"Act Without Expectation"
-Lau Tzu
The hardest lessons to learn are when the outcome is less than desirable. How do we learn from these situations? Life is about doing, then learning from what we do. We take the good with the bad and move forward. In golf we must be resilient. Phil Mickelson had the best quote after he won the British Open. Reporters asked him how he bounced back from the US Open. He said "we fail so much in golf, you have to be resilient." Think about that for a moment. Think about all of the golf shots that don't turn out like we want. Think about all the rounds of golf that could have been better. Think about the near misses in tournaments we wish we could have back. It's part of the game, it's part of the process. After a disappointment it's important to look at all the good things we did that day. Then carefully analyze where we can be better. What can we do differently in that situation next time. The best golfers and people that are the most successful in life approach each round and each situation that way. I've read before that failure is a great teacher. I believe it is, if we ask ourselves the right questions after we have failed and look ourselves in the mirror to see what we have learned. Be committed to not making the same mistakes again in the future. Make better decisions and think more clearly the next time we are in that same position. Life is an excellent opportunity to learn about ourselves and when we fail it will reveal the most and best time for growth. Until next time, play the game....enjoy the walk!
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An Attitude of Gratitude4/20/2014 Easter is a great time for reflection and a time of renewal. I was thinking this morning about how we can apply the attitude of gratitude to our golf games. It all starts with our attitude. We can control our attitude, it's the number 1 most important thing to expend energy. I talk a lot about acceptance. One beautiful thing acceptance grants us is being grateful. Being grateful for the moment and accepting exactly where we are today. Be grateful that you are on a golf course. Be grateful that you get to play a game you love. Be grateful that you get to challenge yourself and your character. Be grateful for what the game teaches.
The more we cultivate this quality, the more we will stay calm and relaxed when in times of adversity. I challenge you today, on Easter Sunday to renew yourself with an attitude of gratitude. Be kinder to yourself, take a deep breath and be thankful for all that you have and all that you have in front of you. Remember, play the game and enjoy the walk! Put Quarters in the Jar4/16/2014 I just got off the phone with a player I coach. He is a great kid, smart and from a good family. He soaks up things we talk about like a sponge. Things didn't work out for him like he wanted this year on his college team but he has made great strides. Not necessarily with his scoring average, but with his confidence. It's so important to note that we can't always measure our success or improvement based on what we shoot or whether we make the traveling squad. Golf is about making small steps towards getting better. My dad has one of the best all time sayings, "put quarters in the jar today to take out silver dollars later." It is so true in golf. If we stay the course and work on the small things, the simple things, the things we can control and be the best at doing those things, our confidence will grow and before you know it, you'll be able to withdraw some silver dollars and the scores will happen. I reflect on what I read in Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength. He used to say that after a successful season but not quite getting over the hump of the NFC Championship game, there would be murmurs that maybe he needed to change it up and come up with a new or different philosophy. He would always say we just need to be a bit better at the keys he believed in. The key fundamentals that differentiate championship teams from the ones that just fall short. He would say we must tackle better, block better and trust each other a little more. If we do those things just a bit better it will take us where we want to go. When we think about our golf game, it's not always about rebuilding or changing coaches. Let's see if we can make clearer decisions under pressure, be better at dealing with adversity, show more patience and be more carefree. If we can do those things a bit better you will enjoy the game more and the scores will follow. Enjoy the walk...play the game How badly do you want to succeed at the game of golf? Will you do whatever it takes; eat right, workout, get proper rest, practice hour upon hour? If that is the case then why do I see so many golfers who are hard on themselves on the golf course? Don't we want it bad enough that we realize that it won't help us one iota? Next time you are on the course and you start to beat yourself up over a missed shot, even better yet a good shot that gets a bad break, think about this analogy. I was having dinner with a player I coach and my good buddy at Scholarship for Athletes, Ross Greenstein. He made the best correlation that hit my player like a ton of bricks. If getting plenty of rest is so important to you that you calculate exactly what time you need to wake up and how many hours of sleep you need, how could you be hard on yourself on the golf course? When we are hard on ourself, we waste a lot of energy. We disrupt the flow of the round and good vibes that could be present. Next time you find yourself wanting to be hard on yourself, stop and take a deep breath. Ask yourself, how important is playing great golf. If the answer is extremely important, then you will take a page out of my boy, Ross's book and be as serious about that character trait as you are about working out, practicing and getting great sleep. Until next time, enjoy the walk and play the game! Accept Imperfect4/12/2014 It's been a while since I've blogged here. I've missed writing down my thoughts. I felt it appropriate to make a post as a continuation to an earlier article I wrote titled "Acceptance is the key to unlocking your true potential." The key is being able to accept the unknown. The truth is if we can accept bogeys we will be able to play this game at an extremely high level. We will make birdies, we will make pars and we will make bogeys. I want you to think about the