Chi Chi Rodriguez Quotes

It's just a matter of hitting the ball where I want to hit it and hopefully making some putts.

The big trick in putting is not method; the secret of putting is domination of the nerves.

When I'm on really tough golf courses, I feel like I'm more focused because I'm really trying to hit the ball to a certain spot, instead of, a lot of times, when I struggle sometimes is just staying mentally focused on every shot.

Everybody asks if putting is like shooting free throws. It has a very similar kind of mindset. And it's just you, the ball, and the target.

First and fore-most, you must have confidence. Your second mental problem is concentration. Think the shot through in advance before you address the ball. Draw a mental image of where you want it to go and then eliminate everything else from your mind, except how you are going to get the ball into that preferred spot.

As I see it, the thing that hurt my putting most when it was bad, was thinking too much about how I was making the stroke and not enough about getting the ball in the hole.

Most people who play golf have one big trouble: they think too much. To get any real mileage out of this game you've got to sit on your imagination.

A golfer should never make a mental mistake because the ball is just sitting there waiting for you to hit it.

Look at the putt from behind the hole. Everyday players almost never do this. They should! Your eyes will take in more information about the slope. Sometimes you'll find that your initial read was incorrect.

Feel is the most perplexing part of golf, and probably the most important.

In tennis, you can make a couple of mistakes and still win. Not in golf. I played three rounds in that Tahoe event, and I was drained. Mentally, not physically.

It is nothing new or original to say that golf is played one stroke at a time. But it took me many years to realize it.

I admire a lot of people, but in terms of sport I've always loved the mentality of Tiger Woods on a golf course. I always love his eyes when he's setting himself and focusing on his decision; he has a really strong, focused face and believes that he can make the shot.

Golf is a spiritual game. It's like Zen. You have to let your mind take over.

My mind started wandering. I started playing carefully, instead of playing the way that had gotten me to that point. I had to force myself to keep driving the ball.

I don't believe in luck. Not in golf, anyway. There are good bounces and bad bounces, sure, but the ball is round and so is the hole. If you find yourself in a position where you hope for luck to pull you through, you're in serious trouble.

Right before I start the putter back, I think about making solid contact. This brings your attention to the back of the ball and helps keep your head still at impact, which is a must. Many amateurs take a peek down the line too soon, and that can cause all sorts of mis-hits.

Golf is all about patience - one tournament is four days long, 18 holes a day.

The successful golfers - they're like astronauts or pilots. They have that demeanor that they can focus and stay within that one moment and nothing distracts them. That's not me.

I certainly don't think adrenalin coursing through your veins, is going to help with the fine motor skills of golf.

Golf is a search for perfection, for balance. It's about meditation and concentration. You have to use hand and brain.

Golf is played between the ears and if you are not 100 percent focused on what you are trying to do, then people will go past you no matter who you are.

It's such a psychological and mental game, golf, that the smallest wrong thing at the wrong time can distract you from what you're trying to achieve.

Confidence in golf means being able to concentrate on the problem at hand with no outside interference.

I think I definitely like the solitude of golf.