emotionally neutral after the shot. What I want to build into my game is a Jason Dufner type calm. For those of you who don’t know Jason, he is somewhat famous on the PGA for not reacting to shots. It’s hard to tell with Dufner if he holed it from 170 or knocked the ball in a hazard. Being able to remain neutral and then associate yourself with successes and dissociate after a bad shot is crucial to confidence over the ball.

We all handle stress and adversity differently and no matter how you may currently deal with these situations that doesn’t mean that you always have to react the same way. Last year I shot myself in the foot with putting in tournament situations. My knees knocked and the technique broke down pushing and pulling 3 footers throughout the season. I gripped the driver like my life was dependent on not slipping and the tempo shot through the roof. It was my first taste of competition and I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with these situations. This year I know more about how I deal with pressure and what it feels like to be in those situations. I am now much more prepared than I ever could have imagined last year. It is by expanding our comfort zones with the potential of failing that we learn how to succeed in the long run.

As Winston Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

The thing is, he’s wrong in that what we are doing is not going from one failure to the next; we are making small steps in the right direction through constant attempts. “Failure” is inevitable in life. If we are not failing we are not pushing ourselves hard enough. It’s what we learn from the experience that matters so every time you go out on a limb and “fail” you are getting one step closer to success. Success is the ability to maintain focus on the long term goal.

Perhaps this all sounds a bit counterintuitive, but through talking about failing it actually opens my mind for success. I am going to enter this tournament not afraid to fail, but yearning to learn. I will be paying attention to how I react and act and no matter what happens by the end of the day I will know more about myself and my game. And, I’m going to have a load of fun while doing it. That’s the only way.

In club news, I picked up a new demo driver for the weekend. I haven’t had a driver in the bag that I actually feel comfortable swinging as the Rul shaft that was in my old one was too whippy at the tip. This new one is the TM R1 with the OBAN Devotion shaft. The head and shaft are heavier and stiffer than my previous driver and so far it seems like a much better combo. I hope to soon get fit for a whole set of clubs and get that uncertainty piece out of the equation, but for the time being it is an exploration piece. Here is the one that I will be swinging:

And, I’ll be using this new bag which I had Jones Golf Bags make last week. I dare say if you can make a pimp golf bag this is it: (Vokey wedges and all )

jonesbag

As far as tempo goes, I’m going to have to stick with some old school tunes and let Black Ice by Goodie Mob guide the speed. Got to stick to my Atlanta roots..

Rusty Cage says:

March 22, 2013 at 11:07 am

Good luck with the tournament, Dan. I think you’re in the right frame of mind and should do alright. One of the things I’ve done when playing (to keep myself from getting amped up and distracted from my goals), is jot down 3 simple keys, feels or thoughts of the day (nothing at all technical). Example – I will commit to every shot. I keep that note somewhere handy where I can easily reference it during my round. When I feel like I’m getting focused on things I have no control over (i.e. my score, hitting out of a bad lie, etc.), I look down at the note and remind myself what goals I should be focusing on (the kind that I can control, such as my reactions).

I’m also a big Vision54 disciple. Good luck. We’re all behind you!

Ashley says:

March 22, 2013 at 11:27 am

Good post Dan! My only recommendation is on the “Jason Duffner” approach. If its not your personality it may not work. I’m pretty sure Duff is like that on and off the course. It’s who he is. I couldn’t imagine Keegan or Tiger remaining Duffner-like calm after good or bad shots. I myself can’t do it. I’m an excitable person. So I do react to bad shots but I also react to good shots.

I read something last year about this that I really liked. I believe it was from one of Yani’s coaches. He said that everyone has heard of a pre-shot routine but what about a post-shot routine. He said if you hit a good shot – celebrate! Give yourself a fist pump. But once you take your glove off move on. When you hit a bad shot take, move off to the side and make the swing you wanted to. Again, take your glove off, move on and forget the shot. It’s like the velcro of the glove is a reset button.

Good luck!

ash

Niblick says:

March 22, 2013 at 12:01 pm

More important than Dufner’s approach, or post-shot, or pre-shot, is “What is going on when Dan plays his best?” “How can Dan get in that “state” to give him the best chance to play well?”