Remember you are always listening!!!

Have you ever noticed that wherever you go that you are always there!

And whatever you say, you are always listening!

The above two statements are obvious and yet how many times do you hear someone call themselves stupid, clumsy or an idiot for something quite innocent, when in reality they meant that what they did was stupid, clumsy or silly.

I have spent many hours with golfers helping them to improve the level of their communication with themselves about what they did, are doing or are about to do.

Golfers frequently time travel and talk about what happened in the past and what might happen in the future, without realizing that they have control only over now.

What happened has happened and cannot change. By all means LEARN from the experience and leave it there in the past. It only has power if you remind yourself and bring it into the present. Likewise you can control the future as long as you decide what you want to happen and have the commitment and necessary FOCUS to go for it, exactly what you want.

From my own experience when my first wife, Jocelyn, was killed in a car accident in 1995, I allowed the memory of that event control my future for quite some time. I believed that if I was happy again then it was possible to lose it all, I stopped myself from being happy. I Sabotaged how I conducted my life to make sure I was not happy.

And guess what, I was not happy, this lead to many difficulties and luckily enough for me I saw sense with the help of my second wife Anna, I learned how delusional I was and that I was in control. First, I changed the language and reworked my beliefs. The rest as they say is history.

How does this all fit with the events over the weekend at Augusta?

Well, after Rory's first round 65, he reminded himself of what had happened at St. Andrews after shooting 63 to have the first round lead, the followed it up with a second round 80. His form over the weekend was great and he finished well inside the top 10 and he said he learned from the experience.

Great! Learn, move on and leave it there.

A quote from the Masters reads that the memories of that agonizing day at the British Open in July, when he followed an opening nine-under 63 at St. Andrews with a horrifying 80 in blustery winds, will inspire him, not haunt him, at Augusta National.

“It will be a massive help to me,” he said. “I will be thinking about it and I’ll be thinking about how I can do things better than I did that day in St. Andrews.”

“Obviously, at the time, I was very disappointed to come off the course and shoot 80 after shooting 63, but looking back on it, it was a very valuable lesson in my development as a golfer,” he said.

The situations are similar and very different. He has now won on the PGA Tour, Europe have won the Ryder Cup in which he played a BIG part. During the second round at St. Andrews he was buffeted by strong North Sea winds, at Augusta there was but a gentle breeze blowing all week.

Unfortunately this comment needed to be left in the past and if reminded of it, just say I have learnt from that and I feel ready to win a major.

Focus on what you want to happen, the destination and be prepared for what you can control. your thoughts and your words.

Rory I am sure will recover, he is too good not to, how long it takes is down to how long he keeps reminding himself of it.

It was an amazing tournament and for me anyone who birdies the last four holes at a major, or any tournament for that matter deserves to win, it is just a pity that Rory was not contending like the great player we know he is.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get ready for the next time.

Good Luck my friend!!!!!