Stress Stress Stress

It is a never ending battle with me and stress. Stress helps me get what I know I need to get done but boy does it pay a toll on the body. I am back to my normal routine of work, school, and homework. Trying to find time for the fun things in life is becoming harder and harder but when I get around to them I enjoy them that much more. For me golf is something that has been pushed on the back burner while I attend to the fun task of homework. While I don't get out as much as I hoped to enjoy the beautiful "fall" weather of Florida, I am going to make more of an effort. 

Effort is the key to getting through the stress. I find that if I make an effort to do something fun I am more likely to get the things I have to get done out of the way first. This coming week will be productive (positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts) and I will get what is needed out of the way to make time for the fun things in life like going to the range and hitting the crap out of some balls. 

Stress reliever or source of cause?

Running around like a chicken with your head cut off? It sure feels like I am these days with the schedule I put myself through. Work, school, blah blah blah. I don’t seem to have time to sleep much these days and forget about any leisure activities. It is a chilly and windy day out due to the hurricane wreaking havoc on the east coast today and there is no way I am headed to the range for my weekly bucket of balls. I started thinking how much golf could be a cause of more stress in my life or if is a way for me to get away from the madness of my day-to-day routine.

While I try and practice every week, sometimes there is no way. By the end of the week if I didn’t practice in some way I regret it. After getting my frustration out on some innocent balls, I always feel better even if it wasn’t the best day(for me or the grass). For me golf is the time I take for myself and do something that I want. Not homework teachers think we all enjoy or work, which I shouldn’t complain to having a good job, but work is work. Golf is the time I let it all go and the only thing I can stress about is my swing.

I think this is all in my mind frame for the game. It could easily go the other way around and do more harm to your blood pressure than good. An article by CNN asks the very same questions on stress and golf and how it affects people in different ways with how they view the sport,

So with all that stress, could playing golf actually be bad for you? If you're beating yourself up emotionally and getting angry that's not very good for your health said Thompson. But it's all a matter of attitude. Somebody might go out and enjoy it, see it as a chance to get away from work, have a nice stroll and catch up with their mates.

While I still have my days when I’m the one hitting my golf club on the ground and mumbling a few choice words, golf is still that one time in my life I get to go out and hit something as hard as I can and walk away with a cleared head. Hopefully I can keep this frame of mind and continue to enjoy the game instead of letting it bog me down like I see so many others do.

So sorry

I have to apologize to the range and anyone using the spot after me. After a long day my mind was racing and I took out some serious grass from lack of concentration. While working on my swing I let my mind wonder a little to far and ended up sending grass flying. After I was done that day, I left some serious dirt patches. Not just one patch either, it was an unsuccessful day and I am sorry to the poor guy who has to use that spot after me. Note to self, probably not the best idea to  swing a club when to much on my mind.   

Beer and Golf

Booz and golf, it’s like peanut butter and jelly. I am so stiff and unrelaxed when playing golf. I am constantly going through the checklist in my head of all the things I should be doing and not doing. But with one simple beer I am able to relax and just let muscle memory take over. But there is that imaginary line that I am always thinking about not crossing, the line of having too much and becoming too relaxed. While reading about the effects alcohol can have on the golf game, I came across the perfect quote that says it all. 

If you are too relaxed, attention and focus will fade, and if you are too aroused your logical, thinking part of the brain is bypassed and your ability to make good strategy decisions will be temporarily put on hold.

While out on the green, drinking is encouraged. They have beer carts that go around and sell beer and they always have a cooler at the shop. There’s no better way to spend the day than playing a round of golf and drinking. 

Golf in a Can

Now you can buy a better golf game for $4...

While sucking down my afternoon coffee in-between classes and thinking about going to the driving range this evening, I got to thinking about how my energy drinks might affect my game. The coffee and five hour energies keep me going between work and school but by the time I make it to the golf range at the end of my day, my concentration is shot. Another energy drink will be to much for my 45 minute to one hour practice session and my kidneys probably couldn't handle another round anyways. 

There is a drink designed for everything, so I started researching. Of course I came across GolferAid. I chuckled to myself at the name and thought there is no way this is real or legit. I started reading a short article by GolfDigest. I thought if they are talking about it then it couldn't be a joke. The article was just a review of the drink, but I was more interested in the 20+ comments below. I wanted to know the truth and people don't leave comments for nothing. Everyone seemed skeptical in the beginning but for the ones that used it there were no bad reviews. JoshJ was ecstatic about it and said, "I tried GolferAID at my club not long ago and I am not sure if it was the vitamins or the glucosamine but I played one of the best games of my life! My focus and concentration was impeccable." 

On that note I am going to have to give it a try next time at the range. It's only $4 and is all natural, what's the worst that could happen, right? I'll keep you posted!

CONCENTRATE

Mentally failing.

The mental game seems to be the hardest for me. I am brought back to that horrible day at the range and I remember my thoughts just ruining the whole experience. They were prancing around in my head and kept me from playing like I normally do. Once I hit a couple bad balls in a row, it was game over. 

Why can't golf or any sport just be about the physical aspect? To stay positive mentally through out the game is so hard. It's hard to just forget about a horrible shot when setting up for another one. When in those moments I try and think of everything I have been reading about staying out of the grey area in my mind. 

I learned something new when reading about the brain and it's functions during a game of golf. The title sums it up best: "Your left brain is a lousy golfer." The article talks about the functions split into two sides of the brain and how we need both to be able to golf, but one is much better at the athletics and the other at analyzing the situations. 

"You need good Left Brain ability to gather all the data, figure out what shot to play, what target to hit to, etc. You need good Right Brain ability to actually play the shot, to be athletic over the ball."

Now I realize that my left-brain was getting the best of me. I was letting it over analyze the situation and take over for my athletic side, that must be the answer to my problems.