What's Amiss here?

A quote from a prodigy:

"It's just a very fine line between shooting 69 and shooting what I shot today," said Wie, who stretched her streak to 21 rounds without breaking par.

Sounds like a weak attempt to rationalize a way to save face. Sad, in a way, since there is little doubt that this 17 year old is endowed with so much talent, it literally drips off her worried brow.

Our measured concern goes this way: "When will her advisors, associates, parents, teachers, etc, quit trying to satisfy their own needs and pay attention to those of a remarkable human being on the verge of adulthood, who is still not completely out of the assisted period of juvenile growth, but in that uncomfortable transition zone that invariably acts and feels like "no man's land."

Michelle is being done disservice in full surround sound and high definition. She needs a break from the action, separation from all those "helpers" out there, and especially a vacation from media attention.

She has hit the wall in terms of doing what kids do well on their own and has reached that point where conscious control gets in the act and takes over and she has no one who either understands that or knows what to do with it. She is in between childhood and adulthood, and it is showing miserably.

Michele, we wish you the best, but get yourself a whole new outfit.

The Fear Has It

Don't know for sure whether it was Dave Marr or Mark Lye who said it, since there were no faces on the screen, but we think it was Mark.

"A little bit of fear in there doesn't hurt when you are in the lead."

A remark concerning Jay Haas facing a shot after he had gained the lead in final round of the event today.

What kind of "fear" would you consider that? Or is that just one more glib, meaningless remark from a commentator? If a player has the lead and he is fearful, how long would you expect him to hold the lead?

If what Mark(?) meant was akin to butterflies, that's not fear. That's one of the manifestations of anxiety. If that is what Mark(?) meant, he is mistaken - it certainly has the potential to hurt, so his "doesn't hurt" is like saying it doesn't hurt to hit one out of bounds.

Anxiety will wreck anybody's train and tour players are not immune. This is but one more example of the loose lips of broadcasters, capable of sinking player's ships, since a lot of listeners will take that "doesn't hurt" to heart and assume that it's a good thing. Well, it isn't - so learn to manage your anxiety, since you will have some. That much is true.

We just read it again in a newsletter from a guru! "You got to control your emotions in this game!!" If you believe that, you will buy the Brooklyn Bridge from some guy in an alley in your neighborhood.

There is little doubt in our minds that there are several things that golfers either don't want to get straight, or can't allow themselves to get straight - and this is one of them. The reason that is a problem is that there are just some things that people can't bring themselves to hear and understand, either because they are so thoroughly pre-conditioned to what they've believed from the past or because they are terrified of anything that sounds like "they may not be “in 'control'."

If you happen to be scared of "losing control," we may not be able to help. But if the problem for you is that you haven't grasped the essential information and it's meaning, then we may be able to assist.

Basic issue: No one can "control" emotion. It is nature driven and built into the system. The harder you try to "control" it, the more it will rear its head. You can "manage" it, but you cannot - repeat - cannot control it. Check any reputable, genuine psychological/psychiatric study and you will find that basic issue verified. (You may not find it in some popular books that have an authentic sound, and that's just another reason for being sure the information you have is valid).

Of course, it is important to know how to "manage" emotion, with the "kicker" being that you must plan for it in advance. That must be done at a time when there is no emotional impact at hand so you are free to make a commitment to yourself concerning the management strategy you will use when and if it arises during the game. What happens is that players typically wait till something happens that throws emotion into full bloom, fired-up presence on the course and then they try to "control" it on the spot. Won't work. That's what leads to references claiming that the "wheels have come off." Two or three mistakes later, you may or may not recover, depending on how "tough" you have "learned" to be (another of those mythological "medicines" for golfing plagues, but we'll deal with the "tough-minded" myth another time).

Get yourself a set of management tools to go with your golf clubs. You'll play better - and have more fun doing it.