Yesterday, after watching one of the athletes I'm working with perform, I shared my observations with her in connection to a point that we worked on the previous day on her putting routine. I told her that I felt she was more confident and the intensity of her putting stroke was more engaged on the greens. I asked her a question in connection with my observations: ''What do you think?'' She replied: ''Sure, but I didn't sink any more putts.'' "So what do you think was missing?" I asked. She replied: “Just a little luck.”
Ahhhh…luck! I was on the way home and started thinking about the role luck plays in sports. At that moment, on the radio, there was a discussion between the host and an NHL general manager about luck in sports. My ears were wide open trying to demystify where luck can make a difference in an athlete's performance.
We often hear that a good player makes their own luck. What does that actually mean? Here is my perception of luck during a sports performance. Can we agree that luck is random? Winning the lottery is luck. Rolling a “7” at the casino three times in a row is good luck.
Now how does this translate into sports? In golf, when you hit a ball and it hits a tree and goes right back into the middle of the fairway, that's luck. The ball goes around the hole and falls in, that's luck. Luck can only help you occasionally in a performance, not every time. When we look at the great players, we have the impression that luck smiles on them, everything seems to go like clockwork. The ball always ends up in the right place and falls into the hole no matter the distance.
Athletes work so hard on all aspects of their game that they want to do everything they can to master their sport to perform better. This way, bad shots become good shots and good shots become great shots. They aim for perfection, which is unattainable, but the imperfect shot has a greater chance of succeeding. When you refine your game towards excellence you gain confidence, when you continue to “grind” to surpass yourself, luck arrives at the right time.
Here are the factors that will increase YOUR LUCK during your performances:
Master 90% of your technical game (swing, different shots with all your clubs in different situations)
Master 90% of your mental game (preparation, activation, routine, relaxation, grounding, stress and emotional management, and establish a game plan)
Master 90% of your tactical and strategic game (course knowledge, application of the game plan according to your strengths and weaknesses)
Master 90% of your physical health (strength, power, endurance, flexibility, mobility, stability, injury prevention)
Have a team that believes in you 100% (mental coach, technical coach, physical trainer, parents, family, friends, etc.)
YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY CONTROL 90% OF YOUR GAME to leave room for only 10% of luck to help you achieve success! You can't expect luck to always be there to save you when you perform.
Finally, evaluate yourself and or get evaluated to find out where you are in your golfing journey according to YOUR objectives. And maybe attract the luck you need.
Michel Dubord
CPGA Golf Pro
Mental coach
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