The Roller Coaster of Emotional Golf

“Brilliant shot!”…”My game’s atrocious!”…”That’s perfect!”…”What an idiot!”
…the ups, downs and turns of the emotional roller coaster.  The Giant Dipper (Santa Cruz’s famous beach side roller coaster, above) has nothing on golf’s turbulent ride.

• Emotions are Contagious. Don’t let your playing partner’s bad attitude effect yours. Let them have their own melt down while you stay focused on your game.
• Anger Makes You Stupid. Chip Conley, author of Emotional Equations states, “We temporarily lose ten to fifteen points of IQ when we make decisions in an emotionally reactive state of mind.”
• Shift Happens. Evidently the biological lifespan of an emotion is around 90 seconds.  It’s the ruminating over poor shots and negative self talk that destroys confidence. There’s plenty of time to neutralize your attitude for the next shot.

Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the journey.

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).