We’re All Just Kids Around the Cup

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It’s Father’s Day!  Impressed upon all our minds and hearts is the now iconic image of Payne Stewart hugging the neck of Phil Michelson upon his 1999 Open win and exclaiming “You’re going to be a father!” Golf and fatherhood.  Those two words best describe some of the fondest memories many of us claim to have with our dad.  I know they do mine.

My first memory of life was watching  our little black and white television with my dad on a Saturday afternoon when I was three years old.  I will never forget the image of Arnold Palmer walking up the 18th green, sinking one of his famous putts, and thrusting his arm up in the air in a show of ultimate victory.  Dad and I were there in 1973 at Oakmont walking the fairways watching Johnny Miller shoot 63 to make his historic win. I remember my first golf lesson with Alfie Jackson, at Churchill Country Club.  Dad was so proud to be there, watching me learn the game for the first time at 14, after 9 years of putting.

The most vivid memory I have of Dad is the first time we played golf together.  It was a cold December Saturday in 1973.  The snow just began to melt in Pittsburgh and unlike most girls my age who would be running to get their sled, I ran to my dad shouting, “Daddy, Daddy, the snow’s melting. Let’s go play golf!”  My dad looked at me like I was nuts, but saw the passion in my eyes and my deep desire to be with him on the course. Continue reading →

“Eat More Ice-Cream!”

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For years, I have awaited with eager expectation the coming of the Mens and Womens U.S. Opens.  Along with thousands of other invested lovers of the game, we have together looked forward to a new experience of golf in our beloved historic Pinehurst.  After all, we are known for being the birthplace of American golf and the preservers of all that has gone on before us.

Every now and then, however, you have to break tradition to make room for something brand new.  I love that word “new.”  The word connotes something fresh, different, innovative, original.  It means more than improvement or an added twist.  It means something entirely different.  I like the word because when you actually encounter something “new,” it also brings along with it a burst of energy.  And we can all use a fresh breath of air in our lives can’t we?  I don’t mean from time to time, but on a regular basis.  Without “new,” life becomes “old.” Even a town can become full of wrinkles as it withers from a lack of oscillation, beholden to the narrow and confined instead of the open and invitational. Oh, yes, even a village has to pulsate with the beat of life. Continue reading →

Champion Mindset of the Week: Affirm the champion identity in yourself and others!

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Champion Mindset of the Week:  Repeat after me:  “I AM a champion!  YOU are a champion!”

I often refer to my clients/students when I speak to them as “Champion Marilyn” or “Champion Sue.” I call them by the name that reflects how I see them, their true identity. I believe there is a champion in everyone.  It’s a powerful word, isn’t it?

Most people I come across do not see themselves as a champion.  When I was working at the Greg Norman CHAMPIONS Golf Academy, I would go out on the golf course and observe twelve 17 year old boys from Mexico play their game.  I would observe who would play like a champion and who would not.  I would not judge their champion identity from their score, but by how they carried themselves on the course–by how they conducted themselves and by what they demonstrated to me.

One day I was observing Fernando.  Watching him play, he looked like he was on the PGA tour.  If he hit a good shot, if he hit a bad shot, you could not tell how well or how poorly he was playing, because his emotions were so consistently calm.  I was so impressed with him, even though he was not having the best day score-wise.  When we got back to the classroom, I said in front of all the other boys, “Fernando, you are such a champion.  Today, I saw you behaving like a PGA player out there, I was so impressed.”  As I spoke into his champion identity, you could see that he never had anyone tell him what I was telling him about himself.  I could see that he was not seeing himself as I saw him, but as I spoke LIFE to him, I could see that he was drinking in affirmation about connecting to his true identity as a champion.

Within a matter of just a few weeks, he went out and won his first tournament.  I have to believe by making a deposit of identity affirmation to this young man, he was able to connect to his higher self and began to “play from his spirit.”

This past week I did not qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open.  I shot two rounds in the eighties.  This was a three year goal I had for myself.  The good news is, I did not sink in my emotions.  There was no despair or negativity whatsoever.  Why?  Because I had the power of others speaking to my champion identity. I felt so much love and affirmation through my Caddy Club support system which I intentionally created to give myself the encouragement I needed, that when I did not qualify, a wave of love washed any spirit of defeat off of my true champion identity which I define as an overcomer.

There is SO MUCH more to say about my journey that I want to share with you, but for this week, for just today, I want to encourage you to  live, work, and breathe from your champion identity—say to yourself outloud, “I am a champion!”  and then instead of judging o speaking about that person who you see is not living up to their true champion identity, go speak to the champion in someone else who can’t see what you see in them. Who knows?  There may be a first place finisher just waiting to emerge in them as there was in Fernando.  And even if there isn’t in the moment, you will call someone else up higher to be their best selves.  Isn’t that what we all need a little more of in our world, and what we all crave for, someone else to come along and help wash off the crud of negativity so that our excellent spirit can shine more powerfully?

