Golf is a game: Enjoy it

By Paula King
Special to The Arizona Republic
Feb. 4, 2000

Golf is a game. Golfers play golf.

The words "game" and "play" imply the intention to have fun, to enjoy
what you're doing on the golf course. In fact, almost every golfer I know
says that one of the reasons they play golf is to have fun, to enjoy
themselves and their friends on the course.

But that's easier said than done. The fun is often elusive. The challenges
and frustrations take over and what started out as a great walk in a
beautiful place, doing something you enjoy, turns into the proverbial good
walk spoiled.

So it was especially rewarding last week at the Phoenix Open, the PGA
Tour stop that's touted as "the place to be for a good time," to witness
Tom Lehman, with his newfound commitment to having more fun with
his golf game, showing us something of how it's done.

"It's kind of been a common theme with me this week, trying to enjoy
golf," Lehman said at the time. "To have fun, to enjoy playing. Same
with putting. You know, good putters, they can't wait to get to the green,
they can't wait to go ahead and try to make that putt."

He went on to describe his thinking and what he's doing to create more
fun:

"I've been trying to be way more right-brained with my putting, trying to
just kind of let it happen almost. You know, I get on the putting green
and I'll putt, not thinking about anything but making the putt, and you
make a lot of putts."

Part of the secret is being more childlike in his approach to the game. As
Lehman said, "As a kid, that's what you do, too, and that's all I'm trying
to do, is look at the putt, get the line, and then just kind of let instinct take
over and just roll it up to the hole, as opposed to trying to force the ball in
there. Just trying to get in that real loose, kind of instinctive feeling about
putting. Not being too specific."

Lehman's new theme was apparent right up to the winning putt on the
18th green, where, when it dropped into the cup, the kid within him
emphatically pumped his fist, exclaiming for all to see that he was indeed
having the time of his life.

Later Lehman said, "Those are the same putts I've missed most of my
career, so I was happy to step up and make it."

Sometimes one person's idea of fun can be difficult for those around
him. The Phoenix Open, with its rambunctious crowd, is infamous as the
place where some golfers find it difficult, if not impossible, to laugh with
the crowd, especially if the crowd seems to be laughing at them.

David Duval had a hard time on Saturday because of the hecklers on the
course.

I had a fantasy that Duval went home, and while reflecting on the day,
had the realization that the rude remarks were only about him if he made
it so. He could not make them stop harassing him, but he could hold on
to his personal power.

In this imaginary scene, Duval learned what Lehman seems to have
figured out: that when we change how we think, that changes how we
feel, and when we change how we feel, that changes what we do. The
one thing that no one can take away from us is our ability to think
whatever we want to think.

And when we think that fun and pleasure are part of playing the game
of golf, even in the pro ranks, the correlation remains true: As the fun
goes up, the scores go down, and vice versa.

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Reach licensed sports psychologist Dr. Paula King at (602)
862-0032 or visit her Web site at www.drheadcoach.com