Learning and Golf- Personal Narrative
It just always seemed like something that I had to do. Ever since I was ten years old I’ve been playing, practicing, and talking about golf. I always have had a love for the game, but I never really thought about how stressful and painful it made my life. Even at ten I thought my future had already been planned for me. I was already thinking of life as a professional golfer. I was certain that I would go play golf for a big college, and instant fame would soon follow. It wasn’t until the last couple of years that life has changed for me.
At fourteen my dreams and hopes were becoming more realistic than ever. I was taking golf and myself very seriously. Golf was something that I was really good at, and I cherished it. It was my way out, my place of escape. It was an awkward time in my life both physically and emotionally. I was overweight, unpopular, and very, very clumsy. Girls didn’t like me and guys seemed to find joy in my failure. Junior High was by far one of the worst times in my life, and I had to make myself fit in somewhere. I found that place to be the golf course.
When I practiced it was alone or with my dad and neither one of us ever brought up my imperfections unless it was in a golf shot. I didn’t feel fat I wasn’t slow or clumsy, I could compete, and win. In tournaments I’m sure that kids thought something about my appearance and being kids would have loved to taunt. But its extremely hard to tease the guy holding the trophy.
Winning golf tournaments to me was and is one of the most exhilarating feelings I have ever experienced. Anytime you put one hundred percent of yourself into something, then reap the benefits it’s going to be a great f...
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... observe what is to quiet the mind, to control anxiety and to think positively.”, page 09. Using his simple tactics I was able to relieve myself of some pressure that was on me. I didn’t get so nervous or feel like I had to win. I would just go out and play within myself , having fun at a game that I loved.
By my sophomore year I was feeling better about my life, my appearance, and my golf game. I had finally realized that golf was just a game, not a fact of life. I was and am blessed with the talent to be good at a sport. And I’ve learned to use that to make me happy, not let it drive me mad. Since reading that book, along with maturing in life, I’ve one two state high school titles, and numerous Arkansas State Golf Association tournaments. High school became one of the better times in my life, and I wouldn’t trade all the growing I did for anything.
Doing so establishes a sense of admiration and curiosity that otherwise would have been lost in the excitement and clamor of the crowd. This, in turn, allows Faulkner and the readers of this essay to resist being swept up from the frantic crowd and instead focus on the beauty of the game.
Tim Rosaforte, who is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, writes this book, which is 240 pages and is based on Tiger Woods development from toddler to PGA Champion. Tim has known Tiger since 1990 where he witnessed Tiger at age 10 winning a National Tournament in Florida. Tim shows his knowledge in the game of golf by telling us the reader about Tiger’s tournaments and quotes from Tiger and his father Earl about his play. Tim has also written another book called Heartbreak Hill, which is also based on golf that I have not read yet. I think Tim showed his good writing abilities in this book and it showed because it almost seemed like you were right there with him watching this amazing young golfer which has progressed to the best golfer in the world.
I began golfing in the past five years. I went out for the high school team and made it on the varsity co-ed team. I was the only girl, but I was determined to make it.
As most children did, I had the choice to play whatever sport I wanted. Considering my height, 5’10, most would assume that I played either basketball or volleyball. No one expected me to play tennis, and was surprised when I said that I did. During my elementary years, I played softball for seven years, and when I hit eighth grade, I decided to play tennis. My decision came about because of my sister. I had always followed closely in her footsteps because I looked up to her a lot, so when I saw she was playing; I wanted to try it out too. I had never really thought about what it would be like to play tennis. I didn’t hate it, or really know what it would be like to play it. And little did I know that playing would demand so much time, energy, and effort.
