This Saturday I got to the course earlier than normal so I could hit a bucket of balls. Normally I don't practice on the range as all it seems to do for me is confirm my lack of confidence in any club I pick up. Why spend $4 when I can crush all positive thoughts about my game by simply recalling the last one I played?
This time was different though. This time I was armed with my iPod and a newly downloaded track that was going to give me tempo, tempo, tempo. Actually it seemed to be working. There were a few miscues but I was thinking my $4.98 purchase was a pretty savvy buying decision.
Then two of my buddies show up at the bays just to my left and the first thing out of one of them is "Smith, you look like a 16 year old teenager with that iPod hanging out of your ears." I was pretty sure he was not commenting on my youthful appearance but rather on what he thought was my less than fully mature mental capacity.
So I turn the thing off and begin to explain the science behind the rhythm of the music and the click signals for takeaway. downswing and impact. I then demonstrate by turning the track back on and skulling the first ball. The big banana slice the second ball produced actually was a thing of beauty to watch. Plenty of hang time. So I'm bearing down on the third ball when it hits me. This is just like in the game!
On the range there's no pressure. It's just you and the ball. Unless of course, you allow pressure to join you like trying to prove your $4.98 purchase wasn't really a folly.
About the time I said "screw it" and packed up to head to the club house, J.K., the guy with the comment, whips out a piece of paper where I, as the webmaster of our little site, had screwed up the posting of his total winnings.
Let me explain. Our group has about 25 people in it and on any given Saturday 18 to 23 will show up. We have three bets; closest to the pin, low net and team score. I keep a running total on who won what that week and what their cumulative winnings are. That J.K. was so concerned that he wasn't ranked as high as he should be that he wrote a note describing where my error in posting was, speaks volumes about the pressure of the little game we play.
I mean it's just a game right? Actually it is just a game if you're winning. If your losing it takes on a more sinister aura. My friend Dave describes it like this:
"Is that my good buddy and best friend Chris in the two foot rough? Or is he the worthless SOB on the green next to the pin?"
I played with a guy for a couple of years in a 25 cent skins game. Every time someone was putting to win the hole he would take the pinky finger of his right hand and point it away from the hole hoping that would make the putt miss. If the putt did miss he yell "Aha!" and mumble something none of us understood. He was from Louisiana however, so maybe he bought some kind of Voodoo Golf training tape.
But when it's all over and the scores are in and there's nothing left to do but read 'em and weep, everyone reverts back to best pals again.
How do we get so warped over this little game we play?
Great post Chris. A little reminder of how we let the little things influence the play and strategy of our game. I have a similiar group that mimicks the same behavior of the group you play with. No doubt every group in America probably would say the same thing.
ReplyDeleteMy approach to warming up is this: I stretch for 30 mins before a round. I putt and chip for 30 mins. I swing my Heavy driver just before heading to the tee box and my my first swing at #1 is always down the middle swinging at 60-70% with a smooth rythm while everyone else tries to kill the ball.
I have played with an ipod on occassions and got the same crticism, but just like the world around me, I am searching for a way to drown them out and focus on 18 holes. When they cant get in my head....it kills them....cause I usually win.
Brad
ReplyDeleteYour comments are the inspiration for my next post. I've been on a roll but have gone 2 weeks without a win. I just lost focus because I was thinking of something else other than the game. I'm thinking their might be an e-book in "Gambling, a Guide to Better Golf"