Golf Flow

watching golfers on television. My third shot wound up four inches from the hole leading to a nice tap-in birdie. The next 8 holes followed in rapid succession and I ended by shooting three under par, the best score I had ever shot. Though I had been very on-target, not even coming close to missing a single shot, the more sensational thing for me was the feeling that accompanied my play that evening: Time slowed, my thoughts were clear, my body felt like a finely tuned machine, and I had an overwhelming feeling of calm focus. I had experienced a state of
flow
.
    Golfers in flow states enter another realm, as their descriptions attest. They report being able to better see the breaks in greens, more accurately calculate the yardage of a shot, and more fully feel their bodies in space as they intuitively make the necessary adjustments to hit the exact shot they desire. Their walks are more confident, their emotions are softer and more positive, and their perspectives are well suited to the unique round of golf they are playing. The end result for golfers in flow is that they are able to better control the shots they hit, to hit shots that are usually beyond their capabilities, and to shoot scores lower than their handicap would suggest.
    Over the past 15 years, I have continued my research into flow as a college professor and a mental game consultant for athletes spanning the spectrum from recreational to professional golfer. I’ve attended psychology conferences from Vancouver to Boston, and everywhere in between. I have been able to help my clients apply much of what I have learned, and the results have been very rewarding. As a professor and researcher, it has been thrilling to witness the theory come alive in the reality of performance.
    One insight that has emerged relates to the way aspiring golfers approach the process of improvement. As young golfers, many in the sport play the game with an unthinking simplicity. Generally, they play well; at the very least, they play mentally free and clear. As they progress and accumulate a deeper understanding of golf, they intuitively seek more instruction and information. Their logic goes something like, “If a little instruction has made me a little better, then a lot of instruction will make me a lot better.”
    The flaw in this logic is very apparent when you apply it to medicine, for instance, “If one aspirin makes me feel mildly better, then one-hundred aspirin will make me feel one-hundred times better.” Of course, just as with medication, there is a tipping point in golf—a recommended dosage of information and instruction that, when exceeded, pushes golfers over the edge.
    Assume that the average issue of a golf publication contains thirty individual tips or bits of information about driving the golf ball, long iron play, short iron play, wedge play, chipping, putting, fitness, equipment, what-the-pros-do, fashion, or the mental game (if you read golf publications, you realize that thirty is a conservative number). Over the course of a 12-month subscription, then that’s three hundred and sixty pieces of information you’ve gotten from this publication alone.
    In addition, let’s say that you regularly tune into The Golf Channel, and you watch any one of their instructional shows. Let’s say you do this, on average, two days per week and you take in another ten tips or bits of information (full swing, tempo, products, tips from PGA Tour golfers or the hottest swing instructors). Over the course of a year, that’s another five hundred and twenty tips or bits of information you’ve managed to take in. So far between your golf publication and television, you’re taking in 880 tips.
    If you’re a regular golfer, then you probably take the occasional golf lesson, and also get tips from friends, playing partners, and competitors. I’ll bunch those three and we’ll call those ten bits of information per month. Congratulations, you’re up to 1,000 things to think about this year.
    Finally, if you’ve bought this book, then I’ll bet it isn’t the first book on golf you’ve ever purchased. If you manage to read a single golf book in a given year, that’s going to add at least another twenty tips, keys, or lessons. And now you are up to 1,020 things you’ve “learned” about golf in a given year. And that number increases every year: if you’ve been a golfer for ten years, then the number of things you’re supposed to keep track of is a mind