I'll never play golf like Rory McIlroy. But maybe he can teach me how to live with my mistakes
Rory McIlroy's famous victory at the US Masters earlier this month yielded, for me anyway, a particularly good example. McIlroy's psychologist, Bob Rotella, has been credited with helping his man develop golf's key mental skill: putting your bad shots behind you and barely giving them a second thought.
Asked how he went about this in an interview, Rotella said: 'We begin with the idea that golf, by design, is a game of mistakes. And if you love the game of golf, you have to love that it's a game of mistakes. If you're trying to change it into a game of perfect then you don't really like golf, you're trying to change it into the game you want it to be. And the other players are playing the same game so they're all going to make a lot of mistakes. The second part is, because you're a human being you're going to make mistakes that you can't believe you made. You have to accept that. So, accepting the game is a big part of it.'
It's well worth substituting the word 'life' for the word 'golf' in that paragraph.
In life, and in golf, I could do with an hour of Mr Rotella's time. I simply cannot get a bad golf shot I've just played out of my mind. In fact, I vividly recall terrible shots I played years ago. And don't talk to me about visualisation. If I'm hitting over water, not only can I not picture the ball clearing it, I can see and hear it plopping into the drink.
It's the same with life. Memories of daft things I've said and done, big and small, assail me without warning. Like the time in the 80s when, walking into a Judie Tzuke concert at the Birmingham Odeon, I unaccountably gave my friend's bottom a squeeze, only to find it wasn't my friend, it was some other bloke. The thought of things like this literally, physically, makes me jump. But not any more. I'm channelling Bob Rotella for all I'm worth. Soon I hope to be able to listen to Judie Tzuke without juddering in horror.
Life's a game of mistakes and so be it. Cheers, Bob.
Adrian Chiles is a Guardian columnist
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
The Football League returns and crisis at Morecambe – Football Weekly Extra podcast
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today; the Football League is back with League One and League Two kicking off this weekend. While most fans are concerned about their summer signings there are two clubs in real peril: Sheffield Wednesday look set to start the season in the Championship without a manager, a full playing squad or even a complete stadium - can they find a buyer? Meanwhile, Morecambe seem like they have found a buyer but can't sell - what's going on there? Elsewhere, on the pitch can Luton Town bounce right back in League One and in League Two can anyone hope to finish above high-spending MK Dons. All that plus your questions answered. Buy tickets to Football Weekly LIVE in September here. Support the Guardian here. You can also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
The horrifying moment baby spiders eat their mother will make you scream
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video For most people, just the thought of a cluster of spiders crawling on top of each other within a large, entangling web is enough to send a shiver down your spine. But for David Attenborough and his latest series Parenthood, which explores the trials and tribulations of parenting within the animal kingdom, clearly, that's not enough. The 99-year-old natural historian seems to be intent on showcasing one of the most nightmarish sequences possible as a 1,000-strong pack of young African social spiders can be seen eating their mothers. Captured by TV cameras in a never-before-seen moment, the spiders prey in a game of 'grandmother's footsteps' where they freeze in unison like musical statues before eating their elderly relatives. Attenborough can be heard saying that the 'demands of parenthood are finally taking their toll' on the mothers who offer their body as a 'gift' to their offspring before they depart. The atmospheric music, toe-curling sound effects and Attenborough's iconic voice combine to create the painstaking moment. Series producer and director Jeff Wilson described it as 'probably one of the best' sequences he had worked on in 30 years of film-making. '[I've] never heard Sir David deliver a sequence as good as that… it sort of brings a lump to your throat… he's the master at delivery,' he told the Guardian. 