What a brilliant Winter Tournament this year. It is going down to the wire. I liked the look of Team Erne and now they are joint leaders with Team Blackwater. On a week when very few ladies got to play because of the weather Team Erne’s Barbara Kearney and Anne O’Dea had great scores to combine with David Robinson’s great 20 pointer. David had 2 birdies ( 5 pointers) on holes 5 and 7 and rumour has it his phone exploded with all the emoji’s he got from team captains Barbara and Anne!!! Blackwater are also on a great run mainly due to Mark Hederman ( another 21 points ) and the solid Dan ( Number one Dan ) O’Toole with 19. They are both 4 points clear and look good for the final. Nore who are third are there because of one star player. Paul Williams hit an amazing 24 points and must be the player of the tournament at this stage. Barrow are a further point back and are relying heavily on Barry Kenna who hit another 19 points. They have slumped and I reckon Mark Gill will have a big team building talk before the weekend. Men’s Vice Captain Robert will be doing the same. They are 3 behind Barrow and need a huge last week. And The Meaney boy .. “Dan number 2” looks like he is gone but I still haven’t found anyone who got rich backing against him. In the event of a tie the rules are in place…and I have a feeling they will be needed.
So, the team captains will now earn their money. They will want their team Confident Positive Strong and Fit. What does that mean? Confident - “ I know what I have to do and I have the skills to do it Positive - “I do things I love with people I like “ Strong - “ I react positively to whatever happens “ Fit - “I am physically and mentally strong” So how does one go about building these four “champion “ traits. Confident If you want to learn a new skill, what do you do …find out how to do it and PRACTISE…that requires commitment. The best players have the best commitment. Positive You need to enjoy your golf . You need to enjoy the club and the people around you. Let go the little things that annoy you . If something is not right do make your point and move on. Know yourself. Just ask yourself “ how do people describe ME when I’m not in the room?” Be a positive person. Strong When your round is going well build on it … stay focused. Don’t lose concentration. When your round is going poorly …refocus … just concentrate on the next hole next shot. Fit Look after your body. Take action to fix the injuries and ailments. Have a daily routine of exercises.. just basic ones Stay as flexible as you can. And be mentally fit. Know what you need to do to prepare for your game. Visualise how you want to play each hole. Be clear on the task …and what you will do if it goes wrong. Preparation is key … - manage your pre match time - have your clubs in good shape - prepare for the weather especially if it’s wet - make sure you have balls tees markers pen and distance calculator and a simple rule book - Eat and drink as you play your round. Food is like fuel in a car. Make sure your tank is not empty on the final holes when concentration is key. Summary Champions have big goals. Big goals need big commitment At the end of the day I believe commitment is the key William Wandsworth Longfellow summed it up well “The heights that great people achieved and kept we’re not achieved by sudden flight But they as their friends slept we’re working upwards in the night “ere to edit.