“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
By Ian Hardie
As you would expect I spend a fair amount of time each week writing posts for Golf Habits
Most of which are written with the intention of helping you guys play better golf
So much like the mechanic who never fixes his own car
Or the builder who never quite does their own renovations at home
For the past few months
I basically haven’t been playing golf or practicing at all
Which I suppose is a bit odd for a Golf Professional that writes a golf blog
Especially one that is aiming to compete in Senior PGA tour events in a few years’ time
I have however been thinking about golf a lot as you might expect
While writing Golf Habits
So I’d have to say the break I’ve had from actually playing golf
Was exactly what I needed
As it’s given me time to gather my thoughts about my own golf
And what I need to do to become ‘competitive’ again
Especially important has been a patch where I thought a lot about
Exactly what I had done differently
To transition from low handicap amateur
To a ‘competitive’ golf pro when I was younger
During which the realisation came to me that
I have exactly the same opportunity again now
Some 25 years later
Starting from being a low handicap amateur again for the past couple of years
Fitting in golf like most of you do
Around work, family and other commitments
I wasn’t expecting to set the world on fire
Playing once or twice a week
And having the odd practice session
Now however, after a few months back working as a PGA Golf Professional
It’s time to ‘reset’ myself
Using what I did the first time as a guide
While blending it with the knowledge gained from having 25 more years’ life experience
I am about to head back towards being a ‘competitive’ pro again
So the big question is
What advice have I got for myself?
Quite a bit actually
The first of which is going to sound a bit strange to most of you
“You need to get rid of taking a scorecard for the next year or so Ian”
“Just play golf by attempting the shot that is required rather than the safe shot to keep your round going”
“The score that results is irrelevant for now”
And before you ask
No, I haven’t been watching the movie ‘Tin cup’ over and over again
So why play like that for the next year or so?
Both as a young amateur and over the past couple of years since I returned to playing golf
I have been guilty over both periods of time of playing safely and conservatively
To enable me to finish rounds with a score that I would find ‘acceptable’ for the day
Which during both periods of time as an amateur golf
I used to have an ‘acceptable’ range
That was between even par and six over par
It was where my ‘golf score thermostat’ was set if you like
As long as I was scoring within that range
I would finish a round happy that I was playing ok
If my score was under par
It was adjudged ‘a good day’
Any score more than six over par for the round
Was ‘a bad day’ as you would expect
Now you might be thinking
What’s wrong with that?
There are a couple of things
Firstly, that scoring range is simply nowhere near ‘competitive’ at any professional event
It may well be enough to make the odd cut or finish in the top 30 golfers on occasion
But that’s not where I am aiming
In reality it’s about 8 – 10 shots away from being competitive in professional events
However it’s the second thing that will not only help me to get me back to that ‘competitive’ scoring range
It may well help you as well
As I have had my ‘golf score thermostat’ set in that even par to six over par range
Any idea how I would start to think while playing if I was maybe 3 over par with four holes to go?
Play the shots I should to attempt to make birdies on each hole and finish with a one under par round
Or play very conservatively for those last four holes
So that I would finish with a score that was within ‘my acceptable range’
Which if we really look at it truthfully
The words should be ‘comfort zone’
I can tell you now – it’s been the second option
But as you would imagine
If I keep playing within a ‘comfort zone’
I’m not going to get anywhere near the level I’m aiming at
So to reset my ‘golf score thermostat’
I need to play without caring about the score or the outcome of the game
For at least a year
Just as I was taught to do by the golf professional who turned me
From a young 5 handicap amateur into a ‘competitive’ professional golfer
I even remember his exact words
”Learn to play the shots required properly, the scores will come later”
So I’m heading out to reset my ‘golf score thermostat’
Somewhere much nearer where I need to be
To be a ‘competitive’ professional golfer again
I’m looking forward to it
Take a minute or two to think about your game
Do you have your ‘golf score thermostat’ set too high?
If you think you do
Throw the scorecard away for a while
And just hit the golf shots how they should be hit
Without worrying about the result
You’ll be a different golfer in a year!
Play well
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