POWER of WORDS

Posted on February 16, 2020

“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.” (Y. Berg) And a person who controls the message of words has tremendous power over others. Read More

GOLF as GURU

Posted on February 8, 2020

The golf course has been a wonderful place to learn about and practice the art and science of mastering the self; health, wellness and well-being; and mind”full”ness, awareness and self-restraint. The game’s gifts reminds of General Douglas MacArthur’s words, uttered in the context of West Point, Black Knights of the Hudson football: “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and in other places, bear he fruits of victory.” Read More

MEET WOODY & BIRDY BALL

Posted on February 2, 2020

Golf, entertainment, fun and creative, these are just a few of the words that capture the spirit and story of Woody and Birdy Ball, the caretakers of readers who take the opportunity to experience the journey of Golf as Guru: Mind”full”ness, Awareness and Self-Restraint.
Our culture today has become driven by entertainment through media frenzies, predominantly inspired by television and social media. As the manuscript for Golf as Guru was being completed and a publisher being selected, the inspiration arose to have the book be entertaining for a reader. Thus, were born the spirits of Woody and Birdy Ball, the two golf ball characters to be discovered on the cover and at the beginning of each chapter as one enjoys the journey through the book. Read More

PACE-OF-PLAY

Posted on January 26, 2020

Slow play is a challenge and an opportunity in golf. A slow player can ruin the day for players behind him-her; and in the interest of other golfers, players need to make a commitment to play at a reasonable pace. As an added variable in the pace-of-play equation, the number one revenue producer on golf courses is greens fees. Course management has an obligation to their respective boards or management teams to fill as many tee times with foursomes as are available. From this perspective, pace-of-play becomes a total team effort between golfers and course management. Some pace-of-play concepts to learn and practice are as follows:
PLAY “READY GOLF” Read More

PACE-OF-PLAY

Posted on January 26, 2020

Slow play is a challenge and an opportunity in golf. A slow player can ruin the day for players behind him-her; and in the interest of other golfers, players need to make a commitment to play at a reasonable pace. As an added variable in the pace-of-play equation, the number one revenue producer on golf courses is greens fees. Course management has an obligation to their respective boards or management teams to fill as many tee times with foursomes as are available. From this perspective, pace-of-play becomes a total team effort between golfers and course management. Some pace-of-play concepts to learn and practice are as follows:
PLAY “READY GOLF” Read More

PACE-OF-PLAY

Posted on January 26, 2020

Slow play is a challenge and an opportunity in golf. A slow player can ruin the day for players behind him-her; and in the interest of other golfers, players need to make a commitment to play at a reasonable pace. As an added variable in the pace-of-play equation, the number one revenue producer on golf courses is greens fees. Course management has an obligation to their respective boards or management teams to fill as many tee times with foursomes as are available. From this perspective, pace-of-play becomes a total team effort between golfers and course management. Some pace-of-play concepts to learn and practice are as follows:
PLAY “READY GOLF” Read More

ETIQUETTE

Posted on January 18, 2020

Reflecting on etiquette reminds of the green on hole number one at Orchard Hills Country Club, Bryan, Ohio. As an eight-year-old, it was the beginning of a great day playing golf with Dad. Dad was putting for a birdie and the author was behind the hole astride Dad’s putting line. Dad bellowed, “G#* John, get out of my putting line!” Yes, Dad was a stickler about course etiquette; and his passion for courtesy on the course is alive in the author today.
Practicing course etiquette respects the legendary core values and guiding principles of the game. Nothing is more frustrating than playing with a golfer who has not taken the time and opportunity to become familiar with course etiquette, the spirit of the game, safety, putting green courtesies and mindful control of disturbance and distraction. Golf coaches, including my dad, always counseled as follows: Read More

RITUAL

Posted on January 12, 2020

For every shot the golfer needs to evolve a Ritual for creating a personal teepee where the mind becomes clear and quiet [Shoemaker, F. (1996). Extraordinary Golf. NY, NY: Pedigree] and the programmed subconscious is given absolute trust to deliver a shot. In 1929 legendary Bobby Jones remarked, Read More

TRAINING SUBCONSCIOUS

Posted on January 5, 2020

As a student of golf, trusting the subconscious mind to swing the golf club has evolved a growing passion to be more positive, to learn and to improve because the game is the “funest” and “bestest” ever. Placing swing thoughts on a bus to Tucson, giving clear “desired results” to the subconscious and passionately connecting the conscious mind with the subconscious mind is a completely new, exciting experience.
An innate desire to have the complicated golf swing “perfect” and growing awareness of the powers of the subconscious has energized interest in learning more about how the subconscious mind can be programmed—mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually—to facilitate improved performance. Christian D. Larson offers, Read More

BODY, BALL, CLUB and TARGET

Posted on December 29, 2019

In a 2016 email Marshall Gavre, coach and associate of Fred Shoemaker’s Extraordinary Golf school, comments,
As Fred (Shoemaker) notes in his book (Extraordinary Golf), the four real things at play in golf are the body, ball, club and environment (including target). We have found over the years that as a golfer becomes more aware of, or present to any of those four realities, learning seems to take place easily. The other focus that gets most golfers attention is thoughts in the mind…Thoughts typically either keep us in the past or project us into the future, neither of which are present right here right now.
How does one not swim in swing thoughts and focus on body, club, ball and target? During discussion of Ritual, Golf as Guru (www.johnedwindevore.com) notes, “For every shot, the golfer needs to evolve a ritual for creating a personal teepee where mind becomes clear and quiet and the physically, emotionally and mentally programmed subconscious is given absolute trust to deliver the ball to the intended target.”
Creating the personal teepee is individually unique; and experience offers that mindfulness and awareness meditation can nurture monkey mind quietness and enable body, club, ball and target awareness. For this golfer, when ready to pull the trigger, relaxed focus offers a golf ball dimple as a single point of concentration coupled with awareness of a relaxed body, a club and a golf ball resting at the intended target. A brief story…
In 2001, sparked by a stagnant bowling average, a trek to learn to meditate was launched at Naropa University. As relevant literature had revealed, a desired result was to begin to experience the connection between the body and the mind through the breath. By early 2004, the bowling passion had expired and as a three-year, trained, novice meditation practitioner, a treasure hunt evolved to discover a connection between meditation and golf. In 2017 experience evolved gold; and although the journey to understand and experience the meditation-golf link continues to blossom, the connection is simple. Meditation can support 1) quieting the mind, at will; 2) expanding awareness; 3) visualizing and creating multi-dimensional images; 4) increasing the likelihood for in-the-zone experiences; 5) heightening of relaxed focus; 6) deepening of feeling, passion and intent to put a ball at a target; 7) facilitating harmony with surroundings; and 8) growing insight about the game. If you are up for learning to meditate, recommend that a first step be to find a meditation coach who understands your individual uniqueness and goal and with whom you have good chemistry. P.S. Enjoy Golf as Guru, silent self-alone and becoming one with the body, club, ball and target.

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