I've been on a roll since the beginning of the year. My game has improved significantly, and as it improves I try harder. What happened? The easy answer is the new putter I treated myself to for Christmas. However I've been around this game long enough to know that at the level I play, it's not the putter it's the puttee.
I go back to the first Saturday in January which was a cold and gloomy day and only about half of our group showed up to play. Another way of looking at it is that only half the competition showed up and those that did weren't the best. I got lucky and won two holes and suddenly I'm leading the money list for the first time ever. Of course that lead was lost the next week when everybody, including the scratch golfers, showed up in the So Cal sun and promptly blanked me.
But I had tasted what it was like to win and the taste was sweet. Since then the sole mission was to win the bets. The group as a whole has three bets and the most you can lose is $8. Our foursome plays skins that could cost $5 or $6. Lastly I have a modified Nassau bet with one of the guys with a maximum loss potential of $10. So before I leave the house on Saturday morning I check my wallet to make sure there's enough cash to cover the "perfect storm" scenario where I lose the max on everything. Up until last Saturday that's never happened.
Lee Trevino has always been one of my heroes. He grew up as a scrappy Tex-Mex hustling rich white guys on courses that he would never had been allowed to play if they hadn't invited him. As a Pro he was interviewed about the pressure he felt when putting for the win with a large purse at stake and a 1 stroke lead. Recalling his days as a hustler, Trevino said "That's not pressure. Pressure is when you've made a $50 bet and you only have $30 in your pocket." And that my friends is what I call a great golf tip.
Gambling gives you focus and gets your competitive juices flowing. I think it also allows you to organize your game more effectively. You tend to plan the way you're going to play the hole knowing which one's you can attack and which ones you have to be more conservative. In other words, you are focused enough to know to play within your game and you are not taking long odds shots. And why do you play this way? Because you want to win. You want to be at the or near the top of the money list.
Several years ago I worked at a place that posted the gross revenue of each salesman in the organization on a whiteboard in the front of our office. The last thing you wanted was to be at the bottom; even though our performance as a whole meant the guy on the bottom was well above what the company required. So if you're meeting expectations, why bust your butt to be at the top. Validation. You want recognition that you're one of the best.
In tournaments you get a trophy. With our group you get cash. That's the validation. That generates the environment conducive to a laser like focus. If you're winning it's easier than if your losing.
That's what happened to me last Saturday. It wasn't that I forgot about the game, it was I forgot about the gambling. I had other things on my mind and by the time I snapped out of it I was well behind on all the bets. When you're losing it takes (at least for me) a Herculean effort to get the focus and confidence back. I still have to work on that part of the game.
So if you're having difficulty right now, put some pressure on and get a little game going.
I have to agree with this article. When you play golf just to be playing, there is just not enough fire to spur you on. When you play for a small wager, (it doesn't take much) you will focus more on what you're doing. Every drive will require a set-up. Every putt will require some thought and alignement. All these motions are focused intentions on winning and the benefit is your game will improve.
ReplyDeleteWe play a game called Rabbit and Squirrel with my group of 12-15 guys. Rabbits are pars and worth $5. Squirrels are birdies and are worth $5.
Its a little complicated to explain, but it is similiar to the game you guys play in that the most one individual can lose is $10. The winner can win as much as $150 and sometimes everything breaks slick.
I also like the recollection of Lee Trevino. He is also one of my favorite golfing heros. Reading some of his stories reminded me about my article on fashion and a your comment on him. Lee was gre up very poor using a bottle in place of a club for honing his swing as a child. Jack Nicklaus wrote about Trevino in his book Jack Nicklaus: My Story. In his mention of Lee Trevino, it reminded me that if we let vanity push too high a standard int his game that should be available to everyone, we will probably walk right past the talent that another Lee Trevino has to offer.