Golf Flow

you will likely begin learning some important lessons. First, you will become more aware that the game of golf really tries to throw golfers out of their rhythm. You will become more sensitive to the rhythm of the game, and as your round unfolds, you will no doubt begin to notice how the “lights and music” try to influence your thoughts and your inner state in a manner consistent with what we’ve discussed in previous chapters.
    Whether you experience it in this first round of golf or not, if you are diligent with this exercise, you will experience not only the benefits that I’ve described earlier in this chapter but also the one thing that this book aims to drive you toward—the flow state. This exercise mirrors many of the things that I do in my Fearless Golf Academies here in Winter Park, Florida. With astonishing regularity, taking golfers through the process of focusing on the rhythm of every routine triggers the mechanisms required to get them into flow. As a result, even though they tend to come to me because they are in a slump, golfers are able to play good, mentally uncluttered, low-scoring rounds of golf. The secret (if there is such a thing) is to get out of mechanics, out of score, out of your way, and into your natural rhythm and the rhythm of the game.

Chapter 25
Play Fearlessly
    One of the contentions that I’ve put forth in this book is that the brain did not evolve with the game of golf in mind. Rather, it evolved to adapt in harsh environments to facilitate survival and reproduction. Therefore, we must craft the habits of the mind to evolve into the type of golfers we wish to be—the type who continually improve, enjoy the game, and are able to generate flow.
    The principal mechanism for survival is the fear response. Fear is an adaptive mechanism in all sorts of situations, primarily those that are construed as dangerous. The fear reaction prompts people to flee danger while simultaneously preparing their bodies for trauma by redistributing blood, hormones, and chemicals throughout the body and then tightening the muscles. These redistributions and physiological reactions help in a fight, and they help in a car accident, but they do not help while trying to finesse a pitching wedge to a firm, fast, tucked green that’s running away from you. As I wrote in
Fearless Golf
, part of your challenge as an up-and-coming golfer is to address these reactions head on and turn them into assets in your mental arsenal.
    Let me illustrate with a recent example. Recall that Justin Rose had gone nine years on the PGA Tour without winning. During that time, Justin was a fine golfer, no doubt. But what happened to Justin in pressure situations was what happens to just about every golfer who faces pressure and is unaccustomed to dealing with it: His survival instincts kicked in, and the resulting physiological process of fear degraded the very skills that put him in position to win.
    On the eve of the 2012 Ryder Cup, as I watched Justin finish birdie-birdie to help the Europeans close out one of the greatest comebacks in golf history, I witnessed what this chapter is all about. The past three years that I have worked with Justin have been spent identifying the natural tendencies of the brain and developing the habits of thought, belief, behavior, and awareness that now allow those same instincts to channel Justin to a place of focus, determination, and great golf.
    Just as Justin learned how to play fearless golf, so too can you. But note that Justin did not just flip a switch three years ago. He is a diligent student who works hard on all facets of his game, including his mental game. He is as close to the perfect student as I have met because he follows the directives laid out in this book. Simply put, Justin practices his craft of fearless golf by doing ordinary actions, consistently and carefully, so that they add up over time. Through this lens, his performance in the Ryder Cup was not an act of inspiration as much as it was the accumulation of a thousand little habits that he’s practiced faithfully over the last three years.
    Playing fearless golf requires that you understand both the game of golf and yourself. As we discussed in chapter 6, feeling embarrassed by public failure is natural. We are hard wired to want, on some level, the approval and validation of others. Golf is a social game that has failure and setbacks built into it, so it can be a breeding ground for the embarrassing feelings