Sam Goulden Golf Blog

Today I played and practiced all day but just didn’t feel “it”.  I was standing on the practice tee wondering if maybe I should just go home and get some rest and hit it again tomorrow.  Nothing was clicking and I just felt like hanging it up for the day.  Something stopped me though.  I have this picture in my head of Tiger holding the US Open trophy after his win in 2008.  When I saw that picture it reminded me how much I wanted to be there.  I have such a vivid image of that trophy and want so badly to hold it some day.  That picture is what kept me on the tee.  Shortly after that picture was in my mind, I found my swing.  I started hitting shot after shot just like I imagined them.  I was hitting it so well that I had to go out and play just to see how far it was going.  I hit one of the longest drives of my life on the tenth tee.  Walking off 18 green, I realized what I had done.I went from wanting to call it quits to feeling on top of the world.  How did it happen?  I have this hunger to win.  This dream of being in contention on Sunday at the US Open and walking off the 18th with a win.  That dream drives me to stay on the practice tee.  It drives me to putt in 90* weather till I feel good about my stroke.  It drives me to hit balls till my fingers can’t do anything but form on the grip of a club.  If you ever want to achieve greatness in the game or in anything, you MUST have that hunger.  You must have that dream to keep you on the practice tee.  Find your dream, feed the hunger and achieve greatness! 

Sometimes I get caught up in the idea of where I’ll be in the future.  I think that my practice is going to lead me to my goal.  I think that if I work hard, I will be rewarded by achieving greatness.  Maybe we all get caught up in thinking about the future a little too much.  Yesterday I was hitting balls and toward the end of my practice session I was really striping it.  I kept thinking about how great it felt to hit the ball so well.  I wasn’t thinking about the next tournament or the next round, just trying to hit each shot perfect at that particular moment.  It felt like every shot was its own event.  I wanted to experience each moment and replicate it.  Just me and my clubs.  Nothing on the line.  No score, no expectations, no “make it or don’t make it”, just balls and clubs and shots.  I can’t think of anything that captures the soul more than taking that one moment and making it count.It doesn’t have to be in a US Open qualifying round or a Hooters Tour event, every shot every day can be as enjoyable as if it were to win a major.  What does that leave us when we hit it bad?  Just another ball to try and hit better the next time.  When you are out for your next round, just enjoy each shot.  Try to be present for each situation and try to experience each moment as just that; a moment to be experienced.  

In our lives, we are either on the track toward achieving our goals or we are off.  It often seems easy to let our path show itself:  to wait for opportunities to come our way.  This type of lifestyle was defined by “Dharma Bums” of the 60’s and 70’s.  Taking each day as it comes and making the most out of the current situation is fun and it can be rewarding in that we are always “living in the moment”.  But, if you could create your own fate, make your future, get on track and scream down the road to a goal, wouldn’t that be rewarding in a great way?There will be people in your life that seem to be on that track.  They set a goal and do all the right things to achieve it.  Others set a goal and do nothing.  Still some will set no goal.  The people you know who have achieved greatness in their lives have no doubt had a plan and stuck to it.  We are all moving as time goes on.  Wouldn’t you like to be moving ever closer to your goal with each passing second?  I know that I want that for myself and when I am around others that have that same desire it becomes almost expected.  If you have a goal, figure out what it’s going to take to get there and get on track.  You are your own engine screaming down the tracks of life.  Lets get that train going in the right direction. 

I’ve been fighting this battle lately in golf.  It is one that has plagued my golfing career and held me back from achieving my goals.  See, I tend to be a tortoise rather than a hare on the golf course and that keeps me from going for the green on a par five or aiming at the pin with a wedge in hand.  I tend to out-think myself and end up making the safe play.  It keeps me close to par but I rarely post a low number.  The best round of golf I have ever played was in a best ball format.  I played aggressively knowing that there was someone there to back me up.  I had five birdies and two eagles in 18 holes.  Your math doesn’t have to be that great to know that I would have posted a really low number that day.   Lately I have been fighting my instincts a bit.  I have the opportunity to play in some mini-tour events and am being really cautious about it.  Luckily, I have the support of a great friend who is unwilling to let me go at it in my typical manor.  I have always been inspired to do great things but have rarely put my back against the wall.  I have been careful to have a back up plan in case of failure and this back up plan has always been the outcome of my efforts.  This time I will make no such provision.  I will put everything on the line and bet it all on me.  I have put in the time and effort necessary and now is the time to put myself to the ultimate test.  Shall I fail, I will create a new plan.  But there is no back up plan this time.  It’s all or nothing.  Find something to love and put everything on the line for it.  I assure you that there is nothing that will take your breath away the way this commitment will.  Don’t let your actions define you. Make sure it is you who is defining your actions.  

Everyday we are here on this earth we have options.  We can walk or drive, drive or fly, even go or stay home.  When the situation arises, recognizing these options is the first step toward making a decision.Golfers everywhere are so concerned with the aesthetics and technical aspects of their swings that they may miss out on some of the most enjoyable decisions out there.  Hit a six iron from 100 yards because it’s the only way to get the ball close to the hole.  This is the case today because the greens are frozen and if I hit a wedge it’s going to bounce over the green.  Granted, I don’t hit many 100 yard six irons, but that’s what is fun about it.  I’m trying to do something that may or may not work out.  I pulled it left but hit it the perfect distance and was pleased to know that I could do it.  Last time I missed a green from 100 yards, I think being pleased was the farthest thing from my mind.Remember in golf and in life all we can do is assess the situation, make a decision, and then move on.  Let’s try to keep our eyes open for these interesting and fun options in golf and in life! 

A friend of mine was asking me what technique I use in teaching the other day.  He was more than surprised to hear me reply that I “don’t”.  He replied, “there must be some technique you use in helping people swing”.  Well, I answered, I guess I just have faith in the human technique. The idea is this:  If you have a plan or some sort of ultimate goal, you understand the simple laws of nature that are going to influence your action, and are capable of evaluating your results, you are capable of achieving that goal.   Ever throw a frisbee?  In high school my friends and I use to toss a frisbee around after lunch.  We actually got pretty good at it.  By noticing the different flights and discerning their cause, we made adjustments and began to actually control the thing really well.The goal of the golf swing is to propel an object toward a target.  Similar to basketball, baseball, bowling, tennis, football, soccer….. this list is very long!  Each sport uses different equipment from a club to a bat and even just a hand or foot.  The equipment is designed to work well in its arena.  It is also designed to fit a human being.  If we didn’t have fingers, the bowling ball would not have holes.  I use a club that looks very similar to yours.  Some minor physical characteristics customize my club to my level of play and desired result but for the most part, I have a handle, shaft, head, and face on my club and so do you.  Now how do I get better at using this club?  First I have to understand the physical characteristics of ball flight.  Why does it curve, go high or low, and start left and right?  Understand that and you are on your way to learning.  Just do, analyze, and make an adjustment based on your knowledge of the action.  If the frisbee seems to curve right when it flies at an angle, try throwing it horizontal or parallel to the ground.  Practice getting different results using different methods.  Use your own knowledge to try and determine what will happen if you change the set up a little.  Using this understanding of the swing and the flight of the ball, continue to practice hitting different shots.  This exercise will raise your awareness and make you more capable of controlling your ball, more capable of sending an object to a target.Pay attention to results!  Be aware!  Learn!