Scottish professional player Colin Montgomery said in one of his interviews that the most important quality of a good golf is self-confidence and enjoyment. Self-confidence is also known under the notion of self- esteem and enjoyment is synonymous with relaxation.
Self- confidence can be divided into three categories:
1. Acted (false) self-confidence
2. Conditioned self-confidence and
3. Unconditional self-confidence.
In the first case we are primarily cheating ourselves because we try to hide the fear of failure and doubt in our own abilities. Our temporary form differs significantly from the level of our desired form and our false conviction usually very quickly turns into the painful reality.
In the second case, the conditional self-confidence is reflected in our dependence on good days and low scores. It’s easy to trust ourselves when we are playing well and everything goes cording to our plans. Successful business in the office, great weather, comfortable playing partners, unoccupied course, quiet mind, flowing swing ..... The problem arises when such a situation seems to be a common place and we start expecting only such kind of golf scenarios. Pretty soon our game changes and we become discontented with ourselves. We begin to interfere and start comparing our own human value with the number on the card. Too often we forget that the feel for the game will fluctuate from one extreme to the other and that the score has nothing to do with our own value. Of course, this should not be an excuse for a passive playing; sleepy or a stubborn behavior in the style: “I don’t care if I win or lose!”
However golf differs from other sports, it’s still a "race" for the best places and without it we couldn’t talk about playing and competition. Therefore they invented PARs because it is in the nature of games that we need to match something.
In the third case, the unconditional self-confidence reflects much self-knowledge, humor and humility. That kind of a player has a clear mind and a lot of inner strength because he rarely feels threatened on the golf course. The best golfers fall into this category and they love to compete. Usually they welcome the pressure easily, love to win and hate to lose. They know very well that the worst thing that can happen to them is: nothing!
The above-mentioned Montgomery was losing the match play in his first Ryder Cup appearance in 1991 against the American Mark Calcavecchia. He was 4 down; 4 holes to play. Montgomery confesses how confused he felt in a seemingly lost situation and how walking from green to 15.th hole helped him. He said that during that walk he released negative thoughts and completely accepted his powerlessness over the match. He decided to play the last four holes shot by shot and for his own pleasure. He won four holes in a row, the match miraculously ended in a draw and Montgomery won an important point for Europe.
Such examples can remind us that our own weaknesses and less pleasant internal states can also lead to a genuine self-confidence .
In golf, as well as in life.
1. Acted (false) self-confidence
2. Conditioned self-confidence and
3. Unconditional self-confidence.
In the first case we are primarily cheating ourselves because we try to hide the fear of failure and doubt in our own abilities. Our temporary form differs significantly from the level of our desired form and our false conviction usually very quickly turns into the painful reality.
In the second case, the conditional self-confidence is reflected in our dependence on good days and low scores. It’s easy to trust ourselves when we are playing well and everything goes cording to our plans. Successful business in the office, great weather, comfortable playing partners, unoccupied course, quiet mind, flowing swing ..... The problem arises when such a situation seems to be a common place and we start expecting only such kind of golf scenarios. Pretty soon our game changes and we become discontented with ourselves. We begin to interfere and start comparing our own human value with the number on the card. Too often we forget that the feel for the game will fluctuate from one extreme to the other and that the score has nothing to do with our own value. Of course, this should not be an excuse for a passive playing; sleepy or a stubborn behavior in the style: “I don’t care if I win or lose!”
However golf differs from other sports, it’s still a "race" for the best places and without it we couldn’t talk about playing and competition. Therefore they invented PARs because it is in the nature of games that we need to match something.
In the third case, the unconditional self-confidence reflects much self-knowledge, humor and humility. That kind of a player has a clear mind and a lot of inner strength because he rarely feels threatened on the golf course. The best golfers fall into this category and they love to compete. Usually they welcome the pressure easily, love to win and hate to lose. They know very well that the worst thing that can happen to them is: nothing!
The above-mentioned Montgomery was losing the match play in his first Ryder Cup appearance in 1991 against the American Mark Calcavecchia. He was 4 down; 4 holes to play. Montgomery confesses how confused he felt in a seemingly lost situation and how walking from green to 15.th hole helped him. He said that during that walk he released negative thoughts and completely accepted his powerlessness over the match. He decided to play the last four holes shot by shot and for his own pleasure. He won four holes in a row, the match miraculously ended in a draw and Montgomery won an important point for Europe.
Such examples can remind us that our own weaknesses and less pleasant internal states can also lead to a genuine self-confidence .
In golf, as well as in life.