last time you played 18 holes without a bogey? I bet you can count on one hand how many times you have done just that. So instead of trying to be perfect and not make mistakes let's accept mistakes. Let's just not compound the mistakes. When we hit a bad shot accept a bogey. But grind your tail off to make a par. Hit the smart shot. Give yourself a putt. I promise if you approach your next round of golf with this mindset you will score much better and enjoy the round a whole lot more. Acceptance is the key, so accept imperfect. Enjoy the walk and play the game! 10-Time PGA TOUR Winner Mark McCumber had some fun today in Jacksonville as the Jaguars hosted the Arizona Cardinals. Even though the Jags lost the game, Mark was in a little halftime contest with Jaxson de Ville the multi-talented mascot. Jaxson has been known to zip line into the stadium and perform some cool stunts. Papa Johns was the sponsor of the contest. If Jaxson de Ville beat Mark then everyone in attendance received free cheese sticks from the pizza chain. What do you think happened? You guessed it...Jaxson de Ville took down Mr. McCumber. Rumor has it that Mark was robbed. Any how what a fun halftime performance. As a cool little twist to the halftime show, since Mr. McCumber is now involved in the Hollywoood Beach Golf Resort and it is the new home of the McCumber Golf Academy if you kept your ticket you are entitled to a FREE round of golf at the Donald Ross designed course if you book a one night stay a the 30 room boutique resort. Be sure to visit the website and book your stay before December 30th to take advantage of the promotion. You might even get to have your own contest with Mark McCumber as he will be in Hollywood regularly this season. Hollywood Beach Golf Resort11/13/2013 The scenic Hollywood Beach Golf Resort offers a golf experience that cannot be duplicated in Hollywood Beach, Florida. The Hollywood Beach Golf Resort is home to a challenging 18-hole course that is perfect for golfers of all levels. The picturesque course gives you an experience reminiscent of old Florida and lets you focus on your golf game and leave the day-to-day distractions behind. Test your skills on our narrow fairways, various water hazards, and strategically placed bunkers. Since it's inception in 1924, the staff at Hollywood Beach Golf Resort has been providing legendary service throughout the property. The 30 room boutique hotel offers quality accommodations at an affordable price. Our award winning restaurant has a delicious menu so you can grab a bite before or after your exciting round of golf. Visit our well stocked Golf Shop to purchase Titleist, FootJoy and Nike branded products. Hollywood Beach Golf Resort is committed to providing you with customer service that will make your golf visit remarkable. Come visit the McCumber Golf Academy. Need golf lessons? Contact our Golf Shop for all the details and to learn about all the benefits of our golf lessons. Membership packages are available and provide you with the best value to help you improve your game. Give us a call and come take a guided tour of our facility 954.927.1751 Take Your Game to the Golf Course5/12/2013 When you work on your game, all of your practice shouldn't be just on your mechanics. Make sure to make time to recreate scenarios you face on the golf course. Change your targets on the range and change your clubs. Walk into each shot and develop your routine. Play games on the putting green with one ball. Take a wedge and putter to the chipping green and see how many you can get up and down. The more you practice what you do on the golf course, the more comfortable you will be and the better you will be able to trust what you practice! Enjoy the walk...Play the game
Upside Down Approach to Performance5/3/2013 Have you ever performed a headstand or shoulderstand? Better yet, have you been on an inversion table? If you have done either activity I'm sure you had a pretty similar experience. Your brain went kind of blank. Your mental chatter slowed down and you were able to really feel your body. I encourage everyone reading this post to practice doing a headstand or shoulderstand every morning after you wake up and every evening before bed. I just finished reading the book A Calm Brain, by Gayatri Devi. She describes what happens when getting calm from the bottom up. "Your heart rate and breathing slow down. Deep, slow breaths and a slowed heartbeat send a strong message to the core brain, signaling there is no threat in the environment, and the world is a safe place." So give it a try tonight and see how it makes you feel. The more you practice being in this position for say 10-20 breaths will have you on the path to a more calm state and a more relaxed mind and body, which will improve your scores immediately! Enjoy the walk...Play the game. What Are Your 2013 Goals?12/27/2012 I came across a blog entry by Mike Hughes of Quiet Mind Meditation and it really stuck out for me. It was titled "How to break a habit in 7 seconds." Read it here
What stuck out was what he learned from Jim Rohn. Those of you not familiar with Jim, he was a motivational speaker and life coach. He was one of Tony Robbins mentors. His style was very low key and down to earth. His delivery was with powerful words that struck at the heart of his message. In this blog post it discusses how to set attainable goals. Jim came up with an acronym for goal setting that if followed will help you reach your desired results. The acronym was SMART. Specific Measurable Actionable Realistic Time related The key that Jim mentioned was writing the goal down. I believe firmly in this last piece. I suggest buying a journal for 2013. In the back write down your goals for 2013. Remember to be SMART. Play the game Enjoy the walk AuthorJosh McCumber, professional golfer, coach and consultant has been playing golf almost all of his life. He has been around the game at the highest level, and has learned from the best players and instructors in the game. His uncle, Mark McCumber won 10 times on the PGA TOUR and his cousin Tyler McCumber is currently playing on the PGA TOUR. Josh will share his wisdom, knowledge and proprietary techniques from being out on the PGA TOUR with his uncle, his cousin and from his experience playing the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Nationwide Tour) and 2 U.S. Opens. Archives
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