Searching for the right mindset on the golf course

To start this week, I did want to just say a quick thanks to everyone that has reached out or messaged me saying how much they look forward to the weekly columns. When I started this at the turn of the year, I wasn’t sure how long it would actually go on for and 10 weeks later, some of them have proved to be popular - in particular last week. It seems that many of you know some of the types of people I mentioned. Maybe you are one yourself. 

But one thing is for sure, while I was away on a golf holiday last week, everyone was looking at each other trying to work out which one was which, and that made me chuckle. There was definitely some of that behaviour on display too...

Enjoying This Incredible Golf Break in Spain

I know everyone is itching to find out how the trip went, how the new irons were, etc. So, let's dive right into that. 

It was a successful three days, flights on time, transfer on time, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and there was some great golf and some not great golf on display. 

The resort at Isla Canela is a great place, one I would head back to given the chance. Two great but very different golf courses and the hotel is exactly what you need for a golf break. Lovely rooms, good food, etc. Everything went smoothly. 

The guys at Golfbreaks looked after me pretty well during the booking process and it’s the first time I have used their app for making amendments and accessing information. 

The Cobra 3DP Tour Irons didn’t disappoint either. The very first shot I hit with one on a golf course was a 7 iron from around 175 yards from the fairway on the par 5 opening hole on the Links course. I hit it to about 15 feet and holed the putt, just a shame that I had to take three off the tee as we got the line (slightly blind dogleg) wrong off the tee but it was some par in the end - or moral eagle, whatever you want to call it. 

How to Find The Best Perspective on The Golf Course

Unfortunately, there was the comedown and returning to a cold and grey Suffolk that greeted me on Saturday morning. I did enter the comp this week, but after about six holes I basically ripped up my scorecard and started to clean my ball in the rough again and played preferred lies and had a lot more fun for the remaining 12 holes. It's still not ideal out there. But it is getting closer. 

I am a super competitive player, I have all my open comps mapped out for the year already, I’m working my backside off at the range, continuing the lessons, doing all the right things for this time of year, but I go back to our second 18 holes on The Old Course in Spain on Tuesday - that’s the most fun I’ve had on a golf course for a while - and I found myself asking a question. Have I been doing it wrong?

What I mean by that is the competitive side, like I said a few weeks ago, I enter most competitions generally, but when your ball rolls into the rough by a yard and it's sat down surrounded by grass and the top you can hardly see as it's covered in (fairway) mud - it just sucks the fun out of it for me. 

On Tuesday, five of us were heading back out for a second 18 holes of the day. Three buggies between us and a few tins of the local brew, we decided to play a five-man scramble. No rules about 'x' amount of tee shots each. With a really good professional in our group (he played in The Open, you know…) we made him tee off last. He admitted after that it was also something he really enjoyed, being able to open up and have a rip - which he clearly did on a good few holes. 

We had sun, beer, music, laughs, birdies and an eagle on our way to a 57, 15-under after 18 holes and honestly, I haven’t enjoyed myself on a golf course like that for a while. 

When I think of these two different scenarios - it left me thinking, am I doing it wrong? 

Or do I simply need to find a way of getting the balance between being super focused with a card in my hand and relaxing a bit more and trying to take the most amount of enjoyment out of it as possible. Maybe for me, a blend of the two is the golden nugget that I am still searching for.