Saturday, July 23, 2011

In the Moment

Who really knows what was happening to Rory when he blew a large lead in the major, prior to the US Open.

My guess would be that he stopped playing in the moment, when a golfer gets ahead of himself/ herself and the mental part of the game gets weaker. You cannot think about past shots or of things to come.


You have to stay in the moment.

The only thing I can compare this to in my own life was getting my teaching card.

On Day 1 of the playing ability test, where you are required to shoot low scores or fail to get your card, I was six holes into the round and had not made any mistakes. My drive was the longest in my group and in the middle of the fairway, with a short shot to the green. While I was waiting on the others to hit up to the green, this wave of emotion came over me I am playing good, I don't play this good, I know that something will go wrong. My heart was pounding and short of breath I was walking around trying to compose myself bit was not working, now it was my turn shaking I hit the ball onto the green and 2 putted for my par.

The next hole was a par 5 and I was first to go on the tee box still shaken by what was going, I hit my tee shot and it went into the woods at that moment all the presser disappeared, as if I was waiting to make a mistake! I went into the woods now feeling normal again and found my ball. I had an opening through the woods I could hit a low draw 200 yards short of the water and be ok! I hit it just like I saw it in my mind and got up and down for par.

I went on to shoot the lowest round of the day! And the second day too; and the lowest  total for the tournament to win and get my teaching card.  All that to say; after that emotional experience I played 1 shot at a time; not looking back, or forward.  Even if I hit a bad shot, I would recover with good management of the course and my emotions.

I believe Roy's emotion got to him in the Masters and he never recovered from that day.

But in the US Open he took that lesson with great playing ability and went all the way.

Well done Rory!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

How did he DO It?

Hi there, Kelly posting today on Workin' Swing Shift! Here's a post I wrote after Rory McIlroy recently won the US Open last month! Being curious by nature, I really wanted to know:
HOW DID he, a 22 year old, DO it? Read, and be inspired! Take away something to help your game!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Life on the links!

Can GOLF expose Character?

The game of golf is a game of decision making. After playing the game for many years, I have realized most who play forget this.

Our decision making comes from experiences in real life situations and how we have dealt with them in the past. A example would be drinking a hot cup of cocoa.  When you were a child,  when you took to  a sip, you learned it would burn your mouth, and ever since then you began taking small sips to prevent burning yourself.  When you had your first interview for a job, and blew it for lack of experience and confindence, you made adjustments over time and got better at interviews. 

Later in life that big chance for the job you always wanted came along and you blew it because of the different levelof  the playing field. Your lack of confidence is exposed; this is where we learn to trust.


The First Tee Box is where the game begins.  Most of the time this is a par four, that gives you four shots from tee to green to get the ball in the hole. Trust and decision making begins here.  The normal  par four you will hit your driver; your longest club, and then shorter clubs until you reach the hole.The mind has to trust that all the practice and physical preparation will produce the proper shot. Because over time what seems like the right shot did not always produce the proper outcome.   Doubt has slipped into your mind and can cause the body to fail to execute the proper swing.   As in the failed  interview later in life, you had the experience and talent but just lacked the confidence at a higher level to produce the right outcome.

So you hit a wayward tee shot; now you have a decision to make.  You have a bad lie and can't reach the green in 2 to make par.  The smart shot is to lay up at a good yardage in the fairway and give yourself a chance to1 putt for par.  Or, at worst make bogie, taking double bogie out of play.


Getting the ball on in two would almost guarantee par; now your mind starts to get creative and you start seeing things you might be able to do to get the ball on the green in 2. Open the club face so you can hit a slice around the trees over the water and onto the green! Not a good decision; if you hit the tree, you could go out of bounds and incur a penalty stroke or go into the water and have a penlaty stroke ( if you were that good you would not have been in the position you're in.)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick!   You try to cut the ball around the trees and go in the water.  Now your confidence level is dropping and your inner adult is scraming, "I SHOULD HAVE LAYED UP!",  now I have to hit a great shot over the water to make double bogie.  Your muscles are tightening up, your mind is all over the place. "Just don't hit it in the water again!"  You swing - in the water it goes again.   Humiliated, you still have the same shot and you know your round for a low scoring game is over.


Smart decision making is important even after it seems all is lost.  Iif we can take control of our emotions, and start making good decisions, from that point on we can recover from anything; a poor interveiw or a poor golf shot.  When your confidence level is low its hard to make good decisions.  We have to learn to play the game inside of our own ablity;  trusting in what we have learned up to this point.


Taking risks is not always wrong but we have to calculate risks in order to make sure they are worth it, and that we can recover.  No risk no reward. To get on a par five in 2 shots is a great reward; always requiring a long second shot to the green.  The longer clubs are harder to control from the fairway, and will require all the confidence you have. Minimize your risk by aiming at a spot around the green, that if you push or pull the ball you don't get into trouble (this is called the bail out zone.)   Honing our judgement skills on the course and in life will help us when taking risk, look for safe landing places.

When I see people defying these principles on the golf course, I would bet that is the way they handle adversity in the real world.  I have personally noticed the weaknesses and the strengths I have show up on the golf course.  I have found that in my relationship with God, and my understanding of His Word, those defects in my thinking and actions show up on the golf course.   I have to make a conscious desision to change the things that disable me. When I make the adjistment needed I see good results in other areas of life.



Golf has been a good sounding board for me to weigh out the important things in my character that need change. When I see someone throwing clubs, screaming obscenities, it makes me wonder what his home life looks like; his relationships at work and at home.   I would bet they are the same .

"If we are ever in doubt about what to do, it is a good rule to ask ourselves what we shall wish on the morrow that we had done."  author unknown 

Why I Love My Husband by Kelly Taylor

Why I love My Husband
By Kelly Taylor

Because you gave me the MOST beautiful little girl


Who really has great potential
GOLF
and otherwise.  
 Look at that STANCE!!!!!


Because you are 
REALLY funny, and
I need
that
 in my life....



You work really hard, 
even when it's hot
and you're tired and sore
and maybe your knees, 
or shoulder
or back hurts.
And, you never 
give up.
Ever.


You gave  your beloved Green Pickle
the Harley up
Because 
we just 
worried 
about
you
and that 
Eddie Jordan
and the rest of your life
for your little girl
when you rode that thing......



You have a soft heart 
for your doggies, 
and I love that.....

You built me
a chicken coop
even 
though it was 
hot


and built it with our daughter.........
the Junior Architect.....


and you are 
willing 
to take chances
and
long trips
across
time zones 
on exotic adventures 
with me
the Rambling Girl
                                                                                                         
but most of all......because 
you love me
through 
thick
and
thin
all these 16 years...


but even more than that, you love
God 
with all
your heart
 and soul 
and mind
and strength 
and you seek 
always
to love your 
neighbor 
as yourself.

I love You!

Happy Anniversary, Honey!
with love
your Wife


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

That time of year!

It's time for the MCF annual report again good luck my friends!!!!