'It makes one feel quite sort of chilled to the bone that you know that your own young could do that. It's an extraordinary behaviour [but] when you step away from it and from the horror of it, it sort of makes sense.' He added that Attenborough was both 'delighted and horrified' by the groundbreaking footage. Joking, he also said that 'there will not be a parent of the land who won't turn up to school pickup without snacks ever again'. This comes after a spectacularly tender moment on Parenthood between a baby gorilla and its mother brought a tear to viewer's eyes earlier this week. In an exclusive clip, Metro showed a female western lowland gorilla and her newborn baby. Just moments old, the baby sleeps on his mother's chest surrounded by plants and trees in the jungle. Narrating, Sir David explains that the mother is a female western lowland gorilla, who's resting on the forest floor as her baby snoozes on her stomach in a scene that would melt even the coldest of hearts. More Trending The five-part series promises to show viewers never-before-seen animal behaviours while delivering a 'universal message about preserving the natural world.' Speaking to The Mirror, BBC head of specialist factual commissioning, Jack Bootle, described Parenthood as 'wonderful, warm, engaging, and surprising'. He said that it is 'made by some of the very best wildlife filmmakers in the world,' adding: 'I'm thrilled Sir David is joining us again to narrate it.' View More » Parenthood will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, beginning on August 3 at 7.20pm. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: MasterChef star 'edited out of BBC series' after asking for it to be axed MORE: BBC gameshow already has fans obsessed and declaring it 'the new Traitors' MORE: Ncuti Gatwa admits he has one big regret about playing Doctor Who
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
MasterChef star 'edited out of BBC series' after asking for it to be axed
A contestant on the BBC's MasterChef has been edited out of the upcoming season after asking for it not to be aired. The release of the new season (set to come out next week) has been mired in controversy after co-presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode were fired from the cooking reality competition. They were sacked after a review into misconduct accusations against Wallace substantiated 45 allegations against him, including an incident of 'unwelcome physical contact' and upheld a racial language allegation against Torode, which he doesn't recall. After weeks of uncertainty over whether the already-recorded amateur season involving both hosts would go ahead, the BBC recently confirmed it would air in early August. Now, a contestant has told the Guardian that she ultimately agreed to be edited out of the show after requesting the whole season be axed. Sarah Shafi, a leadership and management development partner for St John Ambulance from Leeds, explained that she initially rejected the offer to be edited out but changed her mind after discovering the show would broadcast from August 6. She told the publication: 'I didn't say edit me out. I said: 'Axe the show, don't air the show. I'm asking you not to air the show.' Prominent figures have been abusing their power. What message does that send out to women? 'For me, it's about the enabling environment. It's that complicity. Those individual powerful men do not [act] in isolation. There is an enabling environment, turning a blind eye … It's about years of these institutions not being accountable.' In a statement to Metro, the BBC said: 'As we said when we announced the show would be aired, this was not an easy decision in the circumstances and we appreciate not everyone would agree with it. 'Banijay consulted with all the contestants before that decision was made and there was widespread support for it going ahead. 'We are sorry that this contestant does not support the decision and we are grateful she raised this with both the BBC and Banijay.' When they first announced their final decision, a spokesperson explained that it had 'not been an easy decision in the circumstances'. They continued: 'MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the amateur chefs taking part. The focus of it has always been their skill and their journey. 'In showing the series, which was filmed last year, it in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters. 'We have been very clear on the standards of behaviour that we expect of those who work at the BBC or on shows made for the BBC.' It is understood that the edit of the whole season has been 'looked at' to focus on the contestants and their journey, although the presenters will still be present. There is still no firm conclusion on the fate of the further Celebrity MasterChef season and two festive specials that still feature Torode. More Trending The BBC has previously also reiterated its optimism over the future of MasterChef on the national broadcaster beyond 2028 when this contract expires. The search for the next set of presenters is on, following rumours that Great British Menu star Andi Oliver and Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt had been 'confirmed' as the new faces. It comes after Wallace told The Sun last week that he had been 'groped' by a host of women over the years while filming MasterChef. View More » MasterChef will air on BBC One on August 6 at 8pm. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: BBC gameshow already has fans obsessed and declaring it 'the new Traitors' MORE: Ncuti Gatwa admits he has one big regret about playing Doctor Who MORE: BBC releases its 'new Race Across The World' – don't judge episode 1
