Are you ready to go all-in on your golf game, but you feel like you won't be successful because you believe you've started too late in life? Are you worried that you can't improve much because you're not a 'natural athlete'? Are you thinking you'll never be able to score well because you don't hit the ball as far as others you've seen?In this episode, I talk about how limiting beliefs hold back so many aspiring golfers from digging in and embracing their desire to learn, improve and strive toward high level golf. This is particularly prevalent among women who are entering the game of golf at a more "seasoned" stage of life, despite often being creators of amazing successes in their careers, families and communities.Unfortunately, there are a plethora of myths or limiting beliefs that can hold us back from achieving our full potential in golf. In this episode, we'll talk about "The Big Three" that pop up most often. I can't wait for you to hear this episode and free yourself of these barriers!
Get on the waitlist and be the FIRST to know when we reopen. You'll get strategies, tools, and support from our friendly community to make your dreams of confidently playing fun, strategic golf anywhere with anyone come true.
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*Disclosure: I may recommend products that I have used and love; all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Are you ready to go all-in on your golf game, but you feel like you won't be successful because you believe you've started too late in life? Are you worried that you can't improve much because you're not a 'natural athlete'? Are you thinking you'll never be able to score well because you don't hit the ball as far as others you've seen?In this episode, I talk about how limiting beliefs hold back so many aspiring golfers from digging in and embracing their desire to learn, improve and strive toward high level golf. This is particularly prevalent among women who are entering the game of golf at a more "seasoned" stage of life, despite often being creators of amazing successes in their careers, families and communities.Unfortunately, there are a plethora of myths or limiting beliefs that can hold us back from achieving our full potential in golf. In this episode, we'll talk about "The Big Three" that pop up most often. I can't wait for you to hear this episode and free yourself of these barriers!
Get on the waitlist and be the FIRST to know when we reopen. You'll get strategies, tools, and support from our friendly community to make your dreams of confidently playing fun, strategic golf anywhere with anyone come true.
Links & Resources:
*Disclosure: I may recommend products that I have used and love; all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Welcome to the Spark Golfer podcast where we help aspiring golfers improve their skills, strategy, and knowhow for better performance, fun and play. I'm your host, Dr. Greta Anderson, and I am be excited to help you move from just hitting balls to playing your best golf. So let's get to it. Hey there. It's Dr. Greta. Hope you are having a marvelous day. It is sunny and fall as of this recording. It's mid September here and so it's perfect time in the golf season to really get going on things. Of course, that's what you expect me to say as a golf pro, it is time, but here in the southeast United States, it really is. It's the perfect time to get out. And I find that with the cooler temperatures, it just draws more people fall. Really is a wonderful time to play golf here. And with that being said, I've been doing a whole lot of on the course playing lessons these past few weeks with particularly some new and earlier stage golfers and particularly some women. And I teach a lot of amazing women, high achieving women. And I have to say that one of the things that always baffles me is that how so many really go getter high achieving women are just the opposite when they get onto the course. I mean, high achieving women, Ivy League degrees, C suite, career positions, business owners, you name it, successful family, women, all of those things. But on the course they get what I like to call small because they kind of fall into these traps, these limiting beliefs that really hold them back from really kind of fully expressing themselves on the course, if that makes sense, or embracing the notion that they can become really good golfers. Or even if you take a step back, even the notion that they can be and if you will, should be good golfers. So today we are really going to dig into this whole notion behind these myths, as I like to call them, or limiting beliefs that hold so many golfers back and why. And then secondly, I want to talk about how you can avoid those limiting beliefs that can really hinder your development. So, as I mentioned, I was out on the course a few days ago and one of my clients, she was preparing for a tee shot and we talked about her set up and some other things that we've been working on and she said, I don't expect this to be very good. Now, again, I've been working with her for quite some time and I just found this to be so interesting because she is an eternal optimist, if you will, and very much a go getter. But when we got onto the course, she shrunk. So after she hit the shot, which turned out to be a great tee shot, by the way, with her driver, we kind of sat on the sideline and talked for a few minutes. And when we kind of dug down into it, she really didn't have a reason for feeling this way except for falling into these beliefs that she said when we kind of dug into it a little bit, even after the round that people had kind of indoctrinated her with. And I just really want us to get past that because here's the deal. We know that golf is a lot of things. Historically, it's been characterized as being kind of very country club and for the elite, of a specific background, kind of difficult to learn, overwhelming, confusing, for men only, kind of the boys club, time consuming, complicated, and definitely pricey. Now, a lot of these adjectives can be on point, but they don't have to be. And we'll talk about a lot of these things over the coming weeks. But I want you to know that, simply put, you don't need to believe that hype. Don't believe the hype, right? Myths like these or limiting beliefs or however you