This morning I played a round of disc golf with a friend, and I tried to put myself in a state of responding instead of reacting to each situation. Even when I had a bad throw, I accepted it and tried to stay in the present instead of having a reaction or worrying about how I'd recover from it. I didn't think much about each throw. I just let go and remembered that my mind/body knows how to throw the disc, so I tried to stay out of the way of my natural response.
My average of the past 14 games on this course was 64.86, and my best ever was a 61, which I've only done once. Today I shot a 60.
I feel like I didn't really "achieve" this score. Once I got into the zone, I almost felt like I could do no wrong. I got off to a weak start, shooting a 6 on the second hole and hitting a few trees and two light posts, which normally would be enough to abandon all hope of setting a new personal best. But later I made some really lucky shots, including a couple of 2s.
When I had a bad drive, I'd somehow land a great approach shot. When I had a bad approach shot, I'd sink a putt from 40-50 ft away.
On one hole near the end, I had a lousy drive, and then as we watched my second shot veer way off to the right, my friend said, "Good luck getting a 3 on this one!" But as the disc landed, it turned into a roller, angled down a slope, and rolled perhaps another 30 yards to snuggle the basket. There's no way I could have planned or controlled a shot like that.
I also tied or beat my friend on every single hole (for the first time ever on any course), winning the match by 9 strokes. But I wasn't thinking competitively. I was just aiming to stay in the present moment and have fun. |