I was recently watching an episode of the Big Break Prince Edward Island. Eugene, Gerina, and Derek were in the elimination round. Eugene hit a bad shot and began berating himself:

“That was terrible!”

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“I’m so stupid!”

“This is just ridiculous!”

I’ve forgotten all that he said but you get the idea. His comments did nothing to help the situation. He just hit one bad shot after another. Some of his shots weren’t as horrible as he was making them out to be.

His fellow competitors didn’t even care to stand near him although I believe they are forced to stand together for certain camera shots. I’m sure they were tempted to ask him to keep his comments to himself except for fear that he may explode.

Just when Eugene thought he was completely out of the competition, his fellow competitor, Gerina, fluffs one out of the sand and leaves the ball way short of the hole. Eugene wasn’t ready to capitalize on the situation because he had convinced himself that he was finished.

As I watched the episode of The Big Break, it became clear that Eugene’s poor shots had snowballed on him as a result of his negative attitude. I could relate to his situation because I’ve done the same thing. I’ve hit a poor shot and said similar judgmental things about myself and my abilities on the golf course. I often pepper my comments with obscenities as there are no tv cameras present. I can’t really recall a time when such commentary helped my game. It often resulted in successive poor shots.

On the other hand, I’ve played my best golf when I was not judgmental about my playing. Often my best rounds are accompanied by some song that’s been caught in my mind that I can’t shake. I’ll hear that song in my head throughout the entire round. Apparently, that’s all that is necessary to fill up my mind and keep negative thoughts out.

It’s only natural to get a little down on ourselves on the golf course; however, have your moment and then move on. Or better yet, accept the fact that not every shot is going to come off as intended. They say that football cornerbacks have to have a poor memory. If they dwell on the fact that they got burned on the last play, they are only going to get burned again. If your last shot didn’t turn out as intended, don’t dwell on it. When you address the ball for your next shot, it should already be out of your mind.

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