As I was standing on the 12th tee, looking at the landscape before me, it became clear I had no clarity on what club to hit. I was playing this course for the first time, hence the confusion. Before I called on the angels for help, a fellow player who is a member at this course, remarked “It’s a lay-up about 150 yards.” I continued to gaze down the fairway, trying to put the topography into perspective. Were my eyes deceiving me? It seemed so much further. If the drive wasn’t long enough, the second shot was a carry over water to a severely elevated green flanked by a stone wall. It made for a very intimidating hole.
When I finally consulted with the angels, a 7 wood was their recommendation. I knew with full trust this was the correct club, but with anxiety of the unnerving hole and tenseness in my body, I pulled the shot left into a fairway bunker. Undeniably, I was trying to get everything out of the club and over swung. My next shot was a lay-up which splashed into the pond and lead to a triple bogie. Thank goodness it was a team event and my score wasn’t needed on this hole.
This perplexing perspective made me ponder. From the tee box the hole was daunting, but as played, it became evident 
it wasn’t as menacing as first perceived. All that was needed was a halfway decent tee shot in the fairway, which then revealed with more certainty what was needed for the next shot and so on. By dissecting the hole piece by piece it became feasible. Golf course architects are obligated to create illusions with elevation changes, bunkers and water features to keep us second guessing and they certainly got me on this one. I can still hear them laughing!
I realized a metaphor for my life was playing through this hole. Looking at the finish (of a project, life’s dream) is overwhelming and could create stress and apprehension—or even the F word…fear! By taking one shot (baby step) at a time using focus, intention and the angels to navigate the terrain, keeps it fun, on target, and transforms the perceived challenges into illusions. Oh, the confusing delusions of the mind!
Here’s the angels’ recap…
“Know that your full power lies in the now and getting too far ahead of yourself, worrying about the outcome will diminish your creativity and imagination by setting your sights on something out there (distant green) in the future. Instead we recommend visualizing the hole like a road map, plotting your course from point A to point B and only focusing on that segment of the trip. The journey will unfold with twist and turns, doglegs and rotations, bringing you to your desired destination, embracing enthusiasm instead of dread. Golf’s a course, not a destination.”