COMMIT - part 7 of learning a new swing
How do you judge whether you should pursue something? Is it passion for the activity? Ability? Ability combined with scope for improvement? Belief? Increasing success? Do you need others to recognize your ability and give you permission to pursue it?
Is there an age limit? Can you pursue anything at 15, but at 51 you need to accept that if you're not already good enough, you should give up?
How do I judge if I can go for it? I think I care about these questions and their answers, but ultimately I'm judging by just three criteria:
Passion for the activity—Do I care enough to invest the time and effort?
Ability and scope for improvement—Do I think I have enough ability and room to improve?
Belief—Do I think I can get there?
At the moment, the answer to all three questions is yes.
I've started playing competitive golf again, and after three events I've seen improvement in my swing and ball striking. I haven't hit a shank or a chunk! My scores have been poor, partly due to difficult conditions like high wind and rain, partly from not playing regularly for the past three months, and partly from still adjusting to my new swing. However, here's the improvement—my worst score has been 5 over par, including an out-of-bounds shot and terrible chipping. My best was 1 over.
I'm still getting used to how far I can now hit the ball. I'm averaging 275 meters carry with my driver—an increase of 35 meters! And in cold conditions! I now hit my six iron 180 meters carry, which used to be my five iron distance. My nine iron carries 148 meters, which used to be my eight iron distance.
It wouldn't be fair to say I was a better golfer at 18. There's a list of things I'm better at now than I ever was back then:
I have better commitment to practice and have worked out ways to do it with disciplined effort that suits me.
I have a better swing than I did then, and I can hit it further. Compared to the PGA Tour, I hit it further than the average tour player.
I have a better body, with more flexibility and strength.
I have a better mind, with new understanding of how I handle stress, effort, work, and distraction.
I have a much better warm-up routine, partly out of necessity (age) and partly because any athlete should have a proper warm-up routine.
I have better habits with hydration and nutrition. I now know I need routines to remind myself to drink and eat because I simply forget these things when focused on a task.
I'm better at managing my time for work, life, and golf. With limited time, I've achieved a lot so far.
I could go on. The important point is that I see room for improvement in every one of these areas.
This is what allows me to give myself permission to pursue golf. It also gives me belief to pursue anything I'm passionate about. Age isn't a barrier for me—well, not for golf, at least not at the moment.
In my first post back on June 25th, 2024, I wrote a declaration of who I wanted to be in life. It was much bigger than just playing golf, and I still agree with it. I like that the first sentence contained the phrase "why commit?" A year later, I believe the biggest barrier to living a life that goes for it is the daily commitment to keep going. I haven't improved because I made an outrageous declaration at the beginning. I've grown in belief and ability because I've chosen to commit day after day after day, and have done it for a year.
Let me end with this thought: See you out on the course sometime.
Michael
“Perhaps you are asking, why commit to these goals when the odds are so low and I am so old? It’s not because I want to beat others or win tournaments. I know I cannot control either of those, even if I am a great player. I am committing to these because I want to live appreciating what I have in life, today, rather than lament what I used to have or dream of what I possibly could have. I want to strive for excellence today and work with disciplined effort. I want to search for what I do well and celebrate it, and search for how to improve and do it with grace to myself and others. I am committing to these because I have found that my attitude in life counts. I want “awe to be an exercise”, both a doing and a being, as Cole Arthur Riley wrote. I want what I do in one area of life to affect all the other areas of my life in a positive way. I want to live a life of grace. I want to extend love and mercy and forgiveness to others, and accept it from God and others. And, I what to commit and give it my all and see where it gets me.”