SIMPLE GOLF

Ever since teeing up that first golf ball with Mom and Dad at the age of eight, golf has been a patient life coach; and as the years have sped by, the sport continues to coach and counsel. Recent experiences have offered that if open and psychologically ready for the infinite messages, “simple” in golf and life can be discovered beyond sport and life’s complexities.

Christian D. Larson’s message is clear: we are reflections—thinking, personality, and character—of the language in which we live. (The Great Within) As Abel Leighton Allen contends, “Our todays are the result of our past thinking, our tomorrows the result of our present thinking. We have been our mental parents, and we shall be our own mental children.” How would Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru (www.johnedwindevore.com), use this taste of philosophy to improve the golf game?

• Search for a meditation coach and launch daily meditation. During ritual on every shot this will facilitate quieting the mind and offer a spiritual experience of becoming one with the environment, the club, the ball, and the target.
• Become aware, understand, work with, and trust the well-programmed subconscious mind to perform. A place to start is with an easy read of The Great Within: Unleashing the Power of Your Subconscious Mind (Christian D. Larson, 2012, Crowell). Larson offers, “While directing attention upon the subconscious, the idea that is to be impressed should be clearly discerned in mind and an effort should be made to feel the soul of that idea.” (3)
• Commit to an integral health, wellness, and wellbeing process. A nice beginning is with cardiovascular training; Yoga for Golfers (Katherine Roberts); and The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Golf, Third Edition (Sportsworkout.com). An interesting read and guide: Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening (Wilber, Patten, Leonard & Morelli, 2008, Boston, Massachusetts: Integral).
• Select a coach who is a good listener and will work with you to accomplish your golf goals, not his or hers. Good coach-student chemistry is a must.
• Have equipment that fits and feels good; and make sure those clubs sound good at impact.
• Immaculate set-up: grip, aim, POSTURE, and stance. As the body goes, so goes the mind; as the mind goes, so goes the body. Posture, posture, posture!
• Two putts per green maximum; hit the greens in regulation; and make ups and downs.
• Stay curious and open to learn from infinite sources about the integral, evolving individual, subjective inner game; the individual, objective outer game; the collective, subjective inner game; and the collective, objective outer game. For an introduction to the integral concept see Integral Life Practice: A 21^st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, pages 27-39.
• Play happy golf! Enjoy the journey as you create and participate in the evolution of consciousness and culture.

As Birdy offers, “Yes! We are thinking, personality, virtue, and character reflections of the language we live in. Let’s live in the language of the authentic self we desire, not the swing thoughts, chastisement, and whims of the monkey mind that keep us mired two shots from insanity.”