Inspiring you to hit your best shot, Veronica

I have One More Spot Open-  Breakthrough to Your A Game workshop Pinewild Country Club, tomorrow, June 5, 9 to 4 in Pinehurst

Info: http://truechampioncoaching.com/tcc_Breakthrough_to_Your_A_Game_june_5.pdf

Registration:  http://truechampioncoaching.com/agame5-14

U.S. Open Qualifier: The Power of Caddie Club

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You never know how stepping out in faith to pursue a championship will end.  My quest to qualify for the Women’s U.S. Open this past week ended with a failure to qualify.  Or did it?  Even though it didn’t look like a score on the card, I did score.

For starters, my brain chemistry actually changed as I was able to walk the daunting eight miles of Carolina Trace without skipping a beat. As a result, I could no longer tell myself that I could not do something that required endurance and stamina because of a former struggle with chronic fatigue. I set a goal and went after it, and re-discovered the power of a worthy goal to accomplish something and move forward.  I learned how to overcome obstacles and keep going in a new way.  What was most outstanding about the experience, however, was the power of a caddie club to lift my spirits and to immediately wash away all defeating emotions. It was also great to see how many people became excited about golf, whether they played or not.

A caddie club is a group of cheerleaders comprised of friends and family whom you invite into your championship. It is the sixth step in my holistic approach to peak performance system. I believe that competition and achievement are meant to be accomplished from a place of relationship.  We all need encouragement, so why not intentionally build into your quest the power of emotional support to keep your spirits positive and to ward off the unrelenting ups and downs of the game.

I call it a Caddie Club because the purpose of a caddy is to carry your bag.  Tiger Woods is a great golfer, but you will never see him carrying his own bag. That is the job of the caddie.  For you to perform your best, you cannot carry your own burden.  You have to be emotionally “cleared” to pursue your goal.

For my Caddie Club, I invited eighteen of my friends to each choose a hole to cover through  encouragement and prayer. I would email them an update every week.  “I’ll take hole #1!” Judy, my friend from Canada xclaimed, “because I want to see you get off to a great start!”  “I’ll take hole #13, because that is the day of the month I got married,” one friend said. “I’ll take hole #5, because I have 5 kids!”

My friend Betse said, “I will cover you on hole #10. I picked that hole because it about making the turn. If you’ve played well on the front nine, you will need to remain focused and continue that good play on the back nine. If you haven’t played well on the front nine, it’s your opportunity to turn things around on the back nine. How you play the 10th hole is crucial in determining your outcome.  I also will pray for overall stamina for you as you play 36 holes in one day. I wish you all the best.”

With the power of Facebook, I had people from all over the world sending me their well-wishes, some whom I did not even know! So when it didn’t happen, I was caught by the power of love. All negative emotions were immediately washed away as I felt a tidal wave of embrace from others.

Locally, Caddie Club member #13, Ova Jean Siemens came out, walked the course with her friend Dawn, and treated us all to dinner.  Caddie Club member, Penny, came out at 6:30 am to help see me off! Thanks to Kaye Pierson, my wonderful caddy on the course, I not only left experiencing the power of friendship on the course, but have a new friend off the course, too. Caddie Club members Marilyn, Susan, Jan and Dan, provided sponsorship.  My brother, Mike, took #18. It was so great to have his support.

What I didn’t expect was how my caddie club helped grow the game of golf:  My non-golfing neighbors, Pat and Carol, Caddy Club members on holes #4 and #14, staked themselves out on the ninth hole.  “We thought we were in the competition ourselves, it was so exciting,” they told me.  Felecia from Texas said, “I felt like I was going through your journey with you.  From your weekly caddie club updates, I took your swing-thoughts for success on the course with me and applied them to my work situation. I came to love golf more because of my participation in your caddy club.”  “Mom asked me how you were doing on the course all day long,” another member remarked about her non-golfing 96 year old mom.

In addition to the enthusiasm for the game a championship quest can spark in others, the greatest victory was the opening of my heart all my well-wishers produced in me.  Sometimes when life knocks you down, your heart can close.  Through this experience, I felt my heart opening to life and new possibilities again.  And just maybe, that is the Open I really qualified for—an Open Heart to Life.

Much thanks to The Pilot for sharing my story.  Please join me at the Pine Crest Inn, Monday, morning June 2, at 8:00 am. Let’s chat!
Veronica Karaman is the author of the forthcoming book, Swingthoughts for Success in Golf and Life. Improve your game on June 5th at her Breakthrough to Your A Game workshop in Pinehurst.  Contact her at veronica@truechampioncoaching.com.

