Do You Do "Basil Fawlty" Impressions On The Golf Course? - Part 1

Golf is a game and should be fun. Fun is what it’s all about; playing a great game with a few pals. No matter how good a golfer you are and no matter how important your golf may have become to you, it’s still a game and should be enjoyed in the spirit of the game. It’s a recreational activity, which you should find relaxing.

Do you find it relaxing? Or do you find your emotions being affected in a rather different way as you play this great game? Do you find yourself hacking your golf clubs into the ground, or slinging them across the fairway? Do you find yourself muttering four letter words under your breath (or out loud)?

We all have caricatures in our minds of the true "Mr. Angry". Are you a "Mr. Angry golfer?" If so, would it be handy to be able to change?

Anger is a normal and usually healthy human emotion. When anger is controlled, or managed, it will not cause you, or anyone around you, any harm. But when it is out of control it will become destructive. Uncontrolled anger is a major cause of conflict in both personal and professional relationships, on an off the golf course.

Anger is an emotional state which may vary in intensity and which is accompanied by physiological and biological changes - your heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, adrenaline is secreted at a greater level. Not very helpful when you're trying to play a game that requires a state of relaxed concentration in order to be able to put your best swing on the golf ball.

Anger is caused by your own perception of events, whether that event is happening now, or in the past, or you are anticipating a future event. It is important that you understand this fact. You create your own anger. Your golf ball may have found its way into the trees, or a plugged lie; there may be a lack of baskets at the range or the tee box may not be level…but "it" did not make you angry...You did.

You will no doubt have wondered how some golfers remain calm, or even laugh, no matter what happens to their ball whilst others "blow" or "flip" at the slightest thing. The difference is that some people have learnt to manage their anger, whilst others have given in to it.

You have probably watched "Fawlty Towers" and laughed at Basil's antics. But isn't the entire series based on taking off mismanaged anger and frustration? And the exaggerated body language demonstrates beautifully the actual effect of anger - raised voice, jerky movements, clenched fists, and...a direction for the anger - usually Manuel or Mrs. Fawlty...and the disastrous results that are achieved reflect the destructive effect of uncontrolled anger.

And the equivalent of Basil in golf can be equally amusing some of the time...or perhaps embarrassing, depending on how you see it. The direction for the anger is usually the ball, the clubs, the nearest gorse bush, and so on. In extreme cases the entire trolley and clubs have been known to be launched into water and never retrieved!

The question is how have those non-angry people learnt to manage their anger? How can "Basil" learn to manage his anger? And, more importantly, do you want to control your anger? Because if you don't want to, you won't even try. Everyone can change so long as they want to. You're not born angry, you just haven't learnt how to manage your anger.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.