Greetings Golfers,

We’ve all heard the saying “Golf can be humbling game”. And it can be … Tiger Woods recently hit 3 wedge shots into the water at an exhibition. Think how he felt … humbled?

Bobby Jones wrote “Golf is said to be a humbling game, but it is surprising how many people are either not aware of their weaknesses or else reckless of consequences”.

As usual – Jones was very insightful. Lots of people play golf like they’re on a bender. They have every right to do so if that’s what they enjoy … but I don’t see how wasting a lot of strokes is much fun. Golf is a game … and it involves strategy. Sort of like poker. One night I played poker with a bunch guys who went all in every hand … and usually on the second or third card … it was just crazy. I didn’t think it was fun – it wasn’t even a game.

People play golf like that. They hit driver on every par 4, and they also try to reach every par 5 in two shots. And they don’t take into consideration their tendencies. If they usually slice their driver, why hit driver on holes with out-of-bounds on the right side?

That brings up penalty strokes. I constantly have guys tell me how well they would have played if they didn’t have penalty strokes. I don’t know what to say to that. That’s like saying they’d be a good driver if they didn’t have so many car accidents.

Golf is about positioning. It’s about putting the ball in position to put the ball in a better position to get it into the hole. It’s not about hitting the perfect one-in-a-million shot. It’s about hitting a realistic shot to set up the next shot. Don’t laugh – this needs to be said.

Yes – golf can be a humbling game. And I’m not saying to not take chances. But I am saying to take calculated risks – not just go “all in” on every shot.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com