|
|
"Ain't No Sunshine..."
Amen, fellow passengers on Spaceship Earth, 'tis the case for many right now.
And in these challenging times (like a tough test out in the golf park) and even just prior, we've lost some great artists to the next dimension. Artists who soothe our ears, hearts, and souls. Artists who touch our ever-so-powerful (and vastly underestimated) emotions. Artists who paint their pictures with sounds, beats and lyrics unique to them - just as your golf swing is unique to you.
Notice I use the present tense above, for these artists' works shall be with us forever. They have left us remnants - entire bodies of work - to inspire, motivate, englighten.
And you? In your oh-so limited days in this go 'round? Living to leave a legacy of meaningfulness, or existing to leverage the generous ones out there, fatten your bank account and stroke your fragile ego? Just askin'...
We shall all 'come & go,' and grieving is such a healthy and essential part of any healing process. But let us then take a step back, and heed the wise words of one very righteous doctor - Dr. Seuss:
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Click away then on the tastes of the legends to follow... A tidbit of the lyrics at each and every stop, to help guide you down the fairways of the golf park, and those of our daily doings.
The soul man who walked away
R.I.P. Bill Withers
Fantastic read on Withers above, please take the time (do you suddenly have more right now? Haven't you always made time for the people, and things most important to you?) to peruse. From a guy in his thirties with a job and a lunch pail to....
"Wonder this time where she's gone
Wonder if she's gone to stay "
'She' for early April 2020 could very well be interpreted as 'normal' pre-COVID times for us all. Where'd it go so suddenly, and did you appreciate it when you were bathing in it?
Much like a round of golf going along smoothly, then something slips away unexpectedly. You ready? Prepared mentally, physically and emotionally? Do you have a 'first responder' within you? That part of self who comes to the rescue for others, and yourself, in times of need? I think so; why not get to know that Superman, or Superwoman?
Oh, and just how much longer is this radical change to our lifestyles going to last..?? The wrath of uncertainty... Are the good 'ole days 'gone to stay?' I too, wonder; so many things - like where the golf ball comes to rest after a swing - are not 100% in your control.
So, do your best with strong intention, let the chips fall as they may, and embrace the challenge. That sunshine ain't so far away...
"Just What I Needed"
R.I.P. Ric Ocasek
Lemme guess: you didn't need this nasty little bug to show up and infect not only loved ones, but our beloved economy. I understand.
However, like with a tough lesson learned on the links (the ones best learned), perhaps a silver lining is present in our current circumstances. Is this "just what we needed?" Has complacency, gluttony and greed finally been officially confronted?
"It's not the perfume that you wear
It's not the ribbons in your hair
And I don't mind you comin' here
And wastin' all my time"
Fascinating! Didn't realize Ric and crew were speaking and singing to the 'hipster' golf instructor crowd that permeates all that is SM, and the Interwebs...
- Celebrity over substance
- Pretty faces and smooth talk over legit content
- 'Comin to us incessantly, and alas, often 'wastin' all our time'
I guess I missed the memo (I was actually out helping a human golfer in need on the lesson tee, or golf course...) stating the more you post, the better. Never mind about quality of content, just do more, whilst looking good, and sounding smart.
What bug wouldn't want to attack such a reality?
"It's All I Can Do"
Is it? You doing all you can do for your golf - and more importantly - for those currently in need right now?
Have you taken a good, hard look at your golf game? Why, and where, you lose strokes? Legit stats help this cause greatly, and are included in my Remote Coaching program.
And what about the physical, mental and emotional aspects to playing better golf, and enjoying the overall experience. I have the experience and insight to guide you here as well...
In the meantime, click above on our oh-so enchanted driver.
"One too many times I twisted the gate
When I was crazy I thought you were great
I kept my renditions of you on the wall
Where holiday romance is nothing at all"
What proverbial 'gate' have you twisted (same thing, time and time again...) in your golf swing, game, and even life? I can only wonder. And are you crazy enough, in these incredibly wacky times, to actually believe some of the nonsense (on the 'revered' Interwebs and SM, of course) being slung your way re golf swing, and virus combatants? Think they are 'great,' do you? Is that why they are free, without any idea of your personal golfing history, and based in pseudo-science? Alas, then - they are probably worth it...
Ah... the renditions of someone else's golf swing on your wall, or blue-lit screen, perhaps even one of the supermen that play on the PGA Tour. You go ahead and try and imitate, emulate, and replicate that move; I'll see you in the ER (if there is space available).
Instead, discover a motion that works for you, your restrictions, and your gifts. I can help...
"The Gambler"
R.I.P. Kenny Rogers
You know things are bad when even the casinos in Vegas are shut down... But they too shall re-open - and like with your golf game & daily doings - some downtime can be incredibly beneficial. Time to take a step back. Time to re-evaluate. To for some existential ponderings.