want to term it, they will hold you back from enjoying the game, from playing good golf and believing that you belong. And that is just a nono. Now, there are so many, unfortunately, these beliefs, right, limiting beliefs. But today we're going to focus on what I like to term as the big three that are really hurting so many aspiring golfers. So let's go ahead and dig into them. Myth number one. It's too late for me to become a really good golfer. We've all heard these. You haven't started golf. You started in middle age or later in life. You didn't start with others that you know because a lot of people will say you have to start golf when you're a kid or young to get really good. Or the other one that kind of goes with this one. Everyone I know that plays golf and plays it well started playing when they were a kid. And I've only been playing for a few months or a few weeks or maybe this is my first or second season, and they're all really good. Let me give you the facts on that. And I said, don't believe the hype. It is not too late for most of us. The willingness is there. If you're out, you're trying, you're taking lessons, you're working on your game, you're practicing. Heck, you're thinking about it. The willingness is there. The challenge is often that we just don't know what to work on or how to do it. And that is a big hindrance, right? Like, okay, I want to get better, but I really don't know what to do. That's where good coaching, good guidance comes in, whether that's your coaching person or if you're in a great program, because there are lots of options. Now, we live in this flat world, as we like to call it. Programs like mine, for example, project 72. Coach people all over the world, right, helping them learn and improve their game, not only their stroke and their technique, but their competence and skill set as a golfer in general. So there's no back to this notion that if you didn't start when you were still in elementary school that you can't be a golfer. So we want you to get rid of that notion. Myth number two, that holds a lot of people back. I'm not that athletic, so I won't be that good at golf. Here are the lines that go with that. One, I never played sports as a kid, and I still don't, right. With my body type, I'm not really built for sports, not even golf. Or something along the lines of, I know that it would be good for me to get moving. Even my physician and my doctors are telling me good movement would be good, some low impact movement would be good. But sports have never been my thing, and so golf probably won't be an exception to that. Let me give you the facts behind that one, the golf motion is indeed athletic in nature, but there's more to it than that. I want you to know this. The golf motion is not cookie cutter. While there are elements of the motion that needs to be there for us to have solid contact and consistency, it might look a bit different for each person. In fact, it will. It's kind of like the analogy that I like to use is the fingerprint. From afar, all of our fingerprints kind of look very similar, right? Kind of swirling and curling, that type of thing. But we know that all of us, as humans, as our fingerprints, are unique. And so if you want you to think about your exact setup and your motion to be that way, there is a swing for everybody. As I like to say, there's a swing for everybody. There's a swing built for you, no matter if you're tall, short, slim, not so slim, everything in between. Golf is a beautiful sport and it is inviting. And everyone can have success, which is one of the things that I love about it so much. Now, again, what goes back to being a successful golfer is having a realistic and user friendly practice plan that goes along with that swing and notion that's appropriate for your body and your physical circumstances. And that's the key to having success. One of the challenges is that sometimes we see the touring pros, the folks on TV, the LPGA ladies, the PGA guys, and they have these exacting postures and lengthy backswings and all these things absolutely breathtakingly beautiful swings. But most of us will not look like that. I'm just going to go ahead and break the news to us. Most of us won't look like that. And as a golf professional, I see lots of people well meaning. And one of the biggest challenges for aspiring golfers is thinking that they should adhere to the vast amount of information out there to swing and play and practice like a touring pro. Now again, obviously they are the platinum standard when it comes to ball striking and moving the ball around efficiently. But let's think about this. This is their full time job and while we're well intentioned, most of us don't have that level of skill and proficiency to move the ball around like the pro. But that doesn't mean that you'd not be an exceptional golfer. Again, there's a big gap there, right? Again, comparing ourselves to the touring professionals, remember, this is their full time job. So they're practicing six to 8 hours a day, they're playing. This is what they do for a living. So expecting to advance using the exact same drills, techniques and routines designed for an expert that has 40 to 50 plus hours a week to practice and train. Does that really make sense? I mean, again, you may have tried some routines that have seen online or magazines or that type of thing and they haven't yielded the results as promised. A lot of times it's because it just doesn't fit you. Fear not. That doesn't mean that there's not a great program out there or plan or roadmap for you, but a lot of the ones out there, frankly, are not built for you. And that can be frustrating. And that's where this myth comes in, where I need to be this full bone athlete ready to strike the ball 300 yards every time. And that type of thing, that is a myth. That is an untruth. And don't fall prey to it and don't let it hold you back from getting out there and enjoying yourself on the golf course and achieving your personal best. Myth number three, to be a really good golfer, I must be able to hit the ball super far distances. This one is a big one because of course, there's no denying it, we all love to hit the ball far and very few golfers would say they prefer to not hit the ball further. However, most of us are going to run into some caps. So I don't know