Brucisms - Thoughts on Life, Leadership, and The Pursuit of Happiness

photo by .Matthew Sullivan

Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course - the distance between your ears.

Bobby Jones

Playing a Round; Life Lessons in 18 Holes of Golf

It’s 9:00 am on a chilly February morning (ok it’s 58º - but hey! that’s chilly here in Florida), the sun is glistening on the remaining dew as I stand over the 1st tee. I take a deep breath, relax my shoulders, and (tink!)…

After a month of nearly constant rain and general life busy-ness, I had the opportunity to play my first round of golf this year a couple of weeks ago. As I look forward to playing another round next week, it occurs to me that there is a lot I can apply to life from a round of golf. So here are those life lessons in 18 holes:

The Front Nine

Appreciate the Beauty - Golf courses are typically beautiful places. Manicured grass, stately trees, pristine lakes - on the course I always take a moment to appreciate just how beautiful it is. I need to do this in my everyday life as well. We are surrounded by wonders everyday - I need to take a moment to appreciate the beauty in my life.

Be In the Now - I’ve always played “athletic” sports - football, baseball, basketball. Sometimes I could “get in a zone” and couldn’t miss a shot, or could hit anything that came near the plate. But in golf - with that little ball just sitting there, and no stimulation from direct competition - I have a hard time finding that zone. Everyday life can get that way, too. I need to find ways to be in the now - to slip into “the zone”.

Play the Ball As it Lies - In golf, the rules state that you must play the ball as it lies. Life is like that. I need to accept my situation whatever circumstances may bring - and take my best shot to be successful.

Be Honest - In golf, everybody keeps their own score. I read somewhere that Bobby Jones once penalized himself a stroke because his ball “shuttered” as he was taking a practice swing. Both the tournament official, and his opponent, said that they did not see the ball move and that he need not take the stroke. But Bobby said that it had moved, and took the penalty - and lost the tournament by one stroke. What an inspired life I would lead if I could hold myself to the same level of integrity!

Plan ahead - Good golfers don’t just grab a club and hit the ball as hard as they can! They “work the hole backwards” - they decide where they need to put the ball on the green to have a makeable putt, what approach shot will put it there, and where their tee shot needs to land to give them that approach. I need to look at my life like that and ask, “Are the actions I’m taking now putting me in the best position to take my next shot?”

Narrow Your Focus - To make a great shot you have to narrow your focus to the point that you can see the exact point of impact where the clubhead meets the ball. I need to apply that same level of attention and narrowness of focus to my everyday activities.

Let Go - No matter how great or how lousy your last shot was, let it go! A guaranteed recipe for a bad shot is to be dwelling on the last one. I need to let go in everyday life as well. Let go of my insecurities, past grievances, past successes and failures. I need to give myself a clean slate every day so that I have the opportunity to make something spectacular!

Be Aware of Your Emotions (so they don’t get the best of you) - Part of letting go is to approach each shot objectively and with purpose. I need to approach both my failures and successes with same level of objectivity. This isn’t to say that I should become an unemotional machine. It means to be aware of my emotions - the ups and the downs - and to make sure that I take action with intention rather than reacting based on emotion.

Keep Your Eye On the Ball - To make a great golf shot, you have to keep your eye on the ball all the way through the point of impact. It’s the same in life. If I find that I’m not making the progress I want toward my goals, it is usually because I’ve let myself get “busy”, but with activities that don’t really help me achieve my goals.

The Turn

Eat Lunch - I know, it doesn’t sound like great “personal development” advice, but the reality is that I often get busy and forget to eat lunch. I need energy to make it through the “back 9″, and to keep focus through the afternoon everyday. Plus, it really helps my focus to take my mind off my work for a little while before diving into the afternoon.

The Back Nine

Delight in the Success of Your Competitors - Golf is a game where your greatest competition is with yourself. It’s common to congratulate your competitors on a great shot, to celebrate a great putt. How often do we do the same in our professional lives? I should celebrate the success of my competitors. If my competition is succeeding, then the market is good. I don’t need the whole pie - just my little slice!

It’s More Fun When You Play With Someone You Like - One of the things I love about golf is the comradery of spending a few hours with some good friends. No cell phones or email - just small talk and a common passion. I know from experience that it’s a lot more fun to work with people that you like as well. Life is too short to spend it with people you don’t like.

Drink More Water! - No, really! I need to drink more water! (Don’t you?)

Be Prepared for Stormy Weather - Here in Florida it can be a bright beautiful morning on the first tee, but invariably, by the back nine it’s a torrential, tropical downpour. It pays to have a rain shirt and umbrella in your bag! Life has its share of storms, too. Too often I’ve just assumed that it would be blue skies - and then get blind-sided by the inevitable storm. I really need to make sure that I do a little each day to prepare for that next storm that will come along.

Sometimes You Have to Pitch Out of the Rough - Even the best golfers sometimes put it in the trees. In this spot, a good player will pitch out into the fairway to be in the best position for the next shot. We all hit obstacles to our success. Rather than trying to force my way through them, sometimes I need to sidestep, or even take a step back to put myself in the best position to take my next shot.

Don’t Think Too Much - Keep your head down, align your shoulders, follow through the shot - man, a golf swing is a lot to think about! But when you are standing over the ball, you can’t think - just swing. I need to keep from “over thinking” things in my life, too. I need to take the advice that Tom Cruz’s character received in The Last Samurai - “- no mind”!

Mind Your Manners - Golfers will tolerate a lot from a “newbie”. For the most part they’ll tolerate slow play, bad play - but most golfers really don’t appreciate poor etiquette. I should approach everyone in my life that way. The world could use a lot more common courtesy.

The More You Do It, The Better You’ll Be- Like I mentioned before, I’ve always played sports. “Practice makes perfect” is a mantra of every coach I’ve ever met. How much time do I really spend practicing the skills that really matter? How much richer would my life be if I practiced better communication, compassion, and empathy in my personal relationships?

Leave the Course Better then You Found It - It is good golf etiquette to take care of the golf course. If you take a divot - fill it. It’s good etiquette to fill a divot that you are near - even if you didn’t make it! What a legacy we would leave if we practiced this every day! I would be a much better husband, father, friend, and person if I made a concentrated effort to leave everything and everyone better than I found them.

The 19th Hole

Have Fun! - I’m not a good golfer. I’ve been playing for nearly six years, and I’ve never broken 100. But golf isn’t about putting up a number for me, it’s about the challenge, the friendship, and the sportsmanship. I’ve hit a lot of really bad shots, but I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad round of golf.

… the ball jumped off the face of the club! It was a great shot - 220 yards and straight as an arrow.

Unfortunately, I had lined up my shot to compensate for my usual slice - so (plunk!) it went straight into the lake! Oh well, it’s gonna be a great day for golf!

Oh yeah, one more piece of advice: If you play like I do, take a lot of inexpensive golf balls. (It will save you money - and when they hit the water, they sound just like expensive ones…)

See you on the links!

Bruce

A special thanks to Skellie for providing inspiration in her article Your Trump Card Post Idea.

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