Jim Bouchard explains how he went from avoiding water hazards to improving at golf by applying his Black Belt Mindset: consistent, focused practice with a skilled coach like PGA pro Kevin Joseph. He argues there's no secret, just mindful repetition and professional guidance that accelerates improvement.
2 years ago, if you had asked me to play golf, I'd have told you to jump in the nearest water hazard. I crapped all over golf— until I tried it. Now that I've got my rookie year under my belt, I can tell you I am absolutely hooked. I can also tell you that golf is one of the most challenging things that I've ever done. Almost from the first round I played, People started asking me to share the secrets of Black Belt Mindset to help them play better. Believe me, it's not because I'm a great golfer. I don't think very many people are in their first year. It's because they recognized that I was enjoying the game so much and that I was improving every week by applying what I knew in the dojo to the golf course. Golf requires the same mindset I teach in business and for personal and professional development. Now for the secrets. The secret is there is no secret. You always enjoy something more when you're good at it, and you get good at it by practicing and by finding a good coach. The secret of the martial arts, if there is one, is just that—practice. I'd say that's the secret to anything else you want to do well in life too. But unless you're a professional, you probably don't have 3, 4, 5, 6 hours a day to devote to your game. The key to effective practice is what we call "mindful practice." Mindful practice means thinking about what you're doing. Let's face it, you can practice a lot badly, and bad practice just reinforces bad technique. The key is to isolate one area for improvement at a time and focus your practice there. That makes any practice time more efficient and more effective. Next, find a good teacher, a sensei. Sensei means one who went before. Your golf sensei will help you get the most out of any time you can commit to practice. Sadly, many recreational golfers never bother to get good professional coaching. Even sadder still, not many people get good solid professional coaching in business or in life either. Once again, if it's good for your golf game, It's good for your career and the rest of your life too. I started my golf life by taking lessons with a terrific teacher, Kevin Joseph. He's the PGA Pro at my local golf club. I was eating sand for 3 weeks trying to figure out how to get out of a bunker. One day I almost knocked myself out. I tried to blast it out of the sand and it hit the lip, ricocheted, and almost took my head off. When I took my next lesson, Kevin asked me, "Well, what do you want to work on today?" I told him about my troubles in the sand and he said, "Oh, that's easy. I thought, "Sure, for you. You're a pro." I could have spent hours frustrating myself, swearing and kicking the sand. Instead, in about 10 minutes, Kevin had me hitting out of the sand and onto the green. Believe me, I started to enjoy the game a lot more after that. Improvement is always reflected in enjoyment. When you see improvement in your game, you just enjoy it more. Just remember this: Perfection is not a destination. It's a never-ending process in life or on the golf course. Enjoy the process.
Host a Golf Like a Black Belt event at your club. Call 800-786-8502 or visit www.ThatBlackBeltGuy.com for details. Also makes a great corporate event. Mix pleasure with business. Combine my golf program with Think Like a Black Belt personal and professional development sessions for mastery on the course and on the job.
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