“Stop thinking, let things happen and be the ball”.

In Caddyshack, Ty Webb, (character played by Chevy Chase), has a famous exchange with his caddy, Danny where he attempts to teach him the esoteric connection between the golfer, the club, the ball and the fairway. Feeling surefooted and grounded, Ty blindfolds his eyes, visualizes his shot and swings his club. Magically, the ball lands just two feet from the pin.

Very few things provide me with the same feeling of exhilaration as I experience when I approach the tee box. Taking a deep breath, I tee up my pink Taylor Made, gaze down the fairway and connect inward. As I let go of my breath and allow myself the freedom to swing through that little pink ball, I finish and hope the ball lands where intended. Sometimes it does and sometimes it does not.

Golf parallels life. It’s not about the shots that land out of bounds, the miss-reads or the difficult shots that matter so much, it’s how quickly we can bring ourselves back onto the fairway.