Like with your precious practice time, make certain it's efficient, fun & fruitful. Don't know how? Click below for some ideas from my Train2Trust program, vetted in science, experience and insight (how's that for a cocktail at your golfing table?).
"And the night got deathly quiet
And his faced lost all expression
He said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right"
Amen. Amen on steroids, actually. Guess where you cannot learn to play the game 'right?'
It's Wednesday, kids - time again for a CS Pop Quiz!!!
Multiple choice, of course, so as not make it too terribly difficult (is your practice too easy - then things don't go so well on the course? Time to introduce some desired difficulties, please)?
- You cannot learn to play the game 'right:'
A. In an indoor simulator
B. Hitting golf balls off of perfect lies all the time
C. In situations void of consequence
D. Without accurate, competent and constructive feedback
E. All of the above
The fellow pictured just north played the game 'right' - arguably the finest gambler the game of golf has ever seen. I'd fathom he wouldn't have been interested in your inferior practice habits, or excuses.
A Nike Golf polo for the first three readers to answer the CS Pop Quiz query successfully and name the player above. Guess wrong - and you owe yours truly a twinkie ($20); wanna play..??
Click on the black & white of this shark of the links to view your potential prize...
"F," BTW, was not an option in the quiz, was it now? 'Cause if it had been, and you'd selected it - you would have been wrong on the answer - but spot on in one aspect in regards to learning to play the game 'right,' boys and girls:
F: On occasion, go play for more $ than you are comfortable losing.
The gambler would.
"Limelight"
R.I.P. Neil Peart
How dare you click above without first raising the volume on your device...
"Start a new chapter
Find what I'm after"
You? Stuck in a rut of sorts, with your golf, and life? Is it not time for a new chapter? You, after all, are the author of this story - your story. Time to find what you are after? Lower scores? Hitting it further? More overall enjoyment? No time like the present...
"Clear head, new life ahead
It's time I was king now, not just one more pawn"
Indeed. A 'new' life ahead for us all, when the dust settles from current days. It's time you stopped playing the pawn (dressed in a red jumpsuit like our moving minions on the album cover above?) in your golf coach-student relationship, and became king, or queen.
You are the hero in that story, friends, not the lesson-giver. It's your limelight, not someone else's, who may very well be spending more energy on their SM accounts, than helping you with your golf.
An authentic golf guide's goal is to empower you to self coach - to become the master (king, queen, whatever..) of your own swing, and game. To 'know thyself' as a golfer (and human being), your tendencies, your favorite mistakes, your perfect imperfections.
"Tom Sawyer"
"A modern-day warrior
Mean, mean stride"
Living in a world in such desperate need of kindness, compassion and empathy - there remains no place for such demeanor in a competitive round of golf. Sorry.
Walk onto that first tee, and the rest of that golf course, like you mean business:
'A modern-day warrior with a mean, mean stride'
Sure, stay respectful of your playing partners, but when you are playing for keeps (like our trio above), "Mr. Nice Guy" is going to get stepped on, time and time again. Play like you mean it. Play like the meaningful modern-day warriors known as health care professionals. Stand tall and proud, walk with integrity, intention, and a 'mean, mean stride.'
"He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is"
So does he (above) - legendary coach & guide, John Wooden:
"Change is not fatal, but failure to change might be"
The times we are experiencing in present day are not permanent, nothing is (it's where suffering begins..). Like a pesky bogey train that at times appears to be never-ending, shift is inevitable. Flux - like from day to day in your golf swing, and game. Go ahead and fight it (a useless battle if there ever was one..), or acknowledge, embrace and adjust. Your choice.
"The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep"
The depth for your love of the game (so, why not act to improve?) and the burdensome question brewing in all of our consciousnesses: human life vs. global economy.
Deep stuff, fo shu. Don't be afraid to go there - the land of vulnerability. You think it's a 'weak' place to be - I say it's where growth happens, on and off the links.
My sincere apologies to the recently passed artists I missed here...
My remote coaching programs in current offering, are not to be missed:
Swing technique video review via CoachNow, + stat monitoring with Anova.Golf. Either or...
Regular connection, feedback, and live conversation.
The development of an optimal practice regime for you, your needs, and your schedule. Ideas and referrals in the equipment domain - those sticks in your bag, and your physical body. Science and experienced-based help and direction in achieving higher mental acuity on the course. A competent, comprehensive and on-going loop for learning, regardless of where you are on the planet.
Click on logo above for details. Of interest? You know where to find me:
CSmith@EugeneCountryClub.com
Christopher@ChristopherSmithGolf.com
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
-- Dr. Seuss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
