Hickory NC
Last Seen: September 4, 2008
Greetings Golflink Readers !
It was a great holiday weekend for golf here in the foothills of western North Carolina with perfect weather, excellent friends and some fun rounds this past Memorial Day weekend ! I’m still in my rookie year of golf, but I’d like to share with you a mindset that I have adapted to my game. . . .
Chi [pronounced “chee”] (and also spelled Qi or Ch’i) means life force, and Chi is the spiritual energy in all things. Everyone has Chi; and balanced Chi provides harmony and well-being. Chi is energy - the life giving energy that unites body, mind, spirit and golf.
That which animates and unites life and golf is called Golf-Chi. Golf is defined by Chi even though it is impossible to grasp, measure, quantify, see or isolate. Immaterial yet essential to your golf game, Chi is an invisible force known only by its effects; and Chi is recognized by what it fosters, generates and protects.
When your Chi is strong, balanced, flowing and focused you exude energy and good health. Good mental health and strong balanced Chi are almost one and the same.
Ever heard: “The Golf-Gods Were Smiling On Me Today” ??
That’s “Golf-Chi”, and that’s the energy you have to realize is there, and be able to rely upon and be able to channel into your game when stepping up to the tee box without even thinking about it. Golf-Chi should be as basic to your game as “which end of the club to hold”. Chi is your expectation of what will happen, rather than all the other possibilities of what might happen, which may cloud, obscure and distract you from your best game.
Remember that great drive you made last week ?? It is precisely that "good feeling of accomplishment" that you want to bring with you to the tee again. Chi is the fundamental mystery and miracle of golf; and Golf is Chi taking shape.
Chi is that directed transfer of energy with finesse, that flows from your inner self, thru your golf club, into the ball, which brings that smile to your face when you watch it travel straight down the fairway. Chi is that 2nd shot landing 2 feet from the flag and it is YOUR Chi that will place YOUR ball into the cup. Chi will be the confidence and satisfaction you will carry with you from that tap-in to the next tee.
In T’ai Chi, some of the goals are to increase the amount of Chi; to learn to focus your Chi and to make sure your Chi does not get blocked or become stagnant. In T’ai Chi one quickly learns that muscles are no match for the power of Chi; and the power of Chi will carry you further than muscles. Chi is stronger than muscles, and movement that comes from Chi is more deeply powerful. (ever heard that golf is 90% mental and 10% physical – that’s golf-Chi)
Golf-Chi will make for a lifetime of study to understand, develop and to direct on the golf course, and not just an afternoon on the driving range.
When you develop your golf-chi you are developing your golf game as well as developing your appreciation for the game too.
If golf were an art, and your game is your canvas, YOU ARE the artist, now paint a masterpiece . . . .
Chi is your projection of your inner self into your game. If you have a desire to win you will be a winner; but if you look for faults in the course, or your clubs, or the flight in front of you, or your slow golf cart, or the wind or the many things I've learned that golfers whine about, then you’ve heard it from this rookie: “you need to get your “golf-chi right” and get back into your game”.
I like Jessica Albatross’s blog about “The Differences Between You & Tiger”. . . .
“Difference Number Sixteen – When Tiger Hits A Bad Shot, He Still KNOWS He’s The Best Golfer On The Planet; but when “we” hit a bad shot, we’re the worst golfer in the world; this is definitely the last round of golf we’re ever playing, and we’re selling our clubs on ebay as soon as we get home”
So in short, Tiger’s Got His Chi “Right” – he plays like a champion and thinks like a champion.
Me ?
I’m working on getting my golf-chi “right” !!
If I get my golf-chi "right" i know that with a little work and a lot of fun, my game will improve. I’ve been playing for 11 months, and there are “good days” and “not so good days” (but there are no “bad days”). Memorial Day, I guess I had my Golf-Chi “right” – I began with a birdie, followed with a couple pars, added some good friends to the mix and had a 44 on the front and a 44 on the back for an 88 – not my best day there (84), but it was a Grrrreat Memorial Day !
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU TOO . . . .
Lynn Starwalker
Hickory NC
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North Carolina
Joined: 08/16/2007 |
Posted: May 29, 2008 | 12:49 PM PST
Great article on the power of Chi, LS. It's also good that such understandings, though "eastern" in origin, are completely non-sectarian, and fit in well with anyone's religious and philosophical understanding. That our bodies have untapped power, and that our brains allow access to it, is something we all need to remember.And(need we add?)...Chi Chi Rodriguez must have a double-portion of this! Last edited by Pastor_Mark on May 29th at 12:51 PM. |
Cumbria, UK
Joined: 08/16/2007 |
Posted: Jun 3, 2008 | 8:34 AM PST
I love the idea of "Golf-Chi", but am of the opinion that it is the "Golf Gods" who endow us with it. I do try to put my clubs in the correct position in the bag along with the usual plethora of accessories. Is there a decisive way to load & carry my gear? I need all the help I can get just now. I agree with PM, great article.
