...The other half is mental

I like quotes. I'm a writer first and a disc golfer second...distant second. Growing up I loved baseball. My two passions collide with so many lines attributed to Yogi Berra that I could go on for days. One of my favorites is "Baseball is 90 percent physical, the other half is mental."

While there are disputes over who actually delivered the line and whether or not the quote was, in actuality, "Ninety percent of the game is physical, the other half is mental," is for old men to debate over their morning coffee with each other at Hardee's on any given morning for years to come...it does bring up the side of sports that generally rears it's ugly head in the greatest of mistakes, or the greatest of victories.

The mental game of disc golf was a topic of discussion, briefly, during my last semi-competitive round at one of my local courses.

Golf...any way you play it

It was Caleb that advanced the brief conversation by dropping the name of Dr. Bob Rotella, noted Sports Psychologist. A friend recommended "Golf is not a Game of Perfect," by he and Bob Cullen some years ago when I was chasing the little round ball off the fairways. It's a great read with stories about mental blocks, preparing, and general positivity toward the challenges that competitors face. While the "golfs" share common ground the round version seems to generate more frustration.

Disc golf is supposed to be fun. It's certainly more fun to play well, right Hannable? You have to relax to have fun. So, I need to relax...then I can have fun...while playing Disc Golf. And I'll enjoy my long walks a whole lot more.

I used to know a guy who was amazing on the pool table. Did his best work after his second beer and before his sixth. That must be the answer...B.E.E.R (But it's not what you think.)

Have a drink on me

Every top athlete has that thing they do before they step into the spotlight. It's their pre-shot routine. Whether it's adjusting your batting gloves a thousand times between pitches, waggling your club 17 times, or casually flipping a disc between your palms before a putt (see what I did there?) that's their way to slow the pulse, focus, and nail it.

Years in the corporate world has made me fond of acronyms, so here's my contribution: between every shot, think of B.E.E.R - Believe Execute Evaluate Repeat.

Murphy's Law

Murphy was an optimist, because everything that can go wrong, will. This is the opposite of that. This is where you select your disc, your shot, that will get you in the place that you want to be, ideally, on the fairway, or parked near the basket.

This is also the part where you have to be realistic about your game. This is not the time that you forehand flex that Firebird that you threw perfect one time during field work as you try to navigate the 30 foot opening between two trees, 220 feet away so you can make birdie for the first time.

You have to Believe that you will make the shot, but the shot has to be believable based on your experience. If you have to give up distance for accuracy, do it. Pars are better than bogeys. Maybe you backhand a Leopard up between the trees and give yourself a good chance for an approach and tap in par. Get all of your thinking out of the way before you step on the pad. Thought is the enemy of action and you're about to move into shot execution.

Throw a killer shot

You have your disc. You have your shot. It's go time. In round golf you may have heard players talk about "swing thoughts." The phrase is a misnomer. Same goes for disc golf. Your body wants to do, which is why practice is so important. I could go on for hours about visualization and muscle memory. The short version is that the mind wants to perform the shot and will do it's best to make the body follow...if you're not interrupting with conscious thoughts.

If you didn't finish the first part, then you've probably already missed your shot before you even took your x-step, never mind the poor follow-through. You don't think a shot. You throw a shot. Execute.

And the grade is...

It can be a long walk up to that disc and it's very easy to get lost in the previous shot, good or bad. Truly, it doesn't matter what the grade is on that shot, you have another one coming up.

What does your lie give you? Is the shot open or obstructed? Will my stance be impacted? Potential upshot, safe lay up or can you make a run at the basket? If you're familiar with the course, you already have a good idea about where you wanted to be, where you are, and what you wanted your next shot to be (or has to be now depending on the result.) Evaluate your position, not the throw.

Start over

Finish the B.E.E.R. with a Repeat of the process. The last shot is gone. Forget it and move on. I know it's cliche to focus on one shot at a time, but that what winners do...consistently. Trust the process and have another B.E.E.R.

Greatness rarely defies fundamentals. Fundamentals are the building blocks to success. Granted, some are simply more gifted than others. I can't throw a 400+ foot spike hyzer over the trees to park it at a basket 270 feet away. I've got to navigate a straighter approach, play my game, my abilities.

So, keep throwing those Flippin Discs and don't forget the B.E.E.R. on the course next time out.