Audition For The Part
“I once had an aspiring Champion’s Tour player tell me that if he could only putt, he could make it. To him, putting was holding him back from accomplishing his dream of earning a spot on the Champion’s Tour. He was a club pro and top instructor at the time.
I was leading a session for other club professionals on the psychology of putting, and he was there to support and give credibility to my words. We were between groups and had a few minutes to kill on the putting green. I asked him, if he could putt like anyone in the world, who would it be? He chose Curtis Strange who had won a couple of US Opens in a row recently. I challenged him to audition for the part, to become Curtis for the next 10 minutes. I told him I was a director of the movie of Curtis’ life and was looking for someone to play the part. To my surprise, he took me up on it.
For the next few minutes he putted brilliantly. His method didn’t change as much as did his posture, grip-pressure, and rhythm. He looked at me with surprise. I challenged him to stay in character. After a while he stopped, amazed. He said he hadn’t putted that well since he was a kid. Then I asked the question, 'Was that you or Curtis Strange putting?' He looked confused for a moment but learned a great lesson. It was him, of course. He had just set aside the heavy weight of the false identity he had allowed to steal his true identity and talent. He had instead listened to the other pros for years who had said, 'If you weren’t such a poor putter you could be great.'
We are all actors according to the thoughts we have and the voices to which we listen. We can believe and act like a champion and open doors to greatness. Or we can look at stats and believe they tell the whole story and that we’re stuck back in the pack. This great gentleman’s game exploded across the next year. And in the end he made a four-foot putt (the dreaded choke zone for most golfers) one year later at the Champion’s Tour Qualifying School to secure the final spot on the Tour! The next time I saw him I called out his name. He looked at me and said, 'It’s Curtis Strange to you!' ” - The Psychology of Tournament Golf, pgs. 65-66
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
- Ephesians 2: 10
Join Dr. Cook in the locker room, behind the bench, and in the boardroom as he shares the hidden principles of greatness. This unique vantage point and the stories that unfold will inspire and equip you on the journey to your dreams. greatness is open to all but only pursued by a few. It is the space beyond success where calling and legacy meet and a noble heart is required.
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