Morris Pickens - The Winning Way in Golf and Life

2014 by Dr. Morris Pickens

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson.

Cover and interior design by Thinkpen Design.

Photographs by Tim Brown Photography, St. Simons Island, Georgia

Permission to use photographs of TPC Sawgrass given by PGA Tour.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-14003-2406-4

ISBN-13: 978-05291-0207-2 (eBook)

Printed in China

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DEDICATION

Thanks to my loving wife, Suzanne, and my four dear children, Sellers, McCullough, Worth, and Emerson, who give freely of their time, love, and resources so I can help others pursue their dreams.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

GALATIANS 2:20

Contents

by Zach Johnson

M y friend Dr. Morris Pickens (Dr. Mo to me) has been a great help to me as I prepare for tournament play.

That may not sound like much to you, but for my career, its pretty much everything. If Im not preparedfully, completely, confidently preparedto go head to head with the greatest, most gifted, and skillful golfers in the whole world from week to week, then I may as well hang it up and find another job.

Theres nothing wrong with another job, but for this one relatively brief chapter in my life, I have the privilege of playing on the PGA tour, experiencing competition at the highest level I can imagine. While Im here, while the opportunity is before me, I want to maximize it. I want to be the best I can be.

Preparation isnt a luxury on the tour; its life support. Its everything. As Fred Couples used to say, When youre prepared, youre more confident. When you have a strategy, youre more comfortable. I want to be prepared, and I want to have a strategyin golf and in life.

With Dr. Mos help, my practice times have become more productive. Good practice doesnt necessarily mean you have to go out there and work from sunup to sundown seven days a week. Preparation doesnt necessarily mean more practice; in my case, it means smarter practice. In short, it demands a strategy.

Dr. Mo has helped me to recognize some areas of deficiency in my game, and he has designed some incredibly helpful personalized drills and practice methods to enable me to improve in these areas. In fact, some of the drills he gave me on chipping and putting helped me to win the Masters in 2007.

As you will discover in the pages of this book, Dr. Mos greatest strengths are his knowledge of the short game, putting, and the pre-shot routine.

Dont look down on that little word routine. I know that it might not sound too exciting, but having a sound pre-shot routinea consistent and productive way to manage my emotions and control my thought process around the ballin my career is the difference between success and failure, between winning tournaments and sitting in some coffee shop somewhere reminiscing about what might have been.

But please hear me on this: all of the training and drills and routines in the world wont count for much if my personal world is coming unraveled. I not only need a process for golf but I also need a process for life. If I occasionally win big checks on the tour but lose my wife and my family and the respect of my colleagues and friends, what have I gained?

Im especially happy to recommend Dr. Mos book because its about winning at golfand at life as well. Hes right when he says that we need a strategy for both. Championship-level golf doesnt happen by accident, and neither does a happy, satisfying, productive life.

We need a plan.

We need Gods help.

And we need friends like Dr. Mo who set a strong example and lead the way.

ZACH JOHNSON

St. Simons Island, Georgia

A number of people had very strategic roles in enabling this book to become a reality, and I would like to recognize them for their contributions.

Scott Lehman for being the catalyst that got this adventure going. Without Scott, this book never would have gotten off the ground.

Jack and Marsha Countryman who oversaw the entire project from beginning to end and, in essence, shepherded me every step of the way.

Larry Libby and his wife, Carol, for taking my thoughts and ideas and turning them into meaningful sentences and paragraphs. Larry you are a wonderful communicator!

Lisa Stilwell for editing, design, and completion of the book. You are the best polisher I have ever known.

Tim Brown for countless hours of photography and editing.

David Yarborough, Jim Kay, and the staff at St. Simons Community Church for giving the writing team a warm and inviting place to meet so the project could unfold.

Steve Temmer and Mark Fritchman for their critical analysis and review of earlier manuscripts. Your input was extremely insightful and valuable. Thanks!

Bill Hughes and his staff for allowing us to use TPC Sawgrass, and Adam Mersereau and his staff at the PGA Tour for allowing us to take pictures during The Players Championship, 2013.

My mom and dad for their continual love, support, encouragement, and wisdom. And my other parents, Bubbie and Bop, for being great role models in so many different ways the last twenty-five years. Each of you has been an incredible blessing to me!

Dan Pruitt, Cubby Culbertson, Bill Jones, and a whole host of other men in Columbia, SC who got me started on this wonderful walk in the early 2000s. Its impossible to express the gratitude I have for yalls love and guidance getting me started.

And finally, but most importantly, the players who helped me write the book. Im grateful for your time and generosity in completing all of the interviews, pictures, edits, and so forth. Without each of you, there would be no book. Yall are THE BEST!