Tag Archives: practice
As a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point; and proud member of the Long Gray Line, the memory is etched with passing in review on The Plain for General of the Army Douglas MacArthur; watching him during football games at Michie Stadium; and hearing him deliver his farewell address to The Corps of Cadets in Thayer Hall on May 12, 1962. On this historic day, he remarked,
They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, nor to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion for those who fail; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
And more of his wisdom unfolded in the context of Army Black Knights football,
Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and other places bear the fruits of victory.
How can golf be therapy? Golf is a playground of friendly physical and mental challenges-strife-where reflective and felt messages await the perceptive golfer on every tee, fairway and green while in nature’s office. As golfer’s our only requirement is to embrace our chosen sport as both a game and a practice. Just as we need to prepare our club and body mechanics, we need to prepare our mental skills: deliberately going to the breath, quieting the mind, connecting with the target and trusting the subconscious to deliver a club through the golf ball to the awaiting target.
My experience is that when I play golf, it offers, as the situation dictates, the opportunity to either deliberately choose to play the game or deliberately focus on the reflections of the moment: what is going on here? There are infinite messages available; and the necessity is to be ready to receive them. My personal learnings have uncovered anger, fear, irritation, delusion, jealousy, envy, joy, happiness, ah-ha moments and countless other reflections. The amazing experience is that the self-awareness, reactions and priceless response seeds, uncovered on the golf course, have historically shown-up, and will continue to show-up, in other areas of my life, too.
The suggestion is that golf can be therapy if one chooses to have it be a game and a practice where we can learn skills that help us accept and master ourselves and model the way as a person, in relationships and when helping others. This undertaking is a fascinating and rewarding challenge and can remind us “to be modest so that (we) will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, (and) the meekness of true strength.” If you are up for the golf as therapy challenge, the next time you are standing on the first tee, take the time to ask the question: What is going on here? Just stand and listen to what the “inner roommate” has to offer today. If your “inner roommate” is anything like mine, it will have a great deal to say!
Why write Golfer’s Palette?
In the summer of 2004 Doug, my son, with his very competitive spirit, expressed his desire to learn to play golf. Having played golf since I was seven years old, it felt like it would be feasible to help Doug start to learn the game of golf. We started with a first lesson at Indian Tree Golf Course, Arvada, Colorado. Doug’s interest sparked an interest in wife, Cindy, to learn the game, too. Together, Cindy and I we took lessons from Tom Thorne at Indian Tree Golf Course. Very soon, the three of us were frequently playing together. Because Doug started to beat me, I decided to hone my skills by working with seven different GolfTEC instructors, year-round, for five years.
Following a divorce and a tumbling economy that caused his construction business to experience financial difficulty, Doug decided in 2006 to change careers, move to Arizona and attend the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Following graduation Doug went to work for Bourget’s, a custom motorcycle manufacturer. The economy was not kind to this business either; and Doug took his Harley Davidson mechanics training and went to work for Hacienda Harley, Scottsdale, Arizona. Again, a faltering economy took its toll on this business.
In the winter of 2008, Doug called from Phoenix, Arizona and said, “Dad, I am thinking about a career change and attending the Golf Academy of America.” My immediate response was, “Why don’t I come to Arizona and attend the Golf Academy of America with you?” We chatted about it for a few minutes; and the decision was made. In January 2009, it was off to Chandler, Arizona and 14 months living with Doug in an apartment adjacent to the second green on San Marcos Resort Golf Course. Golf Academy of America student life was exciting; playing weekly tournament golf was challenging; and studying the business of golf management was fun. Doug and I graduated in April 2010; and in early 2013 I returned to the Golf Academy of America to study Advanced Teaching.
Having been immersed in the Naropa University contemplative environment for three years, coupled with the training and practice of meditation, the very focused Golf Academy of America golf technical skills training and practice offered a fantastic opportunity to evolve a personal bridge between body-mind mastery skills and the technical skills associated with moving a golf club through the ball to a target. The genesis for Golfer’s Palette was the collection of reflection papers created during the 20 months of learning, practicing and experiencing the art and science of golf. Coupled with having played golf for some 68 years, the unique, central message in Golfer’s Palette is that uncovering and unleashing the artist within really works for golf and everything we choose to do. The formula is simple: go to the breath, quiet the mind and connect, in-the-moment, with things that make a real difference in our intended quality of life.