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 It was a Sunday night and my normally mild-mannered son was stressing big time. There was state testing beginning the next day at school and he was worried. Petrified might be a better description. Somehow it had been impressed upon him that failure was not an option and the pressure was weighing on him to the point of tears. Did I mention that he’s in second grade? After we convinced him that the weight of the free world was not on his shoulders, he eventually fell asleep and survived the week of school. I’d like to thank the adults who made this moment possible. It’s even more prevalent in athletics. I see it at the baseball field where parents routinely lose their mind over a child’s game. The kids don’t even know the score, but parents strategize like they’re Mike Scioscia managing the seventh game of the World Series. Unfortunately, the golf course is not immune. Over the past few months, I’ve played with people whose expectations exceed rational limitations, and I’ve been keeping notes. One friend showed up late for our tee time. He ran to the tee, lacing up his shoes in the golf cart while we all hit. When it was his turn to play, he struggled to find a tee and hooked his first drive out of bounds. He topped the second ball and chopped his way to a 10 on the first hole, blaming his wife, boss and ill-timed use of a tip he had seen on the Golf Channel. Never once did he consider that he should have got to the course on time and warmed up properly. The second offender was a single-digit handicap — back when we used balata balls. Now he plays to about a 12 and is lucky to tee it up once a month. Practice never enters the equation. He was even-par heading to the par-5 ninth hole that has a water hazard in front of the green. He faced a 225-yard approach shot to a green with a slight breeze in his face. He pulled out a fairway wood in an attempt to get home in two. He hit it a little thin and knocked it in the middle of the lake. Frustrated, he went to the drop area and without thinking dunked two more balls before picking up. He was thinking like the 5 handicap he was 20 years ago, but forgetting that he’s now a 12 who never practices. He could have laid up to a comfortable distance and played a pitch to the green. His failure to think like the player he is rather than the player he was cost him a big number on the scorecard. My latter friend also substitutes putter models between rounds, with no change in results. He goes cross-handed, split grip and even briefly employed “the claw.” On this day, the latest addition to his bag didn’t even make it to the end of the round when an angry flip bent the shaft and he was forced to putt with a sand wedge. Never once did he consider that his lack of practice might be at the root of the problem. If you shoot in the 80s and have about 30 putts per round, strokes on the green account for nearly 40 percent of your score. Do you spend 40 percent of your practice time on the putting green, or do you spend more time considering different putters, grips and strokes? Virtually none of us make a living playing this game or any other game, for that matter. Games are supposed to be fun. If you don’t perform well, a lack of preparation could be the main culprit. Have realistic expectations and let fun find it’s way back into your game. |
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