Good question. The answer is NO. That is why I love it when Tiger Woods gets mad out there. You see the difference is that as mad as he gets, he is able to feel it, release it and then refocus in way shorter time than most mere mortals.
I always enjoy watching his faithful caddy, Steve, during these moments. He doesn't say a word. He goes about his business, preparing for the next shot. He doesn't try to cheer Tiger up or make any editorial comments. He just knows that Tiger will refocus.
Wouldn't it be nice if your playing partners knew the same thing about you? What if you could be fully engaged in the disappointment of a missed shot at a crucial time and allow yourself to be furious...for a moment and not for the next three holes?
It takes discipline to retrain yourself to be mad, really mad and then to let it go. "I can't let it go, I just get so mad and then I stay stuck there." Sound familiar?
One of the misconceptions that will get in your way is that somehow you must STOP being angry all together on the course. Totally untrue. Just watch Tiger, Phil Mickelson or other top notch stars. They actually USE their anger to catapult themselves into winning opportunities.
Next time you miss a shot and feel the heat of anger rising in you, start to coach yourself strategically. Start telling yourself a different story about the shot and what it means to your day. Instead of sinking into fury and depression, start telling yourself a new version of the events. These thoughts will be strange and unusual to you at first but, with practice, you will start to see a bit of Tiger detachment sneaking into your game.
Here are some examples of thoughts you can pick from:
*Even though I hate missing like that, I can choose to let it go.
*Even though I just blew the round, thank goodness I don't have to make my living out there.
*I am learning to get mad and let it go.
*I am learning to recover more and more quickly from my missed shots.
*If Tiger can miss a putt or flop a bunker shot into another bunker, I guess I can accept that I have bad shots too.
Being mad on the course is not the problem, staying mad is.
With practice you will see improvement, just as you do when you hit balls at the range. Make a decision today that you will make your anger work for you and not against you. It really is up to you!
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