Creating A Shot of Joy with Your Family over the Holidays

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“If you look closely enough at something, it will reveal its secrets to you.” This insight from George Washington Carver helped him to discover over 300 uses of the peanut. I also found it to be true about golf. I am sure that most people who play the game would be delighted to have a few secrets revealed to them on how to break 100 consistently. However, I have discovered some of the best secrets of the game have nothing to do with scoring on the course. Rather, they have to do about scoring in relationships. And what better time of the year than around the holidays to make better connections, especially with your family. So if you are dreading to see Uncle Boe-boe head at your annual Christmas dinner as much as you do hitting a shot over a monstrous looking lake, take heart! Here are 5 secrets on how to turn strife-filled family relationships into fresh family joy. I call my golf-inspired strategy “creating a shot of joy.”
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Healing Mother-Daughter Relationships

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Friends, I am in the process of writing and completing a book on the amazing journey of reconciliation and complete healing of my relationship with my mother before she passed away.  Through that journey of 7 years, I learned amazing truths and insights which I have shared with other women who want to reach their mother’s heart and create great memories before it’s too late.  Women have seen great results by using the strategies and insights I have shared to create threir own mother-daughter breakthroughs.  If you would like to be part of an 8 week teleclass course on healing mother-daughter relationships where you would also review my book and help me to Continue reading →

God’s Way to an A Student Testimony

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God’s way to an A has been a true blessing for me. I have always grown up in the church but I have never combined my education with my religion. I felt like they were always on two different categories. I always prayed when I needed something. For example before a test, quiz, when I was struggling in a class, but never took the time out to pray before I sat down and started studying. But God’s way to an A has taught me so much about meditating/praying before I get into my studies. I feel more relaxed and free with nothing stressful on my mind. God’s way to an A has opened up my eyes and also gave me an opportunity to read other people’s testimonies and to understand that God is everywhere. Continue reading →

College Success: Who are you listening to?

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The person you listen to is the most important person in your life. When you first go off to college you probably aren’t thinking about this truth. Your mind is filled with getting to class on time, finding your classes, getting used to your roommate, wondering what to do with some homesick pains, and who your new friends will be. When I first went off to Duke, I only had one friend whom I knew that went there. His advice to me was, “Just get by your first semester. Don’t worry about doing your best—just do what you need to do to get by.” I listened to him. As a result, my normal “A” grade performance slid downhill. I substituted mediocrity for excellence and I suffered. My grades went downhill and so did my expectations of myself for the next two years. Yep. Two years. Continue reading →

The First 30 Days of College Success: Set up “rules of respect”

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Day 2: Talk to your roommate about “rules of respect.” Your roommate, who most likely is a total stranger to you, is a very important person in your life. You may spend a lot of time with that person or you may not, but chances are, you each have your own ways in living together in a shared space and will intersect a lot. In an effort to be friends and get along, it appears easier not to talk about things rather than talking through “ground rules” for getting along and respecting one another’s space. It’s better to have a mutual understanding and respect about what is important to each of you upfront than to play the “suck it up silent treatment” which doesn’t really work, especially for things that cross the line with your values and self-respect. When a conflict arises, you can always point to the “rules of respect” that you both create rather than pointing at one another. Continue reading →

The First 30 Days of College: Swing-Thought for Success

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Swing-thought 1:  To overcome the fear of new: Get up on time. Go to class on time.  Do your work on time.  Go to bed on time.

While hurricane Irene has done its damage this past week and moved on, the inner hurricane of first time college students entering their new world has just begun.  A hurricane it is.  Consider the freshman from the University of Central Florida who died after attending a freshman party just three days after arriving at school.  Don’t think there’s not a spiritual warfare over your life! 

 For many students, the dominating emotion that overtakes you is overwhelm—getting used to a new surroundings, having the freedom to make one’s own decisions, seeking emotional connection in new friends, and feeling the fear of new, which can influence you to do things outside the norm, or just freeze, not knowing what to do.  

In golf, when you feel the pressure of the unknown or fear to hit a shot that you’re not used to, what creates a successful execution is your pre-shot routine. It’s a very specific routine you do regardless of the outward pressure to set up your shot.  Part of my routine is:  select your target, find my intermediary target, grip the club, set your club square to your target line, set your feet square to your club, look at the target, relax….and hit the ball!  My pre-shot routine is simple, clear, repeatable, and effective.  Reliance on the routine is what equips you to hit the shot despite the pressure. 

When you are in overwhelm your first week of college, choose a pre-shot routine and commit to it everyday.  I suggest you make it real simple:  get up on time. Go to class on time. Do your work on time.  Go to bed on time.  One swing-thought for each time-frame of your day:  morning, afternoon, evening, and bedtime. Believe me, you will be off to a good start and will be ahead of the game.  Creating this simple mental structure will eliminate your immediate feeling of overwhelm.

If it works for golf, it will work for you!

Veronica Karaman is the founder of True Champion Coaching and is available for academic coaching.