HOUSE

reservations@lostcitygolf.com to secure your table. Entertainment will be provided by the fabulous Fabulons. Carolyn Harsh and Ro Donahue are working on a photography montage slide show. If you have any photos to share, please let them know.

As March Winds blow in the house committee is making final plans for the St Patrick’s Day party on March 17th. Leprechaun costumes are encouraged, three judges from the house committee will pick best costume to receive an award. So if you are not playing in TGIF, get your Leprechaun on and join us for a fun night with specialty drinks created by Lost City’s creative bar staff. AKA Gary. Quickly following is the end of the year party on March 25th. Reservations are still available but filling up quickly. Please contact

There are many plans on the horizon to include the Concert with Food Trucks on April 22. Cinco De Mayo will follow and there are plans to make it a night to remember as we head into the summer schedule.

The summer calendar is being finalized and will be presented to Leo by the end of the month.

How many times have you stood over a putt just “knowing” you would make it. I’d be willing to wager that it has happened quite a few times. What is this phenomenon? What is the mechanism that seems to almost magically give you this ability. It turns out that the most important thing in putting, and, in fact all shot making, is confidence. Confidence allows you to totally commit to the stroke, with no fear about the outcome. This, in turn, allows your body and mind to just go ahead and execute. There is no thought about technique. No thought about backstroke or follow through. You just let it happen, certain of the result.

All well and good, you say, but how can I be confident when I know from history that I often miss putts? It’s actually quite simple. While confidence doesn’t guarantee success, lack of confidence guarantees failure. So why not choose confidence? It sounds totally irrational, but the secret of successful athletes is that they choose to fool themselves, because the reverse guarantees failure.

As an example, Jack Nicklaus was playing in the old Canada Cup event with his partner Tom Weiskopf. On one hole late in the last round, Jack had a 15’ birdie putt, while Tom was 5 or 6’ inside him, on the same line. Jack picked up Tom’s marker and tossed it to him, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” When the got in, Tom asked Jack why he had done that, as he would have been able to putt if Nicklaus missed. Jack said that he knew he would make his putt. But Tom pointed out that he had, in fact, missed it. Jack replied, pointing a finger at his own head, “Not up here I didn’t.”

The point of course is that, regardless of reality, great players literally “fool” themselves into being confident on the course. Everyone strokes good putts and hits good shots. You need to learn to believe that the very next putt is going to be one of those, and then forget about the ones that don’t go in.

By Dr. George Robins