If you are familiar with George Washington, #1 President of the United States, you may have come across his favorite saying, “Many mickles make a muckle.” An old Scottish proverb that illustrates a truth we understand, there is an accumulative affect of how things add up, even the little ones.
A Masters champion would be familiar with this philosophy. In order to win the Master’s, a tournament like no other, it takes the accumulation of many things to have success there. I have talked a lot about process, follow a process for sustainable results. The champions all talk about this, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, to be successful at Augusta National you must have a great game plan. They understand the importance of following a process for each shot, preparing for the undulation of the course, knowing how the ball reacts out of pine needles, understanding wind conditions, knowing the atmosphere (this takes a lot of players out of their comfort zone), having control or awareness of emotions and having the patience to play aggressive when you can, and knowing when to take what the course gives you. This is the essence of many mickles make a muckle.
All of this is a must for any golfer aspiring to play their best. You may overlook some of these “little” things, remember they add up and will have influence on your outcomes, maybe not today but it will catch up to you if you are not following a process consistently. Washington said, “it is not imperative to win every battle, if your goal is to win the war.” Another way to look at this quote, there will be good shots, bad shots, good rounds and bad rounds, if your goal is to improve and win, these “battles” are required. From each battle, there are lessons to be learned thus continuing your process of accumulating knowledge and skills that propel you to success!
Enjoy Your Journey!