Once you realize you’ve got nothing to lose is when winning can begin

Some years ago I had an experience that revolved around hitting a golf ball in front of a crowd. I learned some great fishing and life lessons from an initially embarrassing moment.

I was at a large business conference in Oregon that had a bunch of outdoor activities. The one everyone else wanted to try was hitting a golf ball inside a cage that had a radar gun measuring speed and distance. The line was over an hour long and it wound closely around the cage where everyone could see how well the current “golfer” had done.

Each got four tries.

The result of each swing was shown in big bright lights. A good hit drew gasps, while a whiff usually created derision. Just about every person there thought they were a good golfer. Reminded me of a lot of anglers at the lake!

I was simply watching when Jerry, who’s tall, athletic and a scratch golfer, comes over and grabs me by the arm, putting us in line. I protested: “Hey, I can’t do this, I haven’t hit a ball in years.” Others spotted me in line. “So the fisherman’s going to try it. Have you even hit a ball lately?” I could feel the sharks circling.

I was getting more anxious the closer I got to the cage. I wasn’t thinking much about what to do in the cage, I was fearful of looking foolish.

Jerry, confident, posted the second-fastest ball speed of (what I recall) around 195 mph. Everyone cheered. I was following that?

I entered the cage. Dead quiet. “Don’t miss the ball!” I thought as I stepped up to the tee – but I did, almost falling down. Laughter rang out.

I had expected and feared the worst and, voila, I got it.

I realized I had nothing to lose now. Hmmm ... wasn’t this all about just one thing: how hard could I hit the ball? Like throwing a shot put. I decided to just go for it. Relax and let it all out.

I unleashed on the second ball ... and the display read 204 mph (as I remember)! Others were crying foul – it had to be a mistake. “Try it again!”

I let it rip again, and improved by 1 mph. They fell all over themselves. My last try was just about the same.

Once I had nothing to lose and just decided that I would do my best, what everyone else thought became unimportant. My body did the rest.

The next day my right foot and back were really sore from pushing and torquing so hard on those drives. Where those drives would have gone on a course, who knows? That day, all that mattered was speed.

Never give up.