All us newcomers to the game of golf love to get tips from people who are more experienced. I myself can sit for hours and listen to people talk about the techniques the used to improve their game. I too have tried a great many things in the quest for this better game, and I finally realize, that only one point holds true in regards to golf.
But even with all these tips, I felt I was missing something. In my gut I knew that something was out there that I needed, but I could not figure out what it was. I tried just about everything I read about or anybody would share with me to improve my game. I even enlisted some personal training in order to find my way and feel like I was as competitive as anybody else.
The feeling of lacking something began to take me over. I tried to put my finger on it, but my mind could not come up with what it was. I entered a lot of different tournaments, and in some showed well, and in others tanked out. My game seemed to be stuck where it was. An understanding friend loaned his best golf instruction book to me, and I eagerly read it through and added some of the strategies to my game. I still had that lacking feeling.
I was searching for something that would give me an edge. An extra vein of confidence that I seemed to be missing. I could not put my finger on what I was looking for, but I knew if I could find it, I would be a much better golfer than I was at that time. I worked hard at improving my game with what I knew. I played often, and tried to play courses that were very challenging.
I had to face the fact that maybe my game was just as good as it would ever be. I had ups and downs and began to feel really stale and losing heart. My level of skill was flat and I had no ideas how to improve. I would stay awake at night with that gut-wrenching feeling, and wonder why I felt I was so close, but could never find it. But it never showed, and I thought I was stuck where I was.
Days passed, and tournaments passed, and still my game was average. I made up my mind I would stop trying to figure it out, and let my mind rest and stop being troubled. I wanted to let go. I went out on my porch one day, and I watched as some children were playing in yard next door. A light came on in my head, and I knew I had found the missing piece to the puzzle. Simple, yet powerful.
While I was watching, the kids were digging around in their yard, and found a pretty little blue marble. They all smiled and wanted to hold it. And as they passed it around, each one closed their hand around it and made a wish. That was it! Since we were children, we have all believed in having a good luck charm. Before I teed off in the tournament the next day, I put my rhodium plated wedding ring to my lips and kissed it. I golfed the best game of my career. Simple, and yet very powerful. Belief was the missing ingredient.