The Golf Mind Games

Golfers often say they're rolling the rock on the green, rather than rolling the ball. Don't ask me why. I suspect it has to do with the difficulty of rolling a hard, irregular object that can hurt you. Or maybe rock and roll just go together.

No other part of golf induces as much heartache and conversation as putting. Many fine strikers of the ball have literally been driven from the sport because they couldn't finish holes as well as they started them. Why? Because putting messes with your internal organs. Every putt has only two possibilities: You either miss it or hole it. Accept that and you won't have nightmares about the ones that "should" have gone in.

In putting, visualization is everything. You can visualize in two ways: Either you see the hole as very small, or so big that any fool can drop the ball in. The former, of course, is infinitely more damaging to your psyche. When you imagine that the hole shrinks, the ball doesn't seem to fit. You can keep telling yourself that the ball is 1.68 inches in diameter and the hole 4.25 inches across, but the fact remains that the ball is too big. I know; I've been there. It just won't fit. It won't fit no matter what I do. When I start thinking that way, I usually seek psychiatric care and surround myself with pastel colors.

And on other days, happily, the hole is so big that putting is like stroking a marble into the Grand Canyon. Simply hit the ball, and boom, it goes in. When this happens to you, savor every moment. Drink in the feeling and bathe in it so that you don't forget it — because you may not take another bath like that for a long time.

The crazy thing is that these two scenarios can occur on consecutive days, sometimes even in consecutive rounds. I've even experienced both feelings on consecutive holes! Why? I have no idea. The answer is way beyond my feeble intellect. Try not to think too deeply about putting.

Be aware that if any aspect of this often-infuriating game were ever designed to drive you to distraction, it's putting. Putting may look simple — and sometimes it is — but on some days you just know that little ball at your feet will never make its way into that hole. You know it, your playing partners know it, your financial consultant knows it, everyone knows it. Putting is mystical; it comes and goes like the tide.

About the Author

This author writes about Dried Flower Vase and Seven Types of Anxiety. Visit the Undervalued Penny Stock website for penny stock secrets.