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Stress affects ones golf swing/game? And old saying..."you need a clear head to golf"
There is a saying (many may not have heard of....but it goes like this....."you need a clear head to play golf"
Its usually meant from people who just consider their life to full to every play such a "free time" demanding game.
Lets face it, golf does require disposable time. Or at least time away from life's obs and responsibilities not only in actual time but also time with a clear head or being able to be out there for a length of time without worries or concerns for whatever is going on in ones life. And so many people do feel they just don't have enough clear headed time and/or free time to be out on golf course on a regular basis.
And so this got me wondering for those of us who do avidly participate just how much of our poor played golf , inconsistent golf, or outright failure of many amateurs be to even just a bit better or anywhere near enough where they could be otherwise than they currently are. Is stress in ones life a cause for poorer golf?
I think it is. Many of us carry a lot of weight around on our shoulders. I mean we all have different degrees of stresses. Family , occupations, finances, responsibilities, etc.... is very different for us all. And we all handle it all very differently. Some people have a lot more than others. And whether more or less than the next person, we all handle it differently. Its just human nature as some people carry the same weights more heavily on their shoulders than others no to mention some have more weights to begin with.
Stress causes all kind of things both mentally and physically. One the thigs that stress does is that it leads to muscle tension. And tension in the body is bad for fluidness and tempo. And that leads to mechanical swing breakdowns.
And so I was thinking about this as I played one my better rounds this season today. I had just returned from a vacation and not swung a club for about 2 weeks. I hadn't felt so relaxed during a round in quite a long time and I was swinging fluidly and as a result of little to no stress and there was no tension and a better game of ball striking. My normally sore lower back was not at all any issue.
I feel stress can certainly be a cause of poorer play. I also feel it can be one reason why many amateurs struggle for consistency more than others. They may have more stress in their lives or may have similar stresses but carry them more heavily on their shoulders than others. And so (as I began the thread) they just don't have as much of a clearer head and in other words hold more the stresses within. Worry or concern a bit more about things and therefore are more tense.
And you cant just say to people …."well just let it all go" or things like " I come here to get away from life's stresses" because its simply not just that simple to do. Its how they are built. They may have more worries to begin with but also may simply worry about the same stresses more. Just the way it is.
This is all only my theory. But I do think it holds some truth. And may in fact be why many are not more consistent nor better at the game than they currently are. What say you?
There is a saying (many may not have heard of....but it goes like this....."you need a clear head to play golf"
Its usually meant from people who just consider their life to full to every play such a "free time" demanding game.
Lets face it, golf does require disposable time. Or at least time away from life's obs and responsibilities not only in actual time but also time with a clear head or being able to be out there for a length of time without worries or concerns for whatever is going on in ones life. And so many people do feel they just don't have enough clear headed time and/or free time to be out on golf course on a regular basis.
And so this got me wondering for those of us who do avidly participate just how much of our poor played golf , inconsistent golf, or outright failure of many amateurs be to even just a bit better or anywhere near enough where they could be otherwise than they currently are. Is stress in ones life a cause for poorer golf?
I think it is. Many of us carry a lot of weight around on our shoulders. I mean we all have different degrees of stresses. Family , occupations, finances, responsibilities, etc.... is very different for us all. And we all handle it all very differently. Some people have a lot more than others. And whether more or less than the next person, we all handle it differently. Its just human nature as some people carry the same weights more heavily on their shoulders than others no to mention some have more weights to begin with.
Stress causes all kind of things both mentally and physically. One the thigs that stress does is that it leads to muscle tension. And tension in the body is bad for fluidness and tempo. And that leads to mechanical swing breakdowns.
And so I was thinking about this as I played one my better rounds this season today. I had just returned from a vacation and not swung a club for about 2 weeks. I hadn't felt so relaxed during a round in quite a long time and I was swinging fluidly and as a result of little to no stress and there was no tension and a better game of ball striking. My normally sore lower back was not at all any issue.
I feel stress can certainly be a cause of poorer play. I also feel it can be one reason why many amateurs struggle for consistency more than others. They may have more stress in their lives or may have similar stresses but carry them more heavily on their shoulders than others. And so (as I began the thread) they just don't have as much of a clearer head and in other words hold more the stresses within. Worry or concern a bit more about things and therefore are more tense.
And you cant just say to people …."well just let it all go" or things like " I come here to get away from life's stresses" because its simply not just that simple to do. Its how they are built. They may have more worries to begin with but also may simply worry about the same stresses more. Just the way it is.
This is all only my theory. But I do think it holds some truth. And may in fact be why many are not more consistent nor better at the game than they currently are. What say you?