COMPLAINING IS NOT A STRATEGY
DON’T COMPLAIN
ABOUT ANYTHING
NOT EVEN TO YOURSELF -Osel Tendzin’s three part instruction on complaining.
“When things aren’t going the way we’d like them to be, there’s a tendency to complain.” Dr. Joeseph Parent
It’s too windy, the greens are bumpy, they’re almost out of pretzels, the course is in terrible condition, I’m a bad putter, my game is not good enough, etc. The vicious habit of whining is not only bad etiquette (and annoying), but it’s also a major OBSTACLE to playing your best golf.
- Wanting the conditions to be different then they are is a waste of time. It’s just DISTRACTING you from what really needs your attention. . .the aspects of the game that you do have 100% control over.
- Complaining can also be CONTAGIOUS. Stay in your own game. Let the other golfer’s complain about the situation. They are defeated before they even tee off. . .That’s one less competitor you have to worry about.
- And don’t complain, because that gives your competitor an edge. It makes you look mentally WEAK and UNCONFIDENT.
The solution:
- AWARENESS. Simply notice when your mind is grumbling. (Hint: Mine starts every morning at “O’dark Thirty”, when the alarm goes off.)
- Sprinkle around some GRATITUDE. Yes, the greens might be bumpy, but you are healthy enough to be playing golf.
- REFOCUS your thoughts. There are plenty of elements in golf, (and in life), that you do have 100% Control over. . .and they really need your attention.
Changing mental habits takes time and PRACTICE. Whining will not make you a better player. Life’s too short, let’s choose a better strategy.
Dodie Mazzuca is the Director of Instruction at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, AZ (November – April). She also teaches golf in Santa Cruz, CA (May-October).