Lessons Learned on the Golf Course

Interestingly this posting is done at the urging of my wife who is not a golfer and who has seen me play but once in our entire marriage.  However, she always encourages me to play and always asks about my game upon my return.  I have shot my age each year for the past three years, an accomplishment I am personally very proud of, and she asks me every time I come home if I did it again; the answer, the great majority of the time, of course, is ‘no.’  I don’t think she realizes how difficult that is.  But did I have fun?  You bet.

Time on the golf course, however, can give a player insights and teach important lessons that can be extrapolated and brought to other situations in life. Courtesy, planning ahead, dealing with hazards—these are not just part of the golf experience, but of the life experience. 

  

·        Golfers are optimistic.  They have a goal and they invariably think they can achieve it; if they broke 90 or 80 or 70 before, they think they can do it again and do even better ‘this time.’  That’s okay unless their great score came 20 years ago.   Likewise distances.  If they once hit a great 7 iron 170 yards, most golfers think they can do it again even if realistically they hit it only 145 yards.  Smart golfers know their realistic distances and choose their clubs accordingly. 

     

·        Beauty can be appreciated, enjoyed, but can be distracting.  One should enjoy the beauty and enjoyment of being on most golf courses.  But if you want to do well in the game at hand stay focused on your swing mechanics and course strategy once you approach your ball. 

·        Consideration of others.  Not replacing divots, not raking your footprints out of sand traps, not repairing ball marks on greens, loud talking and distracting others, cell phone usage on the course, slow play—these are the things that show major lack of consideration for others.   You are not the only person on the golf course, on the road, in the library, in line at the store, in the theater—you get the drift.

·        Play by the rules—know the rules and use good golf etiquette. 

 

·        Forget the last hole; each hole is a new challenge.  A match is not lost—or won—in the first three or four holes.  Keep the big picture in mind.   Remember Yogi's truism: "It’s not over until it’s over."

·        In competition,  play your own game; don’t worry about the other guy’s game—you can’t do anything about it.  There is even a game or challenge within your own game: your 'long game' may be 'on' but your short game is poor, etc., etc., etc.  You have enough to worry about with your own game.

   

·        Concentrate on the challenge at hand. Plan out your hole before you play it—where you want to go, what you want to stay away from. Play smart.  Don’t take unnecessary chances that have a low percentage chance of success. 

 

·        Think before every shot; don’t just swing away.  Visualize your shot. Engage a mental rehearsal of your key swing points before you take your swing.  Focus on a specific target and then block out all other thoughts once you begin your swing.

·        Know your capabilities—your realistic club distances—your weaknesses.   Play to your strengths. Often he who makes the fewest mistakes wins. 

     Finally, the biggest lesson of all: Control.  You've got to control your body, your mind, and your emotions. If golf can help a person learn that, everyone should play the game.    

 Have fun.  It’s a game—a social game.  Most golfers would hate to play with Tiger Woods after they had played with him once so they could brag about it.  He would be no fun at all to be with on the course on a regular basis.  Make it fun for the other guy too.