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Under Par A Newsletter fromKeyGolf.....February, 2008 Energy in Golf - Conserved or Wasted. As our readers have likely observed, we have presented issues, information, concerns, principles and processes that frequently, if not always, either counter or differ from the "hot topics" that pervade golf media. "Media" includes everyone who talks about such things, from gurus to range rats, sports psychologists to 19th hole experts, university professors to "MySpace" contributors. One of the issues that should be "hot," but is not, simply has not been presented adequately. It is an item we measure in profiling, to which we have softly and quietly called attention, but without enough emphasis on its importance to our games and lives. We refer to human energy. Our "soft" mention has come from finding little in research to confirm our findings collaterly, so we did not rave and rant. Our thoroughly convinced view comes from the parallel to what we have long held as a sound, researched, and supported view that human styles begin with birth and are part of our genetic makeup. It is an easy and consistent step, therefore, to appreciate the "closed system" concept as reckoned by Albert Einstein, and to say that energy needs our attention. Einstein's theories, as we know, have been occasionally challenged, more recently given renewed attention, and we have reason to both agree with and believe what he found.Now we have found new "champions" in the work of two South African professors, Joppie Van Graan and Ian Rothmann, who recently published a paper entitled "Psychic and Mental Energy: Exploring the human generator." Their work is a veritable match for our position with the issue. They refer to a "generator within," with which each person is "endowed," that came with our birthright and exists in us to "generate energy." They also note that "the generator has a capacity," with a "fixed" limit of "energy output." As they say it, "[It] can produce only that amount of energy it has been created for." And they add, " Obviously people will differ in capacities." They continue with, " Although the final output of energy for any given energy generator is fixed, output can, as in the case of any generator, be optimized through effective utilization." They list the types of human energy as "physical, mental, psychic, sexual and religious or spiritual." And we find 100% agreement in our observations and theirs. Hence, we have begun to "de-soften" our comments pertaining to the way energy affects golfers, especially since it is very clear that most golfers come into the game, or at least remain in the game after coming to it, when they have high energy levels. Low energy people simply don't come or they leave early if they do come. In fact golfers, show higher than almost any other group, which we see as relating to the way the game is touted and approached in what amounts to misplaced arrogant fashion. The media are fond of notions like "mental toughness," "being aggressive," "peak performance," "gaining distance," "going for it," "go-to" shot making, "accelerating," "concentrating," to name a few. Of course that gets what amounts to lame apologetics, from the promoters, with cautions like "relax," "loosen your grip," "don't let your arms get tight," "swing through the ball," "shift your weight," "don't get up on your toes," "don't over swing," none of which have noticeable relevance to the way the game is actually presented. That comes out as a rationalized displacement of what was being touted. It's told one way and then reversed in practice. The problem we see is that both of those sets of admonitions require energy - being tough or laying off. It is not unusual for golfers to indicate that they are either trying/intending to restrict their traits or over-extend them, either of which will interrupt, interfere with or downright disrupt effective results. Those who restrict, typically "put the brakes" on their action. They have difficulty with a complete back swing and/or a full finish, shifting their weight and often complain of some form of "yippiness" in their games. Those who over-extend typically over-swing, take the club back too far, lose their balance in the swing or follow through and hit more than a few strange and undesireable shots. That requires energy output either way, with an abundance of that being invested in wasted effort. High energy people may ignore all that, thinking that it doesn't matter, but it does. Having a fixed energy reservoir puts limits on your lifetime supply. Waste it now and it will not be available later. Conserve it now and live longer. Not much of a choice, is there? The human energy supply, including all its categories, operates a bit like a savings account, with some exceptions. You can take out, but you cannot deposit, and the account does not draw interest just because you made sound investments Those will contribute to the longevity of the resources, but will not get you more than you came with. So let's simplify here. Energy is used even when we are asleep. It is our life force. If you are breathing and your heart is beating, you are using energy - the normal kind. When we are involved in waking activities that we experience as routine, we only require normal energy. But when anything elevates the pressure, the urgency, the nature of the requirements, the dimensions change. We usually refer to that as stress, but here again is one of those issues that doesn't get adequate press. According to Dr. Hans Selye, the most significant pioneer in that field of stress research, "Stress is the nonspecific response of the human system to any demand made upon it." That means that even when you brush you teeth or drink your milk, stress is involved. No matter if what you face seems "good" or "bad" stress is there. Maybe it is not a lot, but it could be mammoth. It certainly has been given the huge side in the game of golf, mostly for reasons already mentioned. So now you know at least a part of "the rest of the story," concerning why and how we determined to find a process that would manage the stress (and energy output) factors in the game. That, of course, is exactly what is embraced in the automatic process and the use of clear keys, which is our response in behalf of "effective utilization." The automatic process simply puts a pause in the direct connection between your action and the system devices that call for unnecessary dispensing of energy, extra or not. The clear key is the tool that performs that seemingly menial prevention task. So the call is to master that process so you can use less energy, finish your round without running out of gas, or hitting disastrous shots along the way. We note that our studies several years ago revealed a tendency for the average round of golf to have its poorest scoring on holes 15 through 18, regardless of skill level, which most wanted to lay off to "choking." We found, however, that it was more likely a result of burning one's daily supply of energy and simply running out of gas. We have noted many times that if we just put a cot by the 15th tee and allowed golfers to take a 5 minute power nap, most would finish much better. Of course that would not fit well into golf's time-frames, but you will get the picture. When you implement the automatic process, even if you don't play better, you will live longer. Is it worth it? We can't answer for you, but it most certainly is for us, and seems so for those who have taken this seriously and reported that to us. As a "bottom line," we note that Van Graan and Rothmann also wrote: " The energy generated by the generator is "pure", and is neither "positive" or "negative", "good" or "bad". Energy simply "is." Energy cannot be destroyed. Burnout is the result of the mismanagement of energy." We think they are not only correct, but right on the money. However, we will give you this. Even if they (and we) are wrong, it is clear that what "we" say is working for players consistently and paying off as advertised. Spring is near. Conserve your energy. Work on your game using your clear keys. [If you would like to read Van Graan's and Rothmann's Summary, go to this link. ] =============================== |