By Paul Monahan, Graves Golf Mental Game Coach
The reflection below is Chapter 2 from my book: The Most Important Game: Play Better. Struggle Less. Enjoy More.
I thought I’d spiral back to it now as more and more golfers – especially in the more northern climates – begin to step back into regular practice and play.
I love this chapter for a couple reasons. First, it is a simple story reminding us to reconnect with the joy and playfulness we brought to our experiences when we were kids. Second, two terrific characters are involved. Tom Lagos was a fellow Ohioan who attended many GGA schools over the years and was a joy to golf with. Sadly, he passed away a year or so after this article was published. Gary Gustafson—another perennial GGA 5-Day school guy—has a great attitude and an incredible work ethic.
If you haven’t already done so – you can check out The Most Important Game book and – as my special gift to you – you can also download the first chapter of the audio book with my compliments! (I narrated the audio at a recording studio in Nashville, TN a few months ago – the voice you will hear is mine!).
Playfulness
Recently, I heard a celebrity speaking about golfing with his buddies. He mentioned one person in his circle of golf friends whom he particularly admired because of the playfulness the person brought to the course.
The celebrity said his buddies wished they could be more playful, especially on the golf course. He said that the guy he admired almost always played well, seemingly without a lot of effort.
Playfulness is one of those things that eludes most adults.
If you think about it, it’s not anyone’s fault; it’s a product of the society and culture in which we grew up, which rewards serious, adult-like, responsible behavior.
But studies show that the more we can tap into our childlike playfulness, the better we perform—particularly when it comes to skills-based, physical endeavors.
Last spring, Tim Graves invited me to teach at a 5-Day Build Your Game Alumni Camp in Orlando. If you ever get a chance to visit a 5-day camp, do it. The camps offer a fantastic experience. Teaching at one of the camps allowed me to teach performance mindset concepts to the attendees and work on my Single Plane Swing.
Among the many fantastic learning dynamics Todd and Tim create in the 5-day camps are live scenarios designed to replicate competitive situations and related pressure we may encounter in our weekly games at home.
One of the scenarios is a bracketed putting contest called “21” that lasts from Wednesday to Friday. The winner earns lots of cool swag and bragging rights for a whole year.
I played in the contest that week, facing the eventual winner in the semi-final round, the virtual putting buzzsaw, Gary Gustafson.
After an incredible hour-long quarterfinal match against Tom Lagos, an excellent competitor, Gary crushed me, 25–2 in about fifteen minutes!
After our match, I asked him about the secret to such a fantastic performance. Gary shared that, while watching the game between Tom and me, he noticed a five-year-old boy putting on the other end of the practice green. The boy was with his mom, goofing around on the putting green. We had seen him, too. He was a pretty cute kid and a tremendous little putter!
Gary noticed two things about the boy’s putting. First, he was putting remarkably well for his age, and second, he was putting rather quickly.
Gary equated the boy’s speed with playfulness. In other words, the boy didn’t overthink each putt. Gary noticed the boy’s joy and ease each time he stepped up to the ball, took a look at the hole, and pulled the trigger.
So, Gary approached his upcoming match in a spirit of playfulness akin to the little boy’s. He stepped into his putts carefully and deliberately, trusted his line, and pulled the trigger, resisting the urge to overthink the setup.
Man, did his strategy work. His putting was amazing!
Throughout our (very short) match, Gary made a bunch of long putts and plenty of shorter ones. When he wasn’t making putts, he came super close, so he picked up points. His strategy was impressive. I had a pretty good seat for that show.
I think Gary’s approach is a good lesson for all of us, regardless of the level of competition or the situation. The strategy is good whether playing golf, in critical leadership moments or negotiating a sale.
We nearly always perform better when we trust our ability to do the thing and step into it without much overthinking. Todd Graves calls it “playing empty.”
While multiple dynamics determine success in a skills-based performance such as golf, a spirit of fun and playfulness goes a long way to enhance one’s performance.
So, try this the next round you play or the next time you practice. Be intentional about not overthinking. Adopt a playful mindset and step into your shots.
Play the game. Have fun. Don’t overthink it.
There’s a reason we call it playing golf, right?
Paul Monahan, an author, speaker and Peak-Performance coach. He recently published: The Most Important Game. Play Better. Struggle Less. Enjoy More … a collection of essays designed to inspire fresh thinking and more fun playing the game you love. He resides in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Paula and is the proud dad to three young men.
