Source: Vietnam News

I believe that golf can both soothe or destroy a person’s psyche, depending on the individual, the conditions of play, and the expectations of that particular individual.

For example, a person who plays golf purely for enjoyment will almost never have a bad day on the golf course. Oh sure, he may score poorly, but that is not necessarily the same thing as having a "bad day". If the player’s sole aim is to have a peaceful walk amidst the tree-lined fairways, listen to birds chirping, feel the sunshine on his face, then he will almost always accomplish his goal. A benefit to enjoying the round is that you’ll have less stress and that translates into a more relaxed swing. You’ll probably score better than if you’re all wound up.

On the other hand, if a player is looking at a round of golf as a means of demonstrating his prowess, augmenting his income, or had a very bad day at the office, then all bets are off...so to speak as the player will put undue pressure on himself. Very few people perform better under pressure and trying to relax in a competitive environment is seldom successful.

Granted, many people have different concepts about relaxing. Some people relax with a good book, others go mountain climbing (but how some people can claim they relax by hanging from their fingertips to the side of a mountain with a 1,000-foot drop to jagged rocks below is beyond my comprehension).

I personally prefer to relax by playing with my daughter, sitting under a tree with a good book or playing golf on a quiet day at a course where I an not employed.

Truth be known, I can seldom relax at my own club because there’s always something to drive me nuts. An unfilled divot, an un-raked bunker, slow players in front of me. In short, the same things members complain about except that I am "supposed" to be able to correct the problems. So, its really impossible for me to relax unless I’m playing alone without a caddie.

The true secret to golf is not the swing, but rather learning the art of "letting go."

All golf books talk about "release". The say you must release the club, release your wrists, release, release, release.

Bullfeathers. The truth of the matter is that you must "release yourself from yourself" and that includes any unrealistic expectations about score. Forget about the office, forget about your boss demanding revenue without expenditure or for unattainable results.

To play golf properly and score relatively well, you need to forget about everything during the time you’re on the course except for one thing…

Remember to have fun.

If you’re not having fun out there, then you’re playing golf for the wrong reasons. When I used to teach golf 16 hours a day in the US and Thailand, it was easy to know how stressful or relaxed each particular student’s day was. I knew when someone’s business or home life was in trouble, I knew when a student had a personal success because I could "read" it their swings – it was more relaxed and less forced. A golf swing and the way you play the game mirrors your temperament and character. How you score is the end result of both.

If someone watched me swing here at my club and compared it to my swing when I’m on vacation, you would see a world of difference. Here, I’m expected to anticipate and solve every problem 24/7.

So now you know why I don’t play golf much anymore…its too stressful.