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Hickory NC
Joined: 09/01/2007 |
Posted: Jun 4, 2008 | 5:54 PM PST
Hi Mark, Hi Thistle !YES Grasshopper – “Chi” IS at he very center of Chinese Medicine and culture; but you do not have to have a black-belt in golf or be a grand master in ta’i chi to benefit your golf game. Personally, when I hear references to the “golf gods” I cringe a little. I fully understand the jest in terminology, and know of golfers that firmly believe in golf-gods and golf-gremlins too. Now help me out here Pastor-Mark, it’s that “no other gods before me” thing that I guess I have a hang-up with, even though I spend most Sunday mornings at the golf course. I know my friends don’t mean to be sac-religious using THAT common golf term / mindset / phenomena / mystery / miracle / golf-gods thing, and believe me, if I had a “golf god” materialize before me at the “19th hole” with a message of how to organize my golf bag, I would promptly finish the remainder of my pint, go rearrange my bag, call a taxi, and hurry back in for a few more pints before my driver arrived. Thistle, if everything has its particular place in your golf bag then DON’T CHANGE A THING. That is YOUR “golf-chi” flowing when you reach for a club or accessory, expect it to be there and pull it from your bag. (continued below) Last edited by LynnStarwalker on June 4th at 5:56 PM. |
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Hickory NC
Joined: 09/01/2007 |
Posted: Jun 4, 2008 | 5:57 PM PST
Actually, this is more precisely “Feng Shui” [pronounced fung’shwa’] The origins of Feng Shui come from ancient astronomy, geographical lore, Chinese folk wisdom, Taoist cosmology and philosophy, and a system of divination found in Yijing (I Ching). It is a 4,000-year-old system of analyzing and altering the flow of energy, or "chi," in our everyday lives. Feng Shui stresses the balance and harmony of nature through the universe, earth and living things. It is the study of the movement of "chi" or energy and how it moves into patterns, affecting every aspect of our lives.YOUR organizational methodology that your years of golfing experiences have taught you, (be it the “golf gods”, your “golf-chi” or “feng shui”), eliminates the distractions of searching for a club and adds flow to your game as you ready yourself for your next shot. Although . . . . if you “look” at your bag, and realize your pitching wedge is missing YOUR golf-chi instantly stops flowing until the mystery is solved. And dig this, it wasn’t the golf-gods that left it behind, it was probably just an ebb in the flow of your golf-chi. (probably all those distracting “high-5’s” after your 30’ putt that dropped in after hanging on the cups edge for just a fraction of a second). Oh Yeah, and that golfer you meet in the flight behind you that found your wedge isn’t a golf god either, but it does do his golf-chi good to be able to place a lost club in the hands of its owner and make a new friend. (continued below) Last edited by LynnStarwalker on June 4th at 5:59 PM. |
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Hickory NC
Joined: 09/01/2007 |
Posted: Jun 4, 2008 | 5:58 PM PST
Thistle, Question Me This: Ever been out at the club solo, just having a game development day, maybe playing a couple balls or playing “best ball” and not even keeping score. Its one of those outstanding days when you’re making your way around the links and you wish the “cameras” were rolling because NOBODY will believe the story this day will tell ?? Did you happen to notice if you were talking to yourself, coaching yourself or at least thinking out loud ?? If so, is it possible you were so totally consumed in your own little golf world and without a concern or distraction in mind except your ball and your next shot ?? You (at that point) were so in touch with your inner self that you are having a career game, the “golf-gods are smiling” and your “golf-chi” is flowing like never before. “Golf-Chi” is the link between knowing what to do AND being able to do it, without thinking about your shot to the degree that you distract yourself. . . Oh guys . . . . One closing thought . . . . Be careful whom you accept golf advice from. (help me again Mark just in case someone asks for the verse) But, “beware of false golf-prophets” and if you take nothing else from this blog posting then do yourself a favor and “free your game of distractions”. Thistle, load and carry your gear like the well-seasoned golfer you are. The kind of golfer that possesses the confidence of a true “Golf-Master”, and then dance with the ball like nobody’s watching ! Last edited by LynnStarwalker on June 4th at 6:12 PM. |
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Cumbria, UK
Joined: 08/16/2007 |
Posted: Jun 5, 2008 | 4:23 AM PST
I think I have found my new "Guru". And YES, I have had one of those days you described. Thanks for the memory.
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Hickory NC
Joined: 09/01/2007 |
Posted: Jun 5, 2008 | 6:33 PM PST
Aggressive play is a vital asset of the world's greatest golfers. However, it's even more important to the average player. Attack this game in a bold, confident, and determined way, and you'll make a giant leap toward realizing your full potential as a player. (Greg Norman) Last edited by LynnStarwalker on June 5th at 6:34 PM. |
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