Love him or hate him, Michael Jordan dominated the sports news cycle recently and his “Airness” is once again on display.
The critically acclaimed documentary from Jason Heir ran over the past five weeks on ESPN, and each Sunday night we got to relive the golden era of the 1990s and see firsthand the Chicago Bulls go from another laughable loser team in Chicago to a six-time NBA championship-winning team on the backs of Jordan, Phil Jackson and a true cast of characters.
And you got to see some golf.
The documentary focused on 1998, the final year of the Bulls dynasty, and the sheer determination, grit and focus that Jordan had on the court. But he also showed that same side in his everyday life. His competitive nature soon found its way to the golf course, where an obsession quickly grew. His game-day ritual typically consisted of 18 holes in the morning and then straight to the arena for shootaround, and then drop 40 points en route to a victory, and then wake up and do it all over again.
His quest for perfection on both the court and the course was legendary. He acquired a laser focus early on as a kid, and as he poured himself into the game of golf he quickly became a single-digit handicap. It was such an addiction that even after winning the 1997 playoffs in Utah, as he exited the stadium, with a cigar in his mouth and champagne still dripping from his head, he said: “We still have some light out there, we can get some swings in.”
Jordan’s athletic and mental attributes are exactly what builds a world-class golfer. You have to be able to focus on the target, block out the noise, and rise to the challenge at each shot — like he did time and time again when the basketball game was on the line.
How did he stay so cool under pressure? His advice could change your golf game forever.
“I never think before a key shot in the game, What could go wrong,” Jordan said. “I am only thinking about it going in.”
That mentality is why Tiger is Tiger, MJ is MJ, and you are you.
We think too much, we worry too much, and we envision the outcome as catastrophic when faced with an important shot or putt on the course. That is the true difference between an elite mental athlete and everybody else — their capacity to just simply block it out.
This advice is not new, in fact, Dr. Chelsi Day and Dr. Rob Bell both have mentioned this on the Stick and Hack Show before, but seeing that determination and that mental strength poured out over five weeks of “The Last Dance” has solidified that advice.
So, be like Mike and don’t think about what could go wrong, only think about doing what you do and rising to each moment. Or hit a shank into the woods and move on, after all, you are just playing golf and it really doesn’t matter.