Improve your game from your inbox – Priorities and Perspective
Coen Welsh on the Psychology of Golf Psychology
Louis Oosthuizen completed a unique grand slam by finishing second at all the majors by finishing T2 at the 2017 PGA Championship.
Pete Cowan (the “Best Teacher No One Knows” according to GolfDigest.com) had this to say about Louis. “Louis Oosthuizen’s gift was to never be tempted to change the awesome swing that won the Open at St. Andrews in 2010. It’s the same basic swing I saw when he came to me as an amateur.”
“That’s a gift, believe me. When a player has success, there’s always a voice that whispers they can be even better if they make this one change. It can be disastrous, but Louis never heard that voice” Cowan continued.
“He also has never changed his priorities in life. His family comes first, his farm second and golf third. Nothing will ever change that.”
From these priorities comes the lesson for this article. Keeping perspective.
Tip of the week – Perspective
Apart from his unique achievement at the 2017 PGA Championship, Louis made the headlines for his post on twitter after the tournament. Golf.com describes it as follows: “His response to this dubious feat was hilarious. Presumably on his way home after the North Carolina tournament, Oosthuizen clutched his iPhone as a microphone and performed a dramatic lip-sync rendition of Andra Day’s protest song “Rise Up.”
You can watch the video here: http://www.golf.com/extra-spin/2017/08/14/after-coming-second-pga-louis-oothuizen-sings-his-heart-out
Louis is certainly not letting the result get him down. After getting so close so many times this might get to his head the next time he’s in a similar situation. His response though was the best possible response to his Grand Slam of second places and as Pete Cowan says, Louis has the right perspective in keeping his family first, then his farm and lastly golf.
Quote of the week
“I spoke recently at a seminar attended by 500 Australian club pros. I said, “We’ve long known that exercising 15 minutes per day will add several years to our lives. Those of you who have spent 15 minutes daily over the last 10 years, raise your hands.””
Not a hand went up. I said, “If you won’t commit 15 minutes to lengthening your very life, what makes you think you’ll devote 15 minutes to golf?” The problem comes down to actually doing it. It’s a very tough sell. – Pete Cowan (GolfDigest.com)
