• 22 November 2024
• 270 Views
• by Corin Ashby

The Unknown Golfer: An embarrassing route to better golf?

Did trying too hard ever do anyone any harm at something really? Answer: No, not unless they’re playing golf. A recent humiliation might just be the catalyst for a change of perspective and better golf over the winter period…

The onset of winter may be a bit of a turning point for me and how I might play better golf. 

Recently, I arranged to meet up with an old friend to play golf. Going back more than 15 years ago now, I’d play the occasional social round. My friend was (and still is) an incredibly good golfer with a handicap of less than 6 and is someone whose ability I admire a lot. I wasn’t so much concerned with playing better golf back then I hasten to add – it was more about enjoying catching up with a good mate.

We hadn’t seen each other for a few years (various reasons: covid, house moves, family stuff) and I was looking forward to showing my friend just how much better I had become at the game – now that I too have been bitten by the bug, play a lot more regularly, have even joined a club (!), and got myself a ‘proper’ handicap. 

Better golf or not?

As we warmed up on the range with a few practice balls, he said how much he was looking forward to seeing how my game had moved on. I should have known then, as I duffed the first few practice swings, that things weren’t going to work out the way I would have hoped.

Fast-forward two and a half painful hours, nine holes and several blobs (and balls) later… It was as if I’d stepped back in time. My golf was the same unpredictable mess of slice and hook, top and hack. The more I tried to correct things, the more things went awry. The more frustrated and dispirited I got, the more erratic everything became.

‘Agricultural’ was the word given to my swing during the post-match analysis and drink. My ‘better golf’ game was like ‘aerosol’ because I tend to spray it everywhere. On the face of it, I laughed along with the banter. Inside, I felt gutted. 

So later that day I did what every self-respecting golfer does when they’ve had a horrible round… I sulked. And not for a brief period either. I brooded. I wallowed. Then, after what seemed like days of incredibly sad self-recrimination for a normally mature adult, I resolved to do two things a little differently. 

My route to better golf

First, my mental approach. Stop expecting too much. In fact, don’t expect anything at all! Less appears to be more in golf. Trying too hard invariably messes you up. The best response to a similar situation in the future is to deliberately slow your movements, breathing and thinking down. In short, stop giving a damn! 

So far, I’ve played more than five rounds of golf with this new almost ‘carefree’ approach to better golf. Quiet, contented resignation has been more successful overall – multiple birdies, four sub-handicap scores and growing confidence that if I can keep my head (and heart) in check, I can improve further by looking at other parts of my game like flexibility, swing speed and course management too.

And that brings me to my second resolution, with winter moving steadily in on us, I’ve made myself a simple monthly improvement plan too. More on that next time when I can confidently tell you I’ve stuck to it! 

Roll on the next time 🙂

The Unknown Golfer

www.golfretreats.com is NOT a conventional golf trip company. We create high quality, guided coaching experiences to help all player abilities progress their golf game in a fun and enjoyable way. 

We’re passionate about what we do and the people we do it for. Our promise to you is that at the end of your stay, you will go home a better golfer.