Positive Reframing for Better Golf Performance

Two stories have got me thinking about the power of positive framing for better golf performance and the increased enjoyment of this wonderful game. In NLP terms this is called Reframing.n
I was talking to an old golfing friend of mine about his round of golf. I'd like to stress that he's not a client and just isn't interested in talking to me about golf psychology - he's still a good friend, though. Anyway, he was moaning about the condition of the course that day and how on every shot he just seemed to have a worse lie than he expected. If he was on the edge of the fairway, the ball was nestling against the edge of the rough. If he was in the bunker, it hadn't been raked properly. If he was on the green, there was always a pitch mark just in front of his ball. He just went on and on about his bad luck and how bad he felt about it. And he wished he hadn't played at all that day. I wasn't surprised to hear that he'd had a bad round and hadn't enjoyed himself and the company of his golfing friendsn
Earlier that day, I'd heard a story about a famous professional golfer that put my friend's experience into sharp contrast. Now I don't know if you are aware that one of the US golf networks is experimenting with equipping caddies in PGA tournaments with microphones. The idea is that we can better hear the exchanges between caddie and player. This certainly sounds interesting and could well provide some support for the ideas about having "Your Own Virtual Caddy."n
So coming back to the story, apparently the professional had been having an "unlucky" day, just missing fairways and greens and bouncing into bunkers - the sort of experience that would have driven many of us, including my friend above, to distraction. Anyway here's what Justin was heard to say to his caddie, "you know, this lie's not at all bad, look at that rough over there that I could have been in, it's much worse." The whole way round, he turned his perception of bad luck into good luck and got on with the job. Now I don't know if he enjoyed himself, but I do know he scored well that day and I wouldn't mind betting he enjoyed overcoming the "rub of the gree " that day. I'm sure that he felt better after his round than my friend did.n
Next time you get a bad lie on the golf course, remember to reframe it positively. Think how much worse it could have been and the shot you have to play won't seem so difficult. You may find you enjoy your golf more as well.