Patience
“The arrow that hits the bullseye is a result of 1,000 misses.”
-Zen Proverb
Rumor has it, Seve Ballesteros was asked about his four-putt during a post-round tournament interview. He responded by saying,
“I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.”
Although the fiery Spaniard was known for his short game prowess, even the best miss their targets occasionally.
Ironically, the quality of patience accelerates growth. With patience, the sliced tee-shot, missed putts, and overly-aggressive strategy can be met with a layer of self-study and learning rather than explosive frustration. Golf requires an enormous amount of patience. This mental habit takes intense discipline.
Developing patience takes time and practice. We are continuously reminded that the obstacles are not actual impediments to practice, but are the practice itself.Knowing this, we begin again, 1,000 times.
Dodie Mazzuca is the author of “Seamless Golf,” “Golf SÅ«tras,” “Daily Golf Tap-Ins,” and is the founder of Golf PROformance. She teaches golf lessons, golf schools, and performance coaching for in Santa Cruz, CA and Reno, NV.