{"id":25,"date":"2010-05-18T19:28:49","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T19:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janinajacobs.com\/?p=25"},"modified":"2010-09-10T04:42:18","modified_gmt":"2010-09-10T04:42:18","slug":"seven-deadly-sins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/golf\/instruction\/25\/seven-deadly-sins","title":{"rendered":"Seven Deadly Sins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Success at golf is evasive.\u00a0 One moment you\u2019re there and then, whatever you had, disappears.\u00a0 You don\u2019t know why or how, all you know is you\u2019re slashin\u2019 and hashin\u2019 and cursing and praying all in the same round. Enter the Seven Deadly Sins.\u00a0 You\u2019ve heard of them but did you ever think that identifying and applying them to your golf game could be beneficial? Or perhaps, not<\/em> applying them would be more appropriate. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #1 \u2013 PRIDE<\/strong>:\u00a0 excessive belief in one\u2019s virtues. Have you ever seen a prancing golfer so confident in his or her ability that you wish you could actually be around when they took the proverbial fall? Years ago I played a practice round for a national qualifier with a woman who afterwards decided she needed stronger competition than what I could provide, spurning my invitation for future golf.\u00a0 Surprised by her quasi-insult, I decided to let the actual qualifier tell the tale.\u00a0 It did.\u00a0 I was medalist at 74 and she shot 90-something, shooting herself out of qualifying for the national championship.\u00a0 I witnessed the pride \u2013 and the fall – though I wasn’t gleefully rejoicing in her misfortune because I knew she was embarrassed. Lesson:\u00a0 Don\u2019t overestimate your abilities nor underestimate your opponents\u2019. Other Lessons:\u00a0 Don\u2019t play a course at tees beyond your capabilities and don\u2019t claim a handicap lower than it is. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #2 \u2013 ENVY<\/strong>:\u00a0 desire for others\u2019 traits and abilities. It is impossible to excel at every aspect of the golf game.\u00a0 While it is OK to admire a player who can smash it 290, don\u2019t let it consume you if your best drive never exceeds 210.\u00a0 Work on accuracy with the short game. A few years ago I played a Ryder Cup style event while still recovering from a shoulder injury.\u00a0 Swinging at half power I yearned to be down the fairway with the other gals.\u00a0 My opponents made the mistake of believing I could not compete with drives 50 – 75 yards short of where they were.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t possible, so I quickly realized the need to rely on my short game.\u00a0 It worked and I won my matches. Lesson:\u00a0 Trying to achieve something you cannot master will lead to frustration and will ruin the game you do have.\u00a0 Play within your means – and with the game you brought that day. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #3 \u2013 GLUTTONY<\/strong>:\u00a0 consuming more than one requires. Everyone loves to eat.\u00a0 And what is more difficult to resist than a banquet table laden with every kind of food imaginable?\u00a0\u00a0 However, what and when you eat can kill a golf game faster than any swing flaw.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think so?\u00a0 Eat a huge plate or two of those irresistible banana-pecan-cherry pancakes with whipped cream from the breakfast buffet before you play and see what happens.\u00a0 My coach from college, former Green Bay Packer Joel Mason once quipped that ‘eating pancakes before golf was like eating lead’.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be so full and uncomfortable you won\u2019t be able to move. One year I gained 15 pounds just by playing and partaking in all of the eat-fests at charity outings and invitationals.\u00a0 I quickly realized if I kept up that pace I\u2019d be rolling down the fairways instead of my ball. Lesson:\u00a0 Lean is mean.\u00a0 Eat lightly or take a carry-out box with you and graze as you go. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #4 \u2013 LUST<\/strong>:\u00a0 craving the carnal pleasures. I knew you were waiting for this one. Do you remember falling in love and the overpowering compulsion to spend every day \u2013 every moment \u2013 with your beloved?\u00a0\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t get enough.