The importance of balance in golf is undeniable.
Most of the time golfers are told, “stay balanced”, the advice is related to their swing.
However, when I talk about balance with our students at GGGA, the term balance rarely relates to their swing, but instead to their emotions and day-to-day life. Just like in the swing, when you lose emotional and personal balance, you lose at least some control of your golf game and mental game.
With the holiday season and new year quickly approaching, I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss gaining a balance in your own life – both on and off the course. This is an extremely important lesson in mental training and sport psychology.
For some of us this may mean, rebalancing our schedules by figuring out how to maximize practice time and effectively deal with the day-to-day challenges outside of golf. In short, it means practicing smarter and reprioritizing efforts.
One common complaint I hear this time of year is, “Life’s not fair, I don’t have enough time.”
But the truth is, time is one of the fairest things we have in life. Everyone has an equal amount of time – 24 hours in a day. Some golfers are just better at making every moment count. It’s no coincidence; these are typically the most successful and happiest golfers.
We teach our golfers at the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy to “put first things first” and “fully focus on the task at hand.” This is a very simple, yet very powerful, concept in sport psychology that can catapult your output and enjoyment this holiday season.
You may not have the time to practice the amount you want, but you can practice the way you want – by having a detailed plan and clear objective that motivates you. By doing this, you will bring a focused and determined mentality to your practice.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how much you can accomplish and the massive gains you will make.
Finally, take the time away from golf this holiday to foster appreciation and gratitude. Golf’s the greatest game of all time, but we sometimes fail to recognize this. The more you learn to appreciate your time away from golf, the more you will appreciate your time playing the game. We all have something to be grateful for, so take this holiday season to reflect on the positive aspects of your life and golf game.
With more balance in life, you will be surprised how much your game can improve over the next month.
Happy Holidays from your friends at GGGA.
