Sports teaches us many things if we identify what the learnings are. My introduction to golf happened when I was a kid; however, I did not harbor too much interest in the game. Perhaps if I had continued to pursue the game through my school and college years, maybe my life story would have been a little different. That being said, I found a new love for the game since the time I recently got acquainted with golf in the Middle East. I randomly found myself on the driving range with one of my friends in Doha, Qatar, who invited me to kill some time on a boring afternoon. Since then, it’s been almost 4-5 months since I’ve been heading to the driving range and trying to perfect my swing and technique.
I’m no pro or a regular golfer, but one of the biggest reasons I love the game is because it has a close analogy to life, and there are so many life lessons one can learn from the game. I’d like to share some thoughts of what I’ve learned from the game and how those learnings can be applied to life.
1. Gripping the golf club
One of the biggest and most important parts of the game is gripping the cub right. While there might be different grips people adapt to, the principal thing to note is to not grip the club too firmly. Many have put holding a golf club this way: holding the club as gentle as though you’re holding a bird and firm enough where it will not fly into the air. Gripping the club too firmly leads to weaker shots and those weak shots and also restricts club head rotation.
A soft grip helps release muscle tension in the hands and arms. In life, we are often of the mindset that the firmer we hold it, the better control we have over it. We sometimes get so tense about life and the future that we forget to live in the moment. This is when we start to grip our lives so firmly, thinking it’ll help us feel secure and in control. Stress and tension don’t allow us to think clearly. I would be careful to assume that by ‘gripping our lives’ and ‘holding it firmly’, we’ll achieve greater control of our lives, but rather what it does is create more tension and make us ‘hit some bad shots.’ You want to hit long and straight; have a soft grip. Think consciously of what grip you’re holding on to your life.
2. Posture and body balance
If you’re leaning too forward, then your spine angle changes, and that leads to a shot error. If you’re leaning backward, then you lose body balance and your shot is wayward. Neither results in a good clean shot. My question to you today is, What posture have we developed over the years that has become a habit? Even in the times of challenges and obstacles, can we keep a good posture and balance, or is it only in the good times, when life is good, that we keep a good attitude and a positive mindset? With a good mental posture towards life, we can bounce back strongly because of how we protected our posture during the challenging times. Our posture is in our hands. Protect it.
3. Head down and eyes on the ball.
This is probably one of the most important lessons that the sport has taught me. To hit the ball in the first place, you need to have your head down and eyes focused on the ball. The head doesn’t move one bit till after hitting the ball. The eyes and the head work together.
The head being down represents the humility one can strive for in life. While hitting the golf ball, many are tempted to move their head towards the target before even hitting the ball first. It happens. Consciously, every golfer has gone through this in the early stages of their development. However, it is with constant practice and habits that one learns to keep their head down and eyes focused. Keep your eyes focused on the task in front of you. It could be your job, business, tasks assigned to you, or even the relationship you’re in. Focus and don’t get ahead of yourself because that is the temptation. Keep your head down, and you’ll eventually see how far you’ve hit the ball. Let your life reflect humility, and you’ll see how far you’ve come in life.
4. Unlearn before learning.
To learn the good habits, you need to unlearn the bad ones first. Many times in the sport, golfers don’t take the path of coaching. They try figuring out the game by themselves. Because the margin of error is so small, any last minute changes in the swing, stance, grip, posture, etc. result in the ball going in a different direction than intended. To understand the root cause is that some habits developed become hard to unlearn later on as they progress. So what people advise is that right from the beginning, as you learn something, make sure you’re learning the good habits because that is what will carry you forward and make you grow in the game. Try to unlearn the old before learning the new. Let go of your old ways and start adopting new ways. Might be a little uncomfortable at first, but it’s worth it. You’ll see the difference.
“Keep the last shot behind you and focus on the next shot before you.”
Jonathan Stephen
5. Hitting a bad shot is normal.
My uncle once told me that in golf, bad shots are going to happen. But you gotta focus on the next shot and put the bad shot behind you. If you continue to carry the thoughts of the bad shot and where your ball is, your mind starts to overthink, jeopardizing the chances of a good shot in your next attempt. In a game, you can hit a really bad first shot into another fairway, which can happen even to the pros. However, if you can get the next few shots on the green and make it a par, then that’s what matters. Keep the last shot behind you and focus on the next shot before you. You can’t undo the last shot; it’s not a virtual game that you can restart and begin again. Accept where your position in life is, keep what has happened behind you, and focus on what you can do in front of you. Be forward-focused and not a past dweller.
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