Growing up, I never had the perfect set of shiny clubs representing the latest and the greatest brand. It was just mixed bags of clubs that worked for me.  I would say that I was not looked at or identified as a refined golfer. My swing was a bit homemade; I didn’t even own a pair of slacks or fancy classic FJ golf shoes…in fact, the baggy shorts that came past the knee were kind of a chilled look for me. I knew I was a decent athlete and played golf better than an average weekend warrior. Especially those fancy guys who took up the game later in life after their established careers and wanted some type of respectable social outlet. I knew I could beat them.

So, on the day I want to play, I would check in at the pro shop as a single, walk up to the first tee, and make it a game to join a group of strangers (mostly adults) whose first impression of me was that I’d never played before. 

“Do you mind if I join you guys?” I see the judgment in their eyes as they turn and look up and down to check out my fit, my tennis shoes, non-branded golf bag, and clubs, and hesitate but eventually agree. I whispered to myself, “Haha, watch this,” as I launched my drive down the middle of the fairway, and as it rolled past their wimpy grandpa shots…(no offense to grandpas) I would then say to myself, you are in for a treat. I will school all of you in this game and make you regret you judged me. 

Hahaha. I guess I had a little chip on my shoulder…dang; who hurt me? But, looking back, I really think I identified myself as an unrefined yet average, talented young Asian kid with big dreams and unlimited potential. 

So, I have an interesting question for you. Who are you? What do you think about yourself? I mean, honestly, think about yourself. I mean as a golfer, of course. Where do you fit in this infrastructure of the golf world of identities? Do you know who you are? And why does it even matter?

Because your self-image, your self-perception, and your idea of what type of golfer you are will determine your performance. You need to know and be convinced that your self-image and your performance are equal. So, in order to change your performance, you need to change your habits and your attitude…and this will help you increase your performance on and off the course. And if you are right now asking yourself, “Can we fundamentally change the perception of who we are as a golfer?” the answer is resounding “YES”…so the real question is…how??