First
Aid
Are You Having Fun?
It's not just the game, but all that
surrounds you during play
by
Dr. Gary Wiren,
PGA Master Instructor
One feature that is quite popular in mass circulation
magazines these days is the self-rating quiz. In keeping with the
trend, here is a quiz you can take for golf, albeit it's short-only
one question:
Describe your feelings after most rounds of
golf:
A. Thoroughly
enjoyed the people, the game, my surroundings and the
exercise.
B. Played pretty well. Most
of my game was okay, but have to score better.
C. Just another round of
golf. Shot my handicap with my regular group.
D. Didn't play well;
couldn't seem to do anything right; was still discouraged
when I got home.
E. Became angry and upset
with my lousy performance; threw a club, and am thinking
about quitting the stupid game.
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If you can't answer "A" most of the time, then you
ought to take another look at your playing habits. All the answers
other than "A" leave something to be desired. Answering "B" shows a
tendency that may last a whole golf career - being preoccupied with
performance in the score card, yet never quite satisfied. You can
almost hear a whining tone of voice in the answer. A "C" answer is
probably the most common. It comes from the player who is in a rut -
same course, same game, same guys, same routine. It's like brushing
your teeth: just a habit. The "D" answer person takes it quite
seriously, too much so. His mood for several days is dictated by his
last 18 hole score on the links. "E" is crazy, senseless, fruitless,
immature, nonproductive and certainly not enjoyable; yet a lot of
people put themselves through this experience on a regular basis and
call it golf.
The winning answer, of course, is "A." It shows an
appreciation for many of the positive factors that can be found in a
round of golf that are exclusive of the score. Personally, I've
developed a stock answer for anyone who inquires about my score after
a round. When asked how I played, my answer is, "Terrific!" It makes
the questioner feel good because he or she is used to hearing
negative comments, and it also makes me feel better... even if I've
shot 100. I want to be positive because I know there is a need to
protect our golf egos if we wish to play well. So I forget about bad
rounds as quickly as possible, and "Terrific!" helps.
Golf is a simple game: knock a ball from here to
there with a stick and hole it out. Simple, yes; but not easy. It
just looks easy, particularly on television when one watches the
greatest players in the world hit incredible shots in routine
fashion. When the show leaves the air what happens? The golfing
viewers flock to the course immediately after switching off the set.
They have spent two hours watching professionals who have practiced
exhaustively since they were in grade school, who have had the best
teachers in the world, play with the best equipment, compete three
out of every four weeks during the year, and for whom par is a bad
round. In comparison, the TV viewer is lucky to squeeze in two games
a week, practices infrequently, takes too much of his instruction
from magazines, and uses clubs that are not matched to his
swing.
Yet somehow, this golfer expects to perform like
what he saw on TV. How much healthier and enjoyable it is to have a
sensible
Gary Wiren is a PGA Master Instructor and a Ph.D.
He operates "Golf Around the World" in Lake Park, Florida. The
company conducts golf seminars, schools and personal visits, and
sells golf teaching aids, books and videotapes. Call 561-625-1928 or
800-824-4279 for information.
Garyw@floridagolfing.com
