Golf and Life are a game of balance. You often have to juggle many hats: businessman, father, mother, husband/wife, athlete, mentor, etc.  It takes a certain degree of flexibility and adaptability to play many different roles in life so you can successfully move from one function to another. If you get stuck in one identity and one way of doing things, then your other jobs and responsibilities will suffer. Balance is not always a rigid goal to achieve. You may not feel in balance every day, life has cycles and we need patience to move through life with grace and wisdom. 

Golf, being an aspect of life, is no different. Balance is critical for a good solid golf swing and a good solid mental game which has wisdom, vision, perspective and patience. Physical balance cannot be achieved without mental balance. If you are mentally angry, aggressive and always trying to kill the ball, you will not have the inner capacity to keep your body in a graceful and balanced state. You will over swing and fall off. Side hill or uphill lies will be tough because when you are in your head trying to accomplish some preconceived idea of how you are supposed to be, you will lose your center. If you live in fear, you will hold yourself back. Balance is the result of rhythm, timing and tempo and accepting what is. Inner harmony is reflected in your body.  You will typically be healthier and have a physical ease of movement.  Jerky, yippy shots come from fear and trying too hard to accomplish something. When patience and acceptance are lost, then balance is difficult to find. When you play within your ability, have faith and patience regarding your ability, then good swings follow, fairways are found, and putts drop.

Faith in your ability and faith in a greater connection to life brings peace of mind. Golf will test you on both fronts. If you maintain focus, find your center, and visualize the best, then balance will follow. Preparation for great golf requires some time in quiet reflection where you can reconnect to the source of life and find within you a depth of peace and clarity: patience, wisdom, and understanding emerge from that inner self which results in an inner balance that impacts all aspects of your life. If you need help finding that inner self, give me a call. 

Dr. Ron Mann is a Peak Performance Coach who integrates a mind/body/spirit for mastering all of life’s challenges. He is the author of the LA Times Bestseller, Integrating Spirituality with Psychotherapy, The Yoga of Golf, and the audio CD Find the Zone II: Master the Mental Game of Golf. His latest book, Bouncing Back: How to Recover When Life Knocks You Down is now available online at Amazon.com. You can contact him at mannr@ronmann.com or 602.687.7644. Please visit his website www.ronmann.com for more free materials.