Trying to be \u201cmentally tough\u201d may be hazardous to your golfing health or any peak performance.<\/p>\n
I recently queried a collection of more than one hundred coaches, sports psychologists, and athletes on what they define as \u201cmental toughness\u201d and what one should do to attain it. I received almost as many different variations on the definition, and less than one out of five of these “experts” could offer a method as to how to attain the state. Yet, all seemed to agree that becoming mentally tough is desirable to achieving golf success.\u00a0 I disagree \u2013 at least to a point.<\/p>\n
Why would I disagree with such an illustrious group?\u00a0\u00a0 First, if these \u201cexperts\u201d couldn\u2019t agree on what the term means, imagine the confusion in the mind of the golfing public? What is your idea of being mentally tough? Chances are, we like they, will have different perspectives with none of us being right or wrong. The term is just plain ambiguous.<\/p>\n
I read and hear so much about how players or anyone for that matter should be mentally tough. It\u2019s as if these pundits are turning the word into an action verb \u2013 something you should be doing. I believe that appearing mentally tough is an adjective that reflects the sum result of things that actually have nothing to do with the mental game, but rather the spiritual one. Mental toughness is not something you do, but a by-product of other forces at work.<\/p>\n
The concept of \u201cgolf as a mental game\u201d has really taken hold the past forty years. Feel players such as Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus have suddenly been redefined as \u201cmental players\u201d and an entire library and cadre of coaches have sprung up using them as prime examples. I maintain that the essence of these players’s \u201ctoughness\u201d was embedded in their spirit, not their thoughts or strategy. Nicklaus, himself, even has shared with me that he agrees with my interpretation and not theirs. Nicklaus further confided that he thinks it is spiritual fortitude that was the basis for Tiger\u2019s initial success as well as his own, and yes, that mental toughness is merely a by-product.<\/p>\n
Toughness connotes a fight or struggle – a fear-based focus. I believe that true growth in golf and beyond occurs when your awareness is highest, you are open to quick and decisive adjustments, and one practices the art of allowing – and you fully love and embrace what you are doing.\u00a0 Fighting, struggle, and toughness are the opposite of allowing and surrendering to the process. The nose-down, harder you try, fight, struggle, think, concentrate harder attitude prescribed by many in the sports psychology community actually sabotages peak performance. In fact, anyone who has ever performed “in the zone” will quickly remember that they weren’t trying or thinking much at all.<\/p>\n
You play <\/em>golf with \u201cplay\u201d being the operative word. A cluttered mind full of mental game instruction interferes with letting our natural ability shine and execute golf shots.\u00a0 A sound strategic approach to each season, tournament, game, hole, or shot is also crucial, but every swing and mental thought had to be validated first by your spirit. If you don\u2019t ask for what you want, if you don\u2019t believe in what you want, and you don\u2019t take persistent inspired action to achieve it, all this so-called “mental toughness” in the world won\u2019t matter. And you must be in a state of allowing to then be able to receive and enjoy what you want.<\/p>\n How do you develop your spiritual side \u2013 the feeling versus thinking side? First, you master the game\u2019s little details one at a time in many little bites and not one big fast gulp. Then you develop a process of focus and appreciation on the task at hand, target focus, trust, and execution. You ask yourself empowering questions such as \u201cWhat\u2019s my strategy, what\u2019s my target? How am I going to hit this shot?\u201d You keep working this process through winning and losing, successful and unintended efforts, and engrain it at the habitual level. You believe, trust, stay aware, and surrender to your process.\u00a0 Then you detach from the outcome.\u00a0 All the while, there is nothing about fighting, struggle, or trying. You are simply doing and being. In this manner, you minimize doubt and fear, the two great golf destroyers. While others are in the mentally tough-fight mode, you are in the spiritually serene place of knowing and embracement, secure with your preparation and process, in which your spirit solidifies both your swings and decision-making, like the very best players down the stretch run.<\/p>\n Finally, you find things in the process and the game to be grateful about. This is where you convert from fear to a love-based action that puts all these aforementioned steps into high gear.<\/p>\n Mental toughness is the end result of faith, belief in yourself, your goal, and process, and an acute awareness and attention to the only thing you have any control over \u2013 the present with a underlying joy. When you attend to those factors, some may term you \u201cmentally tough,\u201d but it really is because you are spiritually strong and consistent. Discard those sayings, thoughts, and associations with mental toughness and search within for your spiritual strength upon which the physical and mental games are set.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bob Fagan, is a former playing and teaching professional as well as served as the Executive Director for the Northern California PGA from 1991 -1998. \u00a0Bob coaches athletes, business executives, and others in successful empowerment development moving his clients to success and on further to fulfillment. \u00a0He can be reached at rsf4653@aol.com.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"