Success: One shot at a time
The Road to Success is taken One Shot at a Time
One of the greatest basketball coaches in history is Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University. A few years back in a press conference Coach K was asked: How do you win so often and in hostile arenas? Coach K's answer was simple and to the point. He responded with: "We play our game the way we want to play. We decide what type of tempo and offense to run and then we play our game one possession at a time. We continue that line of thinking for every play, every possession and every game during the season." Coach K continued."Even when we won the NCAA Division I Men's Championship, we did the same thing…one play, one possession, one shot and one game at a time." "We did it our way and it has always seemed to work". (Doesn't this seem like a great way to think while you are playing golf?)
What Coach Mike Krzyzewski and other great coaches, athletes, and business people have found out through years of trial and error is that sometimes, the little steps to success are the ones that take you the fastest and the farthest on your road to ultimate victory and achievement. It is the journey of adhering to a mindset of taking it one shot at a time and not getting ahead of oneself or "biting off more than you can chew" philosophy. Often in our society we hear of overnight success stories and how the person overcame unbelievable odds via a miraculous remedy or instant swing cure. But in golfing reality, there are no instant cures for success or magic pills or potions to take.
In truth, most success stories, whether they are golf success or life success, take years to develop. It may only seem like it takes only a couple of months for a player to reach superstardom, but the reality is vastly different. A great example of this would be the incredible win by Y.E. Yang in this years' PGA Championship. Prior to his major victory in the PGA at Hazeltine, hardly anyone knew of Y.E Yang and his golfing prowess. Not many knew that for years before his rise to international fame he had been a wonderful player and had won ten different tournaments in four different continents. If you also didn't know, he won this years' Honda Classic over a strong field and a few years earlier had defeated an international field in China that included Tiger Woods. Simply, Y.E. Yang's success took years to develop.
When we view these events on television and see a golfer such as Y.E. having a victory celebration carrying his bag over his head, it makes us stop and wonder: Where did this guy come from? What you don't read in the media guides or newspapers are the many days, weeks, months and years it took of championship thinking, preparation and practice to enhance the talents of those winning individuals that are on the winning platforms of the major championships in golf, or the Olympics, NCAA championships or Super Bowls.
Create a Mindset and a Do-Set
Therefore, one of the greatest lessons that we can learn is that every day in some small way, we need to create a mindset and activity level that pushes us a bit closer to our dream goal. Our dream goal is created first in our mind and then is acted upon by what I call a "Do-set". What this means is that you have to put action into your thought program to get what you really want. Nothing can come to you on its own. You have to help it along and go after it in some shape or form. Most tournament players feel that confidence will "just happen upon them" but in truth, confidence is a "Do it to yourself" proposition. You have to put in the blood, sweat and tears to get to where you want to go. When you take action to create what you want….this is known as a Do-Set".
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| Bob Winters, DLGA Sports Psychologist |
Tiger Woods and Moving Forward
You may be saying to yourself, "yes, this sounds great, but I am not a NIKE or a tour player!" Okay, fair enough. But, what I want you to realize is that you don't need to be a huge company or a superstar to make huge leaps and bounds to get to where you want to go…but you do have to start somewhere. It is best by starting small and building momentum. What you can do is to take a small step (a little step) to success by doing something purposeful and productive every day at practice or on the course to make you a bit better than you are today. For instance, if you are over a shot and have doubt, simply back away and start over. Start fresh and never hit a shot until you are clear and ready. Tiger Woods is the ultimate example of this day to day success formula of never hitting a shot until he is absolutely ready to play and to execute his shot well. Tiger plays his game one shot at a time and he does this each day and every day, no matter the outcome or final result. Tiger gives his best effort into each and every shot until his day on the golf course is done. Even when he has a bad day, Tiger is always talking of learning from his setbacks and becoming stronger. In a very real sense, Tiger Woods is playing and strengthening his resolve to play one shot at a time….no matter if he wins or if he fails….he is continually strengthening his resolve to be in the moment and to keep moving forward.
A Final Word
So, if you are feeling as if the numbers on your scorecard are too high or you feel that you aren't as far along in your progress as you feel you should be, you need to adjust your focus and get started in a new direction. Understand that if you are falling short of your mark, merely remind yourself to stay patient and get into the next shot or the next hole with renewed focus and mental energy. Enjoy the ride, but along the way, relish the fact knowing that you are the one in charge of your own destiny. You can do this: One shot, one hole, each and every day. Do this over and over and over...until you get to where you want to go. Begin your journey today!
Dr. Robert K. Winters is a David Leadbetter Golf Academy sport psychologist
For more on golf instruction, visit DavidLeadbetter.com
