Mental Game Conversion Experience 😮

[mdl]

This is a long story partially just because I want to write it out. TLDR: played with my daughter the first time and feel like I'll never play golf with my old attitude and mental game ever. Def for the better enjoyment-wise. And almost def for the better performance-wise to boot!

I've long struggled with the mental game. I've improved a ton over the years. Up until last year I'd quit any yelling or throwing things and the worst internal/mental tantrums. But I've backslid a bit over the past year. I invested heavily in instruction and more structured practice for the first time in years. My swing improved significantly mechanically. My game definitely changed. And in ways that felt like moving towards a potential big step forward. But my consistency and scoring never really improved and I let it get me down.

Which leads to last week. Was in Hawaii with family for the holiday. Rich friend of the family got us guest rates at Kapalua (still spendy, but...). Played two rounds at the Plantation (which is f***ing awesome!).

And that 83 (+10) was with 38 putts including 5 three putts! I actually hit the putts pretty well. Just misread the speed badly a few times and a bunch of times either on my best approaches or after not terrible lag putts to 3-5 feet I under or over read the grain (which is intense there) and burned edges. If the greens were rye or bent like I'm used to that 83 would've been more like a 77-78.

What changed? On 11/24 I played my first "round" (7 supertwi holes at Ka'anapali Royal for those who know the area) with my 7yo daughter and family. Four adults and three kids playing together. Daughter and a cousin just hitting from 80-100 yards. Was the first time I ever experienced truly just being pumped and grateful to be out there caring zero about scoring. I picked up my ball a few times. Cared not at all about the one OB shot or number of sub-par ones. My daughter was pumped and all I cared about was enjoying that and trying to make it as fun as possible for her. Like the title says. It felt like a conversion experience. Even after just a couple holes I was thinking, why do I ever have a different attitude on the course?! And then I finished eagle-birdie

So I took that attitude to my next real round, at the Plantation. Started with a double. Literally didn't care! Was just grateful to be out there. Double-bogey-bogey stretch on 8-10 and double-bogey on 15-16 when I had a reasonable chance at sub-80 would've resulted previously in internal tantrum with attempted internal mantra cover up telling myself "next shot". And probably a scoring meltdown. Recovered from both to hit a ton more good shots and come in both having had way more fun and scoring well! I'm so pumped for my golf future!

Anyone else ever had a big mental turnaround?

[Zippo]

Welcome to the "Golf is Fun" club!

[mdl]

2 hours ago, Zippo said:

Welcome to the "Golf is Fun" club!

😁 I feel very slow for having just joined 🤙

[GolfLug]

You would make Ted Lasso proud.. "Be a goldfish..."