I read the chapter called "Attitude" in the book, The Elements of Scoring by Raymond Floyd. In the chapter Floyd talk about how one needs to enjoy the walk, be patient, anger, and getting rid of expectations. First he says that good attitude helps you enjoy the round your playing and lets you have fun. Patience is a must Floyd goes on to say, he says this about patience: "A scorer knows that while golf constantly tempts us with shots that offer a chance for instant gratification, the game over the long haul is best played within one's capabilities"(159). Floyd talks about anger and how it can effect your playing skills, also how it make yourself look like a fool if you were to give into it. Floyd mentions that having a good attitude means being able to control your anger. Also, he says it doesn't mean never get angry. But if you do get angry, then you need to calm down before you hit your next shot. One of the final things Floyd talks about is expectations. He believes that expectations are a dangerous thing to have on a golf course. There are no guarantees in golf. Floyd says instead of having expectations have hopes.

All I can say is that this man definitely knows what he is talking about. Having fun while you play is important for this reason. Why do anything if your not having fun while doing it? So having fun will keep your mind off any previous bad shot and keep you in the present, which is very important in golf. Patience is a big factor while playing because good players are patient because they have faith in themselves and in their approach. Being patient helps you keep rhythm and not rush yourself. Anger. Anger is the most common killer of a golfer's score. Because when you let anger build inside of you, it will cloud your thoughts and mess with your body fluency. It is your natural reaction to something when it doesn't go exactly right and in golf its not a particularly bad thing, unless you let it get out of control and consume you. When I read what Floyd had to say about expectations I was shocked, because I have never heard anyone say to get rid of expectations. But after reading what Floyd had written I completely agree with his thoughts. Because you can't expect anything in golf. Nothing is given, you have to earn every bit of it. Floyd says that: "I play my best when I hope for the best but am prepared for the worst"(172). And again I completely agree with Floyd on this point, because when you expect something and don't receive it you feel like you have failed. While when you hope for something and don't receive it, it doesn't pick at your and you don't feel like a failure.

Floyd, Raymond. The Elements of Scoring. New york, Ny: Simon & Schuster, 1998. (156-172). Print.