\u00a0 It is said that sports can often induce a similar euphoria and golf is no different.\u00a0 Once you have been lured by the Sirens\u2019 song of the fairways, your lust will be thrown in a different direction:\u00a0 lowering your handicap.\u00a0\u00a0 Go ahead and watch The Golf Channel 24\/7; read every golf publication and article you can get your hands on and then follow every tip you receive.\u00a0 Buy every new club and gadget that comes out.\u00a0 Spend every waking moment at the course, the range, or the golf shop.\u00a0 Do all of this and you\u2019ll be a basket case in no time.\u00a0 The up side of this is that it will probably cure you and send you running back home to your beloved. Lesson:\u00a0 Less is more and you can have too much of a good thing.\u00a0 Resist those lustful urges to have everything you see in the golf shop.\u00a0 Pace yourself and don\u2019t buy too many putters!<\/p>\n

SIN #5 \u2013 ANGER<\/strong>:\u00a0 spurning love and opting for fury or wrath. Oh, but this is a big one.\u00a0 Golf rounds are ruined by temper tantrums and anger, not saved by them.\u00a0 No one will be impressed by the anger you display over a missed shot.\u00a0 Anger causes stress.\u00a0 Stress increases tension and opens a whole host of physical changes which kill a golf swing.\u00a0 You\u2019ll get worse instead of better. If you watched the Olympics All-Around Gymnastics competition in the Summer Games of 2004 you would have witnessed the finest display of self-control and anger management I believe I\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0 American Paul Hamm had just tanked on the Vault and everyone was discussing the post-mortems on his medal quest.\u00a0 Hamm most certainly was seething inside but instead remained focused, aced his remaining events, and watched his competitors mess up as well.\u00a0 He won Gold by the smallest margin ever in that event. Lesson:\u00a0 When anger creeps into your game, let the demon come but let it go away just as fast.\u00a0 No one is saying that you are perfect and can never get mad; just deal with it and make it work for you.\u00a0 Never, ever quit. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #6 \u2013 GREED<\/strong>:\u00a0 too much desire for material wealth. Any casino dweller, real estate entrepreneur, or stock market watcher will tell you that being greedy will lead to huge losses.\u00a0 Golf is no different.\u00a0 The quest to win the big events and all the glory that comes with it is innate.\u00a0 We want that trophy.\u00a0 We want first prize.\u00a0 But sometimes wanting it too much leads to your downfall.\u00a0 Going for the green in two when the odds are poor, or trying to cut the dogleg when the trees are too high and the wind is against you will lead to disaster.\u00a0 How often have you hit risky shots and lost the gamble, only to find out that you would have won had you played smart and saved a shot or two? Lesson:\u00a0 Be hungry enough to want to win but don\u2019t let greed consume you.\u00a0 Think of all the consequences before<\/em> you play the shot. <\/strong><\/p>\n

SIN #7 \u2013 SLOTH<\/strong>: avoidance of work. Golf victories will not come to you just because you are a great person, want to win with all your heart, and are usually lucky.\u00a0 Those are wonderful qualities but the spoils usually go to the ones who work at it the hardest.\u00a0 When you have an important game coming up, practice.\u00a0 Even if it is only 15 \u2013 30 minutes at a time, your mind will know that you labored.\u00a0 Do not discount mental practice and imaging because it is important as well.\u00a0 Some of my best rounds occurred because I practiced like a demon two weeks prior pondering swing thoughts and a game plan while driving to the course. Lesson:\u00a0\u00a0 Remember PGA and Senior Tour star Gary Player\u2019s famous quote when he holed out 3 sand shots in a row to win a bet:\u00a0 \u201cThe harder I practice the luckier I get.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you ever think the Seven Deadly Sins could be applied to your golf game? Here’s how…..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9],"tags":[66],"class_list":["post-25","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-instruction","category-golf","tag-pride-may-goeth-before-the-fall-but-does-it-go-beforeth-hitting-the-ball"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":353,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions\/353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}