Making a good decision

Do you make good decisions on the golf course?

It’s probably something that you don’t think much about.

Typically, golfers are focused on improving their swings and putting strokes when they are at the golf course. You all know that this is true. We are creatures of habit about going to the practice range to hit a bunch of balls, before, eventually, heading to the putting green to hit a few putts. That’s about it. However, being a good golfer doesn’t only come down to hitting the ball better and making more putts. Being a good golfer requires that you make good decisions on the golf course.

I am the head coach of a college golf team. My team consists mostly of young ladies with very little tournament experience.

As a first-year program, this is the reality of the situation. We practice a lot, and the improvement during these practice sessions is drastic. It’s exciting for me to see. But, I am quickly reminded of my team’s inexperience when it comes to decision making on the course.

Good decision making on the golf course requires that you recognize your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.

For example, if you’ve lost confidence in your driver—stop hitting your driver. If you’ve lost confidence in your chipping, try using your putter from off the green.

These are very generic examples, I realize that. However, the point is to play the game that you are most comfortable with. Unfortunately, as golfers we can get caught up in attempting the shot we believe we ought to hit, as opposed to attempting the shot we are comfortable hitting.

This is the challenge my golf team deals with, and we are beginning to improve on our decision making.

If you spend more time focusing on making good decisions on the golf course, you will notice a significant improvement in your game.