Written by:NicoleWeller
2/19/2012 1:39 PM 

Good quality versus Good result...

Take a moment to think about why you play the game of golf.  Family, friends, social environment, competition, course aesthetics, exercise, low handicap/ scores, it’s always been a part of your life… those are some very common and excellent reasons for playing the game.  Did you notice that these answers did not deal with hitting perfectly pure shots?  Many golfers like the moments when their shots and putts are right on, but my reason for this article is to make golfers aware that one does not have to hit a great shot to play great golf!

During a lesson, I often see shots that turn out very well (airborne, target-oriented) but the student comments (without looking at the result while pulling over another golf ball) that it was a terrible shot.  I think as golfers we tend to fall into the habit of sighing disgustedly at a shot that doesn’t feel great yet turns out decently.  Could we have wanted the shot to turn out perfectly, as well as feel good, look good AND sound good?  While I admit that those shots are fun and ‘should’ happen more often, golf is a challenging game played by people with dynamic movements (not static, exactly repetitive movements).  Rick Jenson, renowned golf psychologist, spoke at a PGA Teaching Summit I attended in the late 90’s.  He held up a jar of marbles that contained 25% green (representing great shots), 50% black (average, playable shots) and 25% red marbles (poor shots).  He shook them up and said “OK, I’ve practiced as well as I could and am ready to tee off on #1.  Let’s see with all my preparation and best intentions, what type of shot comes out of the jar” and he pulled out a black marble.  His point led to the awareness that despite us wanting to control great golf shots, the challenge of the mental and physical aspects of the game don’t guarantee it.  We do the best we can, enjoy the tradition of the game and give it our best on the next shot.  At Wake Forest University, my coach used to cheer us on by saying, “Go hit it, chase it and hit it again!” 

Our quest is to find and maintain a repeatable, consistent movement that propels the ball towards our target.  However, the scorecard does not have a section for the quality of the shot, merely the result of the score on the hole!  One does not have to hit a great shot to score well – the golfer just has to get the ball into the hole.  The practice facility allows one time to manage the movement and ball flight better while the course allows one to PLAY the game one has that day.  My first hole-in-one as a youngster never made it more than 10 feet off the ground, as it rocketed up the approach to the green and into the hole.  Despite not feeling/looking/sounding good, I decided to accept the hole-in-one! 

The game is many things to many people.  I encourage you to consider the effectiveness of the shot over the quality if you are very interested in lowering your handicap or scores.  Keep working on the quality with a golf professional and in your practice time but when you play, play golf with a swing motion, don’t think golf with positions. The next time someone compliments you on a shot that turns out well but that you feel is less than lovely, I challenge you to refrain from adding a “But…” and smiling with a “Thank You, that DID turn out well, didn’t it?”

(As first published in This Week at The Landings)

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