How's your environment

So you say you are not getting any better? You have taken lots of golf lessons and don't feel as though you are applying any of the fundamentals. You start to wonder if it is worth all the money for lessons when you don't see the results. Does this sound familiar? If so, you might look at your environment. I come across golfers all the time who claim the above and more. There is no time for practice and when they do have time, they want to play. The results are often a little worse than expectations, and there is no real development of golf going on here. So what do you? My answer..."Change your Environment."

There have been many studies that have shown how environment affects people beyond belief. For example, I lived in America for 29years...had a certain individual way of thinking...definitely a more conservative way about me. I now live in Sweden (5 yrs), think more about the community as a whole and have become definitely more liberal (with my clothing, thinking). The environment changed and so am I adapting with it.

Look at your golf environment. Who do you play with? Who do you practice with? Where do you practice? Where do you play? Does your family support your free time? Do you allocate resources for better results? If you are like most people, you probably practice with the same people doing the same things and probably expecting different results. What did Einstein say about insanity?

To change your environment, I want you to try a few things:

(1) Practice. This is a pretty big deal for improvement, but most people do it incorrectly. (1a) Think about where you normally practice, and then give yourself a break from that place. If it is the range, then stay away from the range for this time. (1b) Think about WHAT you normally do when you practice and do the opposite. If you bang balls on the range, then stay away from that for 2 weeks. You could maybe go out to the golf course with 3 or 4 balls and play shots from different spots or situations. (1c)Think about HOW you normally think when you practice, and change your expectations. For example, you could focus your time on creating a good tempo or practice HOW TO AIM. Make it simple from the beginning so that you can build momentum to change your environment.

(2) Play. Who do you play with? Make an effort to play with different people. Sometimes, when a player is "comfortable" with his/her group, it can be easy to lose focus or concentration and just do the same thing over and over. With new people or (even a different course), there is a requirement to focus more on your game. Often with this type of focus comes a new understanding about parts of your game.

(3) Think. Try and think differently. It is not enough to think of yourself as a 10 handicapper if you are at 18, but thinking about developing as a golfer will often times open your mind to the possibilities of becoming better. Think about where you want to go and knowing that golf is a lifetime process, your thoughts will lead you to change your environment. Don't accept the "Water-Cooler approach" of pissing and moaning about the lack of get better! Do something about it and start thinking differently.

If you truly want to get better, look first at your environment and see if it supports your development. If not, change it!

Steven