So what? Big deal! So I get a little angry and throw a club now and then. My friends enjoy the "show." They laugh. I might play badly for a hole or two but I get it back. I don’t see what the big deal is. Let’s look at the "big deal" or should I say the bigger picture.

When you have a burst of anger, research shows that your coronary artery is reduced in efficiency by 5 to 8% as a result of constriction. As you emotionally recover from your outburst, your coronary artery relaxes and the rush of blood through the expanded artery creates micro tears that lay the groundwork for plaque buildup, a process that over years that increases your coronary risk. This risk includes both heart attack heart attack and stroke. Current research shows that the highest single predictor of heart disease and coronary death is recurring angry, hostile expression. Medical students and law students were given test to measure hostility. Those scoring the highest on these measures were 30 times more likely to die by the age of 50 than those scoring low on the same measure.

I work with a PGA Tour player who’s father died of a coronary at the age of 57. This player is well known for his hostile outbursts following a bad shot. He set a goal to manage his emotions more evenly and to "recover" quickly or abort an anger outburst. We had mixed results until we changed the title of the diary he was keeping from anger management to coronary management. He knows he has a high risk of coronary death based upon his predisposition to an angry expressive style.

LPGA player Karen Noble says her nickname on tour used to be "Chernobyl" due to her "melt down" style when she would hit a bad shot or two or get a bad break. She set goals to change her style and two years latter it is not uncommon for her LPGA peers to comment on her calmness on the course following a bad shot. She readily acknowledges that her ability to manage her anger not only pulls her out of a tailspin to a poor round but it also increases her enjoyment of the round and improves her play.

Have you ever noticed when you are playing well or have a good period of ball striking on the range that you tee it up on the first hole with an expectation to play well that day only to quick to anger with poor play? Have you noticed that your tolerance for poor play is lowered when your expectations are high? The key is to approach your round playing one shot at a time. Stay in the process of the shot, not in the outcome of the round. If you stay in the process and expect yourself to stay focused on your targets, to follow a set routine, to play one shot at a time, to be totally present, your score will be a product of that process. The shot you are playing is the only shot over which you have control at the moment.

Jack Nicklaus said he learned as a young player to channel his anger into a focused concentration and not allow himself to get too high or to low over any shot or situation. Both Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan said they expected to hit only four to five shots per round exactly as planned. Interestingly, one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game, Walter Hagen, said that his greatest golfing skill was his ability to forget the bad shot.