By Caroline Larsson, Duramed FUTURES Tour Player
I want to share something that is very important for golf, but also for everything else in our lives. Two words – have fun! I have played golf since I was four years old, played professional golf for the past four years, and played in more than a hundred pro-ams. What I have noticed, whether it’s someone who can’t break 100, fellow pro golfers, or in my own golf game, is that the more fun you have on the golf course, the better you play.
This is especially true in the pro-ams, where I always go in with the attitude that we’re not 
going to care about how we play, but we’re going to have a lot of fun! This doesn’t only relax the amateurs I’m playing with, but it also sends out positive thoughts and encouragement and they don’t feel as much pressure that they have to hit a good shot. As it has turned out, my pro-am teams usually end up with a good score in the end!
Golf is a sport that is easy to be frustrated at. No matter your skill level, you always want to play better, hit the ball farther, or win more tournaments. (Believe me, I know!) I’m not saying that you should give up on those dreams. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t kick yourself in the butt if you don’t make it right away. Improvement takes time, and in the meantime it’s more enjoyable for everybody if you just relax and enjoy the ride!
After now having a few years of experience with professional golf on the Duramed Future’s Tour, I’ve realized that I have sometimes wanted to win too much.
When this happens and I know I can win, I’ve had the tendency to focus more on not messing up than to just hit one shot at a time and enjoy the moment. This year I’m going to take a different approach.
By being more relaxed on the golf course and just focus on having fun, I’m already playing a lot better. I was struggling in the beginning of the year with a new swing coach and new clubs, and I can honestly say that I did not enjoy practicing golf as much as I have been. I realized that I was focusing too much on my swing and that I practiced more than I played. Recently, I’ve gone out and played with friends more, and focused more on where I want the ball to go instead of every inch of my golf swing. I haven’t only had a blast playing golf again, but I’ve also played a lot better!
One tournament I played was in Daytona Beach, FL. My parents came over from Sweden that week and it was great to see them! I asked my dad to caddy, both because I wanted to spend time with him while they were here, but also because that reminded me not to be too hard on myself and that I play golf because it’s fun.
I think it was my mom who unknowingly reminded me of this one day on the golf course. My parents and I were out playing and my mom got mad because she wasn’t playing well. I reminded her that we were out there to have fun, that it was great to have them in Florida, and that it was a beautiful day out! Of course my mom could only smile and agree with me.
Last week, I told myself the same thing that I told my mom. After all, it’s just a game and it’s a game that we all love. I truly had fun on the golf course last week. Like I had told myself, I didn’t get upset on the course and instead just enjoyed the fact that my parents were here visiting me and that I do what I absolutely love doing. I ended up shooting 72-72-69 and had a good week. Having the golf course as your office isn’t too bad after all…
As a reminder to be less hard on myself on the course and to have more fun, I now have a new head cover on my putter. It’s a monkey butt! I love it, because there is no way you can look at that head cover without a smile on your face. During the last pro-am I played, I went under the nickname “monkey butt”…do I have to mention that we had a great time and none of us cared that the round took 6 hours – because we had fun! 
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Tags: golf, golf course, golf pro am, golf tournament, golfer, Women's Golf
I love this story, to see even the competitors talk about having a good time along the way is soooooo important. Life is short and that fact should never be taken lightly as just just never know what the future holds for you. At our company we have incorporated that philosophy into our product and our Brand and our tag line, LIVE, LAUGH, PLAY says it all! Good for Ms. Larsson for putting this note out to the public, it makes me like her and want to know more about her…