Release the golfing freedom you crave

Few would dispute the truth that it takes self-discipline to master something difficult, like the violin, or to win in competition, like TV’s Jeopardy, or to accomplish something important, even to make a legal living and maintain one’s health. So, it is in a sport like golf. It takes discipline to be able to play reasonably good golf, especially when we get older.

Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote 2,500 years ago that “through discipline comes freedom.” Aristotle understood that human beings are wired to seek ease, pleasure and the path of least resistance.

We have a tendency to become lazy and slothful. In sport and in life that very instinct restricts us. True freedom is being able to break free of our natural inclination and become who we are destined to be, and free to act in a way that is in alignment with our goals.

This brings us to the question, how does discipline in golf work? I believe it starts with the willingness to receive instruction in the proper golf swing and related golf fundamentals.

You may be able to figure out a Rubic’s Cube by yourself, but you ought not try to figure out a realistic golf swing by yourself. When it comes to actually playing the game of golf on the golf course, discipline becomes more obscure and complicated. Discipline in golf doesn’t come from trying to control outcomes or stay comfortable.

It comes from forming the habit of going through your pre-shot routine on every shot you hit, trusting your club and your aim, being in the present moment to commit to your play and enjoy the challenge while detaching from the results.

To get the most enjoyment and satisfaction from the game of golf means at least getting the golf ball airborne. That requires practice. People who don’t practice and then complain bitterly about how poorly they play have it all wrong. It would be like buying the aforementioned violin, trying to figure it out, and taking it back to the music store complaining that it doesn’t work.

If you want to see real discipline and dedication, just watch videos of golfers with physical handicaps play in “adaptive” golf tournaments. Golfers with one arm making birdies; blind golfers playing like pros; players missing both legs hitting while sitting in a cart. To my mind this is true love of the game and true grit.

One performance expert defines discipline as “remembering what it is you really want.” This is the time of year that many folks want to lose some weight for bathing suit season. But too often they become torn by the fact that it takes discipline to go to the gym four or five days a week to workout, and to step away from the dinner table after one serving.

Effort is demanded to remember what you really want. If you want to play better golf, think about going to the gym to get stronger and more fit.

Additionally, if you really want to take your game to the next level, you will need to develop a full array of mental skills that become habits to automatically all-but eliminate mental errors and lapses. Lack of discipline in your mental game will lead to frustration and erode your confidence. 

Among the mental discipline strategies is exercising self-control over your fears: know what you desire to happen, not what you are afraid of. Be in the moment and play the shot in front of you, not the mess-up on the previous hole. It takes discipline to grasp the ups and downs of your emotions and have the strengths and presence of mind to control them. 

The same goes with thinking. Dr. Bob Rotella has advised that when we start playing badly, we need the discipline to control our thoughts and think about how you want to play. He says, “Don’t play tight and scared.”