The ART in FIRE

Private Lessons

by
Darrell Klassen

We have been talking a bit about how pressure affects us in the game of golf. Tension is definitely the automatic “destroyer” of the golf swing, and pressure is the cause of the tension. Therefore it is the pressure we must come to understand and to eliminate in our golf game.

How would you suppose we are to do this successfully? Actually, it is quite a simple thing to accomplish. The secret is to learn how to make the shot or the entire round itself less important.

When things in life become too important to us we place ourselves under a great amount of pressure. People have a natural desire to be accepted by the “in” crowd, so suddenly there is a lot of pressure to dress a certain way, to say the politically correct things, or to perform to certain standards. Pressure, pressure, and more pressure.

Life doesn’t seem like it could be much fun when we are required to always please someone else. At most country clubs, as an example, one is not allowed to play golf in jeans. I have looked at this for over forty-five years as a golf professional, and I still cannot figure for the life of me what wearing jeans has to do with playing good golf.

Wearing jeans on the golf course is frowned upon by certain groups of people, because when doing so you do not fit “their image” of a golfer. I have never been the professional at a country club, partly because I do not think jeans either make or break the deal. I want to know the person who lives in those jeans.

We wear $300 shoes and carry a Titleist or Calloway bag so we can LOOK like a player. It is all a part of the pressure cooker into which we place ourselves.

Where in the world is this all headed? Well, enough for the jeans issue. The real issue is that we let others put pressure on us to be what they think we should be. For instance, I have a gentleman who comes to me for lessons from Hong Kong every two or three years. The man is worth billions of dollars. That is correct, I did say the “B” word.

This man could buy half of the world, and he is concerned how he looks playing golf. He puts tremendous pressure on himself to play good golf, when he is so busy in his business he would be lucky to find one hour to practice per month.

On the driving range he does quite adequately, but when he goes to the course he turns into dog meat. He places pressure on himself to look good out there.

I told him once that everyone who knew who he was actually wanted to be in his shoes. They are envious of all of his wealth. Do you actually think they care how he hits a golf ball? NO! Yet he feels the pressure to play to his wealth or status.

I know all of this sounds a bit far fetched, but it is nothing of the sort. Why can’t golfers just tee it up and have some fun. Who cares what you shoot? The club champion at most clubs and courses are “the guys” to know and to be like. Yet, they couldn’t hold a candle to the average tour player.

There is always someone who is better than you are at the game of golf, so why not learn to turn it all loose and just have some fun out there. When you start to do this you will see some very interesting things begin to show up which you will like very much.

You will be more relaxed. You will not care whether or not your win the bet. You will probably thus start to play for less money. All of this adds up to getting out of the pressure cooker, and it all begins with your ability to eliminate the importance of the round, shot, or the game.

Try it, and you will begin to like it.