My Second 65: A Product of Relaxation

I shot a 65 for the second time ever last Wednesday (the first was with Kim also at Maple Leaf GC), also marking the second time I've ever had a bogeyless round (the first being at Oak Hollow GC when I shot my 64). I played at Maple Leaf GC with the Thompson/Morricle group. I played in a group with Larry, Wayne, and Roy. They kept me very relaxed. So it stands: when I'm relaxed I play my best. Or when I'm playing my best it keeps me relaxed. I haven't figured out which one comes first, the relaxation or the good play. Or perhaps they work hand-in-hand in perfect harmony and complement one another as I go. I started out with an easy par and had my first birdie on 2. My next birdie was not until 7 where I chipped in from the front-right rough. I had a long string of pars until 12 where I started my streak of four birdies through 15. That got me to 6 under and that is where I finished. I didn't feel relaxed to begin with, because I was playing with guys I had never been with before and it was early, having only gotten 6.5 hours of sleep. So I wasn't relaxed, but somewhere along the way I became comfortable in my own skin again and started to make smooth swings. And then I was just on cruise control. It seemed like good golf just naturally flowed out of me. It was very nice. So it goes to show that when I'm relaxed I play much better, and then when I play better it relaxes me even more, so the two kind of leap frog each other and create a snowball effect (if you'll let me use two analogies at a time). I tend to think relaxation comes first. If I could recreate the relaxation I have felt when I shot my 64 and my other 65 and multiple 66s, I could be deadly and very hard to beat. And just for the record, I was wearing my black ASU hat, white Kernersville Chamber of Commerce shirt, black belt, regular cargo shorts, white Nike socks, and my black golf shoes. And I didn't line up my ball the whole day, nor did I use my rangefinder or Golfshot on my iPhone. It was an all-feel-day and boy did it feel good.