Patience at The Open
As The Open at Royal Portrush gets underway, we once again get to witness the best golfers in the world trying to win the oldest major in golf.
One word gets used a lot in Major Championships.
Patience.
Perhaps we can all learn to develop more patience in golf and in life. If we look to the most successful golfer in the history of the game, Jack Nicklaus, he understood the value of patience. He recognised that under pressure most people can’t resist the temptation to make something happen. Jack’s tactic when he was near the lead was to be patient and wait for others to make mistakes, and for the titles to come to him.
So what can we learn from Jack’s attitude? When you are looking to improve your game you would be wise to accept that it may take a little time. Too often in golf and indeed in today’s society we expect everything right away. Allowing yourself the time to patiently explore, learn and improve not only stops frustration from building, it also provides you with the correct curious frame of mind in which to develop mastery.
Trying to improve and always looking for the fruits of your work will allow frustration to build within you. This will only delay your progress. Take a leaf out of Jack’s book and let the results find you.
My tip for this week is Eddie Pepperell. As well as being a very talented golfer I do like the way Eddie does things his own way. A free thinker shall we say.
It could be anyone of these great golfers time to shine but patience will be the key.
Who is your pick?
I have just finished the audiobook version of my book, Golf Psychology- When Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work. Now you can listen in your car on the way to the golf course to get you in the right frame of mind to play, or listen after golf to get a better understanding of what happened.
If you would like to listen to a free sample click here https://www.audible.co.uk/search?keywords=golf+psychology&ref=
To buy the book click here https://www.golfisamindgame.com/how-to-golf-book/
Nice article Jon. I think it’s a very open championship (if you forgive the pun!!) this year.
Eddie is local to me and would be great and has a real chance. I would love to see Justin win it and he can. I suppose if I was a betting man I’d put a shilling on Koepka but I hope one of ours makes it.
I guess the home pressure was too much for Rory yesterday but maybe he’ll shoot low today. He has nothing to lose.
We didn’t think Shane Lowry would hold on did we