When he went to tee off at the 10th hole, he yelled at me, what’s all this writing on my balls?  I asked him, do you think a positive attitude can help you achieve positive results?  He looked at me as if I was crazy and actually asked for me to buy him new golf balls.  He shot a 51 on the front 9. Before he hit his drive, I asked him, what ball did he choose?  He said “Hit’em Straight” – I stated, come on, you can do it, be happy, I have faith in you, stay focused…basically all the saying of the balls except the, “I see a birdie” because it was a par 4.   He replied, I will do my best. He hit the ball straight as an arrow…that grumpy old man, had a smile as big as the sun.  I’m not sure if the silence represented positivity, but it certain was so much better than the negativity of the front 9. On his next shot, he looked at the ball and repeated, hit’em straight, hit’em straight…hit’em straight as if to try to mentally “will” himself to a great shot…and he did.  He had the talent…he had the ability, but his negative attitude simply got in the way.  To see the transformation made the day for me more enjoyable and I was truly happy for him and his success.

Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” -Bobby Unser

Mental preparation is such a valuable lesson that often times is overlooked as important in all aspects in life.  My Happy Golf is a small token of inspirational words that can keep you on track towards positive results…of course technique and a proper swing is vital however manifesting those good thoughts does go a long way.  In the words of Paul “Bear” Bryant,“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” So this grumpy old man was transformed and reached a par on the 10th hole. To keep the story short, throughout the back nine he shot a 41; 10 strokes better than the front 9.  He bought into the concept so much so that on each par 3, he used the ball, “I see a birdie”…no he did not get any birdies, but just the sight of him reading the balls and selecting which ball to use according to its saying, was so gratifying to see.  It inspired me to research and eventually launch My Happy Golf.  So, next time you play golf, remember, golf is a difficult sport; the question for us all is how can we get that little edge?  What if you were able to lower your score by 5 strokes simply because you followed the My Happy Golf philosophy of manifesting positive thoughts before each and every shot?  Remember what Michael Jordan said “-“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” Never let obstacles and challenges prevent you from achieving that one great shot you’ve always been dreaming of!

Have a Happy Day!
Happy Golfing,
Mark Friedlander
Happy Founder