What I’m Thankful For In Golf

What I’m Thankful For In Golf

I’ve been in the fitness industry for 14 years, and have spent the last 3 years focusing more on training golfers at Gaillardia Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I’ve been an athlete playing multiple sports for almost all my life and I’ve discovered that golf can be one of the hardest games to pick up for most athletes. When I first encountered hitting a golf ball about 3 years ago, I quickly discovered that if you try to muscle and smack the golf ball as hard as you can, then you will end up whiffing the ball or plowing the your club head into the ground multiple times. After going out to the range trying to master the art of hitting a golf ball a few times, I think I ended up being more of a swordsman with my golf club slicing at the air, ball, or ground. For that moment in time, I had decided that golf wasn’t for me. I’m sure some of you can relate to this experience.

 

Within the 3 year span I began training in a martial art created by Bruce Lee called Jeet Kune Do www.evolutionmartialartsokc.com – The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Some of the elements that my Sifu(Instructor) incorporated and practiced a lot were energy drills. The energy drills in my own words were a constant personal growth and self-discovery of learning how to use your own body’s (kinetic) energy, and manipulating another person’s or object’s energy to your advantage, while continuing to increase your body and mind’s self-awareness and sensitivity to each movement. I’ve also began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu www.s4oma.com over a year ago and it was an outlet to help expand and optimize the flow and finesse of the martial art. Over 2 years ago, I increased my skill sets further by becoming a certified TPI golf fitness instructor, MAT www.muscleactivation.com Jumpstart certified and continuing to advance my knowledge with all of the RTS www.resistancetrainingspecialist.com mastery courses this year (one of the highest accredited education and certifications in the fitness industry). I’ve been fortunate and thankful to have incredible teachers and mentors. Great teachers and mentors will create great “ah ha” teaching moments and opportunities. You just have to be ready to truly embrace it.

During the summer of 2012, I started to give the game of golf another try. Only this time around, I’ve had a different set of past experiences to pull from. Those include my martial arts, TPI and other advanced fitness knowledge that I’ve gained over the past 3 years. I started to grasp the golf swing and hitting the ball better and straighter. Each time I went out to practice or play I would have more “ah ha” moments and less frustrating moments. Just like life and martial arts, golf is about exploration and self-discovery. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a long way to go to being a good golfer. However, I know now that I have the tools and experiences to get there with practice. I can always go back to all that I’ve explored within my martial arts, the sports I’ve played, the game of golf, fitness education, career path, and life experiences. I’m thankful for life experiences, and no one can take those experiences and opportunities that I’ve created away.

 

Here’s what I’ve discovered about golf and what it requires…

 

• Calmness under the storm
• Patience
• Precision and accuracy
• Efficiency
• Focus
• Mastering spacing, timing and coordination of the golf swing
• Proper sequencing & tempo of the body as a whole
• Using flow and finesse
• Controlled power and speed with accuracy
• How and when to relax while trying to generate power and increase your swing speed

 

There may be some elements that I’m missing but this is just the beginning of discovering the golf game. Golf is a game of moments. One moment you can have a great drive and the next you could have a bad putt or chipping shot. If you can consistently string together good or great shots, then golf can be a game of good or great moments.

 

I’m thankful for golf because it has given me a professional path to continue to explore and advance my career. I’m thankful for helping discover and use the listed required skills above to play the game of golf. I’m thankful for Gaillardia Golf and Country Club to provide me an environment to work at and play the game. I’m thankful of the members and client base within the golf community. I’m thankful that golf has given me memorable moments that I share with my friends, family, co-workers, and clients. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!