Can you tell us a bit about disc golf and how it has evolved as a sport?
Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Its premise is simple - it is golf but with a disc (Frisbee is a trademark brand) instead of a ball and a basket with chains instead of a hole. The discs are smaller than ultimate discs and much heavier. The game is usually played with multiple discs with differing aerodynamics. For example, a driver is a very sharp disc, a mid-range is a little less sharp, and a putter is more rounded to both help “catch the chains” and to make sure it doesn’t slide too much on an upshot. Each hole has a par and the goal is to keep your score low as possible. The sport goes back to late 60’s to early 70’s. In its earliest forms it was played more as a recreational game, but in the last few decades it has become a true athletic sport. There are pro-players that are breaking world records yearly.
How did you foray into disc golf and what do you enjoy most about playing it?
I began playing in the mid 90’s as a young teen with a church group I was involved with. I played a whole lot for a year or two and put it down for over a decade while I went to college, grew up, and got my career started. I began playing again after my wife and moved within walking distance of the course I had played all those years ago. I bought some new discs and went back out on the course, and the fever hit me again. That was about 5 years ago.
Disc golf is addictive. Once you hear that plastic hit those chains, you are hooked. It’s a sport that I compare to both chess and surfing. It is like chess in that the mental component of the game is huge. You are constantly having to plan your shots around obstacles, selecting appropriate discs and types of throws. It is like surfing because, as surfers (I am from Virginia Beach with a huge surfing history) are on a search for a perfect wave - we are on a search for a perfect flight path. This means that physics of the disc, the wind, the flight path, and body mechanics all have to all match up. Once you have had a really great throw, you are forever on a search for another one.
Please tell us what you hope readers will get from ‘Zen and the Art of Disc Golf’?
All of the concepts that I wrote about in “Zen and the Art of Disc Golf” evolved while I was playing. For several years it was part of my routine to play every morning. I would go out really early and be the only one on the course and I began to realize that playing had become a form of meditation for me. I found myself seeing disc golf as a window to living, how I was playing was how I was living. The mindsets that helped me on the course also helped me find success at home and at work. Those habits that were not helping me on the course were also not helping me in life. So the game was introspective for me. I began writing the book discussing some of the mental aspects that disc golfers can use to lower their scores but also improve their lives.
What are a couple common mental challenges disc golfers struggle with?
The biggest challenge for disc golfers is probably the biggest challenge for any athlete: focus. Many players find it extremely difficult to tune into their shots when people are watching them or making noise. In my book, I argue that focus sits on a foundation of attitude. You must have strong foundation built on a positive attitude if you want focus. A negative attitude destroys focus. Any shot you take, you must believe you will make. Attitude and focus together help a player tune out distraction.
What are three of your favorite mental or Zen tips to help disc golfers play their best?
Firstly, stay positive. As with anything in life that you walk into, you must believe that you will be successful. So when stepping up to putt, do not think of all the putts you have missed, think of all the putts you have made.
Secondly, be in the moment. Never allow yourself to be on auto-pilot and just going through the motions. In disc golf, as in life, you must be in the here and now. Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t think about what you have to do on the next hole or even the next throw. Your focus must be on your current throw.
Lastly, visualize. Every time you step up to a shot you need to see in your mind the disc do what you want it to do. Get all of your senses involved. Feel it leave your hand. Hear the chains rattle. This activity alone has been massively successful for people in all types of sports, business, and walks of life.
Dr. Jim Afremow is a sports psychology expert and the author of “The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive.” Follow him on Twitter @goldmedalmind.
