Fear

I saw real fear at my son's Little League game last night. I watched as a reasonably talented youngster sprinted for the dugout after only two strikes. He did this on two consecutive at bats. It was painfully obvious that he was mortified by the possibility of being hit by a pitch. He feared the baseball far more than the average 12 year old Little Leaguer. I saw all of us in his struggle.

As I see it, golf is all about identifying, and dealing with fears like these. That's why golf is such a humbling endeavor. Just as the baseball will undoubtedly find the most fearful Little Leaguer on the field, the golf shot we dread the most will present itself during the course of a round.

If you panic when confronted with a particular shot, you can either take steps to avoid it, or deal with the weakness through learning and practice. If the reliability of your swing is suspect, you can whine about it, or you can change it. You can stand your ground and take your cuts, or scurry for the safety of the dugout. Your choice.

There is no a golfer alive who treads the fairways without fear. The trepidation may only be spoken of as a "concern" or a "tough shot" on a particular hole. Don't be fooled. Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Duval, Sutton, and Singh all harbor an abhorrence of particular situations. Hogan, Hagen, Jones, Ouimet, and Old Tom Morris took their internal demons to the grave.

The difference between us and them is their success in coping with the problem.

Which brings me to my point. What do you fear? What golf shot scares you to the point that it threatens to crush your golfing spirit? I know, all too well, what gives me the willies. I'm curious about you.

Is it sand shots?It might be buried lies, footprints, a shot from beneath a formidable lip, a fairway trap shot into the wind, or a bunker shot toward a beckoning water hazard.

Is it short putts when the pressure is on? A slick little left to right putt from 5 feet is unquestionably cause for concern. Especially if making it means a win, a career low round, or avoiding the loss of more cash than you're carrying.

Is it the first tee shot under the watchful eye of an audience? I have seen paranoia reign supreme in this situation. Does your heart race? Do your muscles fail to respond? Heck, I once cold topped a drive into a ditch to start out a professional event. I can certainly understand if this is your particular Waterloo.

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