Due to the nature of the game of golf, self-talk is a major practical psychological component that is beneficial for golfers to use. The average round of golf takes about four hours, but only about two minutes is actually spent swinging the golf club. Thus, there is a substantial amount of time that can be implemented for “inner time”. During a round of golf, golfers give themselves hundreds if not thousands of suggestions using self-talk (King, 2002). This is when a golfer may dig into his or her conscious and subconscious thoughts. In other words it is beneficial for golfers to use self-talk. Instances throughout the golf game in which self-talk may be useful include when a player is walking from hole to hole, approaching the ball, viewing the angle, and post shots. Self-talk in these cases allow the player to think about what he or she may implement or improve on in his or her next shot. In turn, the golfer’s game should improve if positive self-talk techniques are applied to the golf game.
Ever since I was a little kid, golf has been there. Golf has been something in my life that I can always fall back on and use to get some anger out of just to clear my head. No matter what it was, golf has been my rock. There is nothing like waking up at the crack of dawn to get out under the sun to play a game you love.
I guess it started when I was about twelve years old. My father took me to this place called a golf course. I did not know why or what we were here for, but I was interested in finding out. We entered a building called a clubhouse; then, he paid for a bucket of practice balls. I followed him to the driving range. Once we got there, he got a metal stick from his golf bag and gave it to me. I grabbed the stick, and he showed me how to hold it. Then, he told me to swing it. I swung it back and forth as careless as I could. He then said, "Son, you have one of the nicest golf swings I have ever seen." I did not even know what I was doing with that stick, but I guess my dad saw something I didn't. My father then decided that he was ready to teach me how to use the three clubs of golf: a putter, iron, and wood. He handed me the putter, and we went to the green. He explained to me that a putter is used on a green to get the ball into the hole. I took a few smooth swings back and forth to get a feel for a putter. He said, "Hit this ball until it goes into the hole." I was impressed with myself because it only took me six hits to get it in the hole. He laid twenty balls on the green, and he told me to hit every ball in with one shot. It took me about three hours, but I accomplished what my dad told me. He thought I was ready to try the next club, so we headed to the next location. We went out onto the fairway, and he handed me an iron. He laid out some more balls on the ground and told me to hit them towards the flag on the green. The first ball I hit did not even get close to the green. The rest of the balls I hit went either over or on the front of the green, but I never let another one fall short. My dad said, "Keep practicing until you hit all of the balls on the green." I kept practicing until all of the balls were laid up around the flag.
Golf is more than just a game to me it connects me to my family, teaches me something new every time I play, and be part of a team. I haven’t been playing the game long but it is now a part of me.
I graduated from Holy Rosary Academy and life was simple. I told my parents that I had decided to play basketball and golf in high school, but they made me choose one sport to commit myself to. I obviously chose golf. I played very well my freshman year alongside my senior partner. We never made state, but we had a great season together. My parents had a talk with me at the end of freshman year and asked me if golf was what I wanted to do...
When my golf game was not improving regardless of how much I practiced, I decided to use one of the golf psychology programs I had seen advertised on the Internet. It is amazing how each minute detail is broken down and analyzed. Swinging the golf club is broken down to individual motions and what your mindset should be at each moment during the swing. I was a little skeptical at first, but the step by step instructions really make sense, and I can see where my weaknesses are in the way I am thinking about golf. I will be improving by leaps and bounds in no time at all.
Personally, I have had deep thoughts of whether to play a college sport. I remembered specific times this last summer conversing with my parents about it. To tell you the truth, I’m playing college golf as a test in a way. In talking with my father, he would always tell me to try, or else you will never know what is in store for you. Transferring was a main topic, “If you don’t like it, transfer. It happens for a lot of kids, so don’t feel like it is a big issue,” he would say. As I was making the decision of what college I would attend, I thought why do people go to
Growing up in Alabama where the weather changes as quickly as a couch potato's remote and football is the epitome of life lead to an interesting childhood. Scarred knees, dirty clothes, and climbing willow trees were part of my every day life. As I progressed through middle school I began to associate with kids older than myself because we would indulge in playing basketball during recess. Although I was eleven at the time I could hold my own on the basketball court against the fifteen and sixteen year olds. It was during these times at the basketball court they would share their experiences in life amongst us and I often felt left out. Being t...
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