Practice Idea: Eeyore Golf

Purpose

Test how our expectations influence our shots.

We are told constantly to think positive, to see the shot, to commit. Fine. But most of us have never actually tested whether our framing does anything, or whether we just repeat it because a book told us to. So let’s run the experiment in the least scientific, most entertaining way available: play a few holes as Eeyore.

Exercise

Play a few holes imagining the worst outcome for every shot. Maybe vocalize it–“this is going to be awful…” Be committed to it. Stand over the ball, picture the chunk, the shank, the three-putt, and then swing.

Next, play a few holes imagining the best outcome for every shot. Same commitment, opposite picture.

Maybe do the drill with a friend. Try it with both of you imagining the same perspective, and then with opposite perspectives. Watching someone else Eeyore their way down a fairway while you are narrating birdies is its own kind of data.

A couple of practical notes. Do this on a quiet course, or on the back nine on a Tuesday evening–the group behind you did not sign up for your experiment. And don’t do it in a round that counts for anything. This is practice, not a scorecard.

Review

We want to push ourselves a bit to make the practice meaningful. Sometimes this can reveal that what we thought would happen isn’t actually what happened. After the exercise, review:

• How did each frame make you feel?
• How much did your imagining impact the outcome? Were your shots representative of your normal game, or did you put it where you were thinking about?
• Did the exercise amuse or frustrate you?
• Did anything change physically–tempo, grip pressure, how long you stood over the ball?

We all have different histories and pressures, so experimenting with what seems like a horrible idea either reinforces that it’s bad, does the opposite, or highlights that our performance is not completely impacted by our framing. We are trying to figure out our triggers; what do we respond positively and negatively to? How can we diffuse or reinforce these behaviors and habits? If you find that the negative frame really does cost you shots, that’s an argument for tightening up your shot routine so there’s less room for the commentary in the first place.

Challenge your perspectives and get a little better.