Dealing with Difficult Situations

Because of the unexpected rain on Saturday, I spent more time than expected watching the British Open golf tournament. The weather was similar to ours-lots of rain, some wind, and miserable playing conditions. There were a number of shots that looked like something I would hit on the course, not anything a trained professional should be doing! Some players were clearly frustrated with their play and it clearly affected their attitudes along the way.

One of the PGA golfers I enjoy following is Scottie Scheffler-the #1 player in the world who has won 6 times this year and almost always handles the pressure in an amazing manner. On Saturday, Scottie definitely struggled at times-he was not making putts, hit some drives in some very difficult positions, and didn’t make a move up the leader board. Other than a couple of head shakes and questionable looks, I didn’t see any signs of frustation and by the end of the day, he was only 2 shots off the lead.

After the round, Scottie was asked how he kept things together despite the very difficult conditions. He mentioned how it was probably the hardest 9 holes he has ever had to play. Considering he is #1 in the world, everyone expects him to win, and other than a caddie, he has no one to rely on to make play, he has an incredible amount of pressure on him. When commentators asked after the round how he kept it together, Scottie talked about staying and living in the present while staying focused on the task at hand. It’s important to stick to your habits and style of play, no matter the situation. Mistakes are going to happen and you can’t let one error cause more mistakes to happen down the line.

I did a little more research and found a couple of Scheffler quotes that give more detail on his mindframe when facing challenging situations: Scheffler says, “the atmosphere might feel different, but you’re not. Just stay patient. Knowing it’s OK to make some mistakes is freeing. You can stop thinking about what’s going to happen on the next hole, or what the guys behind you are doing, or where the ball is going to end up, and just try to hit a good shot. Then get to the next shot and try to do it again.”

As someone who has spent a lot of time on the golf course this summer, I can verify that few sports can be as individually frustrating as golf…how someone can go from hitting a perfect shot one swing to totally shanking one to the right the next time is beyond me! (Yes, this happens to me nearly every day on the course!) It is very easy to let the last shot effect the next shot and to get frustrated even though the ball doesn’t move before we hit it!

I love Scottie’s words (and actions!) with regards to handling challenging situations. I think this not only applies to sports but to challenges we face in general in life. The majority of people feel pressure by worrying about outcomes and don’t reach their full potential like they should. It doesn’t mean turning into a robot under tough times or training ourself to somehow go blank when the pressure turns up. In fact, it means letting yourself be human and establish a process on how to handle pressure-and how to embrace the challenge as more fun and less life changing. How quickly can we reset and get into solutions’ mode when challenges arise? Ultimately, learning from experiences and getting better at what we are doing should be the purpose. Better outcomes will undoubtedly follow if we follow that advice.

What proccesses do you have in place to handle challenges that come up in your life? Is this an area of strength or something that you need to handle better? Following Scottie Scheffler’s model could be a place to start. Have a great week!

Coach K