what that number is, but know that distance matters, but not as much as people give it credit for. And I'm going to talk about that a little bit more. But in terms of this, I need to be able to hit the ball super far. Let me kind of give you some of the ways this manifests itself for people. I can't hit the ball as far as others that I know I can hit it pretty far, but I'm not satisfied with my performance that ever wanting. We want more, right? Or maybe even I hit it an average distance, but things seem to fall apart from me during rounds. The fact of the matter regarding that third myth there is that distance matters indeed, but accuracy matters more and without solid strategy, neither one of them matter. I can hit the ball super far and be pretty accurate. But if I don't have either of those, I'm going to fall apart. Pause. The fact of the matter when it comes to that myth is that distance does matter. But accuracy matters more for most people and without solid strategy, none of it matters. Golf is a mix of movement and strategy and during a round of golf the majority of the strokes that you're going to take are not about striking the ball the maximum distance that you can. This comes down to the difference between hitting balls and playing golf. Golf is so unique in many ways. One of them being that each player will play each hole on the course a bit differently based on her strengths, her preferences, her risk tolerance and that type of thing, which is what makes golf great. We can all play together, but play differently. I want you to know this. In fact, during a round, the majority of the strokes that you take again, I think I've said this before, but I want to emphasize it will not be about distance. They'll be about landing the ball in a desired area. Accuracy, right? Accurately placing the ball in a specified area. And anyone who knows me or any of my students have heard me say, I don't know, probably a few hundred times, there is a significant difference between hitting balls and playing golf. Golf involves creating a strategy, having a plan to move and navigate the course in a manner that is appropriate and a good fit with your skill set, your experience again and your tolerance. Not doing what everyone else is doing or just hitting the ball as far as I can every time. You won't get it in the hole that way. So when it comes down to it, those limiting beliefs are kind of rooted in simplicity but ignorance. But I want you to understand that playing your best golf is all about bringing it together, all those aspects of the game and the aspects include strategy, deliberate practice and I'll talk about that sometime down the road. On course play. Your technical skills, creating very specific what we call smart goals right? And coaching and support. It's a feedback loop of sorts and it's how we keep going around, around almost like a flywheel in many ways to develop and get better and better. It's not watching a million random videos trying to figure out and listen to 100 voices because for most of us that is not going to work. It's going to lead to ineffectiveness and inconsistency. That's not to say that there are not some tidbits that you can gather from all around the world, but listening to 1000 voices is just like trying to listen to 1000 voices at once in a conversation. It tends not to work for us. I want you to think about that. So the key three points I want you to remember as you get rid of those and you banish those limiting beliefs, those myths that are holding you back from playing your best golf or maybe even playing golf, is that these number one, it is never, ever too late to become a great golfer. Just like with school, adult learning is a bit different than we're learning when we were kids. But you can enjoy similar results. Yes, in middle age or later in life, you can become an exemplary golfer. You can absolutely become a scratch golfer if that's your goal. You can achieve whatever goal it is you want to. Just take work like anything else, some deliberate work. Number two, you do not have to be this super duper world class athlete to play phenomenal golf. Yes, golf does involve athletic movement, but strategy, planning, and patience play a big part. Why do you think that? Golf is the sport of business leaders, executives and the like? It's because it's a game of strategy, a game of planning, a game of risk, reward, kind of lot like business. Right? That's why. And then, thirdly, playing golf is more than just hitting a ball. Interestingly, many people do not realize that they have not really learned to play golf until after years of hitting the ball around. You know, they're playing courses all over the world and all kind of things. And then one day at dawns on them, I really don't yet know how to play golf. Even if I can hit the ball 250 yards or whatever the case may be. Playing golf is different than just hitting ball. So know that. So if you're earlier in your golf journey, knowing this one fact right now puts you so far ahead of the curve. So just know that right now, even if you're confident with your ball striking, lots of people will stay away from deeper involvement in the game because of lack of knowledge about the important things that we have to manage run on the course rules, etiquette equipment. And if we don't have friends or community to support us when we're trying to get into the game, it gets really hard. And so don't let that stuff stand in your way either. So if you need to understand more about the value of community, I'm certainly here to help you learn about that. But I don't want that for you. I want you to be able to get out there and play. So now that we've eliminated those three crazy myths, those limiting beliefs from your mindset, it's time for you to get on out there on the course. See you there. Thanks so much for joining us this week on the Smart Golfer podcast. Make sure you visit our website, Dr. Gretaggolf.com, where you can subscribe to the show using your preferred podcast platform so you'll never miss a show. And while you're at it, if you found value in the show, we'd appreciate a rating on that platform. Or if you simply like to tell a friend about the show. That could help us out, too. And if you like this show, you might want to check out of our learning programs at Academy. Dr. Greta Golf.com.