Golf's confidence crusher
I was invited to play at one of St Louis' premier golf venues last week. A good friend belongs to Bellerive Country Club and was gracious enough to invite me to join him for a morning round.
Bellerive is a long and lush tract scouted and designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1960. It has played host to many PGA events including the 1965 U.S. Open and the 1992 PGA Championship. The scheduled 2001 American Express Championship was cancelled abruptly due to the the unfortunate events of September 11th that year. The course has recently undergone a substantial year-long renovation in preparation for hosting the BMW Championship in September 2008. This awesome venue was the beginning of what was to become a perfect storm.
The early morning warm up on the range was brisk but comfortable. I worked my way from the mid-irons through an assortment of wedge shots. Then off to the gargantuan practice green where indeed all the dollars are won and lost. It was one of those incredible fall days when you find pleasure playing in trousers and long sleeves. I was nervously excited.
My member friend ordered up a caddy which I shared with my playing partner. Here's an intimidating guy who has a masterful knowledge of this freshly tuned-up layout including every preferred landing area and every break on every green from everywhere. And he's an excellent golfer in his own right. My nervous anxiety is building.
Did I mention my playing partners all carry low to mid single-digit handicaps? Can you feel where this is going? It had become a day I allowed myself every confidence crushing disadvantage. I literally psyched myself right out of the round. It was the first time in a long time I had reached that dejected golfer's self loathing "sub-human" level. I slithered out of the well-appointed clubhouse after some light banter over lunch wondering when, where and how my game had abandoned me so completely.
Later that evening I came across Mike Pedersen's fantastic blog entry, Simple ways to keep your golf stress-free. And as if a ton of bricks had been lifted, I felt like a new man with a new outlook as I devoured several other posts on mental golf. Sometimes slipping gently into the abyss provides the right opportunity for improvement. Thanks Mike.
noisemaker
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