How I Improved My Golf Game

Most anyone who takes up the game of golf likes to receive tips from experienced golfers. This makes good sense, and can shave some time off your learning curve. I personally can listen to them for hours at a time. I like hearing about and trying out new techniques to see if it improves my own personal game. I tried out and added many things to my game, and after years of staying average, I realized that there was one main ingredient that was necessary for success.

I realized this only after years of trying this, and trying that, and trial and error learning. Gaining experience along the way, I took advice from many more experienced players. I even paid for some personal training from a professional I befriended. But I still was lacking something that would get me where I felt right about my game.

The feeling of lacking something began to take me over. I tried to put my finger on it, but my mind could not come up with what it was. I entered a lot of different tournaments, and in some showed well, and in others tanked out. My game seemed to be stuck where it was. An understanding friend loaned his best golf instruction book to me, and I eagerly read it through and added some of the strategies to my game. I still had that lacking feeling.

I was searching for something that would give me an edge. An extra vein of confidence that I seemed to be missing. I could not put my finger on what I was looking for, but I knew if I could find it, I would be a much better golfer than I was at that time. I worked hard at improving my game with what I knew. I played often, and tried to play courses that were very challenging.

I had to face the fact that maybe my game was just as good as it would ever be. I had ups and downs and began to feel really stale and losing heart. My level of skill was flat and I had no ideas how to improve. I would stay awake at night with that gut-wrenching feeling, and wonder why I felt I was so close, but could never find it. But it never showed, and I thought I was stuck where I was.

Days went by, tournaments came and went, and my game averaged out about the same. I decided to try to stop thinking about it so much. To get it out of my head. Just let it go. Then I was some kids playing on the sidewalk, and it hit me. I knew instantly it was the missing key I had been searching for. It was so simple, but so powerful.

While I was watching, the kids were digging around in their yard, and found a pretty little blue marble. They all smiled and wanted to hold it. And as they passed it around, each one closed their hand around it and made a wish. That was it! Since we were children, we have all believed in having a good luck charm. Before I teed off in the tournament the next day, I put my rhodium plated wedding ring to my lips and kissed it. I golfed the best game of my career. Simple, and yet very powerful. Belief was the missing ingredient.