[holeout]

holeout,
This is what I was getting at in when I said:


It seems that there is an UNSEEN component (call it mental, spiritual, emotional, or whatever) that is more important in WINNING (or PLAYING well) than having perfect SKILLS. Not that skills are not important, as you said already, you must have the SKILLS to shoot 68, but PERFORMING at that level requires something beyond physical skills.

I think that is what HB was eluding to when he responded to Bucket's plan:


Skills give you a baseline. The human WILL or SPIRIT is what ultimately determines your limit, whether it is to go beyond your abilities or to not play up to them.

In relation to skills, also, I think that this is all connected to the INCUBATOR (Chapter 14). If you really BELIEVE that you can do something, and put forth a reasonable amount of effort, your COMPUTER will find a way to make it happen. Your SKILLS will be developed according to the picture your mind and will have painted. They actually feed each other. As skills develop, the picture becomes clearer. Confidence builds, which pushes you to refine your skills to a higher level. It works in reverse, also (like Duval and others).

I like what Tomasello emphasised in the videos. The only shot that matters is the one you are getting ready to hit. You cannot change the past and you cannot do anything in the future. He talked about where Homer said in Ch. 14 that censure has no place. There is no benefit from beating yourself up when you mess up. You can learn from it, but you must maintain the attitude that the mess up does not define your ability. We have all hit good shots. The key is believing that we are the kind of golfer that hits good shots, not that we are bad golfers who get lucky sometimes. Like Bucket said:

This really applies to EVERY shot, not just putts. Tomasello also talked about "calling the shot" before you make it. Describe, out loud, the target, trajectory, path you want. Let that be the last thing you put into your mind before you swing. Breathe. Make the motion. Nilsson and Marriott talk about this, too, in Every Shot Must Have a Purpose. I am learning that I have been a big roadblock to my own progress. That is changing this year.

Ellis,

Couldn't agree with you more! My posting was in response to the (seemingly) opposing views that Donn had about getting out and actually playing a lot of golf, as opposed to just practicing all the time. The only area that you and I seem to disagree is the manner in which you acquire not only the skills to play well, but the ability to actually shoot good scores. You do, however, raise some good points with regards to what HB said about "act(ing) like you know what you are doing." Hopefully he can chime in too if he has an opinion on the matter. I'd be interested to hear it.

That being said, I feel that a big part of the reason tour pros are able to do things like:

- come back from a birdie with a bogey
- come back from a bad nine holes to shoot a good one, salvaging your score
- continue firing at pins when you are already 7 under
- "get it in the house" when you're off your game
- follow up a 32 with another 32 (or 31)

is because they have done it before, many many times. Most of them have also failed at doing those things before too. And they learned from it.

I think it was Michael Jordan who said, "Nothing prepares you for handling pressure, like handling pressure."