I want you to meditate on a couple points for a moment:

1. Why an earth are you playing golf?

2. What are you getting out of each round?

3. What is the point?

Have you ever thought about any of these points before'

Here is an excerpt from "The Dave Way"... if you already own "The Dave Way" please read this one more time to get a few ideas of why you are on the course every weekend.

Pride

Its almost like a proud parent raising a child successfully. You start out hardly knowing anything about the game. Your scores are usually horrible (in my case around 125) and your swing mechanics are usually pathetic. Your shot making is non-existent and your drives are short and very unimpressive.

And then, round after round (and after many nights and $s spent at the practice range) you slowly start to improve. I remember the first day I broke 100 - and then the first day I broke 90 - and then the first day I broke 80... few feelings in the world come close.

Status

Lets face it, golf is rich in tradition. And whether right or wrong, those that have mastered the sport are generally stuck at the top of the social ladder in the clubhouse locker rooms and sometimes even in the workplace.

Lets say youre talking to your buddies about a local golfer and then somebody in your group mentions this person is a scratch golfer, no matter what you though beforehand you hold that person in a higher regard for some reason.

Focus

Even though focus is not necessarily why a person would pick up the game of golf, after playing for a little while you will realize the game can improve your mental toughness, your mental awareness, and eventually your outlook on life.

Now I know that may sound a little deep and possibly a tad cheesy, but its the honest truth. If you have been playing golf (even for just one season) you know there are many ups and downs associated with the sport. Those ups and downs can be found between years of playing, between rounds, between holes, and sometimes (but hopefully not) between shots.

Through all these good times and bad times you learn perseverance. You develop goal setting skills. If you stick with the sport (I cant tell you how many times Ive heard Im going to sell my sticks in the paper tomorrow!) you will build up a stick to it type of attitude.

Your mind will become sharp!

No wonder those that have mastered this sport are generally known as over-achievers.

Health

Even though I have listed health as number 4, this is one of the main reasons I picked up a golf club.

My body was never in, what you would call, real good or athletic shape. And when I would watch golf on the tube I noticed a some of the men playing had guts excuse me un-chiseled abs J. Kind of like yours truly.

I though to myself All my buddies are skiing, shooting hoops, hitting tennis balls, or playing golf looks like golf is the best way I can fit in.

But what I soon found out is that golf has a sneaky way of adding a little bit of exercise to your life. And thats great for those of us that hate to take the time out to exercise.

On a side note, I would encourage everyone to walk the course once in a while. Here is what I suggest to my students who are golf newbies: After playing a year or two, instead of trying to back up from the white tees to the blue, try to walk more this year and wait until next year to back up to the blue tees.

Fun

When I play golf I have a great time.

Fellowship with friends or being paired up with someone I dont know and making new friendships is another awesome benefit golf has to offer.

And there is nothing more exciting than dropping an approach shot next to the pin, sinking a monster putt, or smashing a long drive in front of your playing partners.

These are some of the reasons I play, but I think it is very important to figure out why you are out slapping balls around too.

Figuring out the purpose of golf in your life can only make you a better golfer... let me explain:

When I started off playing, I was not that good, as I'm sure many of you weren't. That being said, I would get so frustrated at the poor shots, the missed putts, the doubles and triples, and double pars. And most of the time I would act like a complete fool. I would get frustrated to no end... slamming my clubs down, or throwing them, and it was a given that I would be ticked off the rest of the day.

I can't imagine what I must of looked like, probably an imbecile. There are guys that I'm playing with that are 20-30 strokes better than me, but I'm the one acting like an idiot. And there is no doubt in my mind that this foolish behavior and mindset totally stunted my growth as a baby golfer.

Then I realized, the only way to learn and get better is to play purpose-driven golf... even if the only purpose for my next round was strictly just to have fun.

What I would like for you to do before the next time you go play a round is ask yourself "Why am I going out today?"

If you keep a focus through your round that:

I am out here to have fun

or

I am out here to hang out with my friends

or

I am out here to get healthy and be physically active

or

I am out here to feel like I accomplished something today...

then you will have that reason and not let your mind run aimlessly with emotion.

I'm sure some of you old-timers have learned this over the years (and by the way I would love to hear from you if you have a relative story. This is usually why if you have hit a round with a person that has played for years... they may not have the talent that you do... but they can score right with you or sometimes beat the snot out of you.

Let the poor shots go away, let the good shots not get you too emotionally high... just learn from each swing!