Enjoy the game!

Golf… it can be the most challenging but rewarding game on the planet. The golfer can go from the high of well-struck drive, to the low of a chunked iron shot into the green in all of 5 minutes. From a hero to a zero just like that. Let us not kid ourselves; every golfer has been there… we’ve been there because the game is incredibly difficult. It is frustrating, rewarding, and challenging all at the same time. It will undoubtedly make you question your sanity if you play long enough. You know, hitting bad drive after bad drive… is that not the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? I, for one, have questioned why I play on more than one occasion.

The truth is I play the game because I #enjoythegame! I enjoy the personal challenge it provides, the time I get with friends, and the adrenaline it gives me when I make that 20-footer for bogey on 18 to shoot 72 – and those that know me would suggest it’s laughable to think of me making a 20-footer. I could go on but at the end of the day, I #enjoythegame for a thousand and one reasons. The most significant being the reward I get after executing a properly planned shot. It certainly does not happen all the time but when it does, it can be euphoric.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, I do not think that people #enjoythegame enough. I have coached golf for more than 15 years and would make the bold statement that some golfers need to let loose and enjoy themselves far more. Of course, we all want to do our best, hit our best shots, but the inevitability of a poor outcome is next to impossible to avoid. We will always have those mental lapses where we chunk it in the water, fly it over the green, and lip out from arm’s length away. You know what though? That is just A-OK because how we perform on the golf course does not define who we are as a person.

I am not trying to suggest that we shouldn’t care about golf, or that we shouldn’t try and improve, I do of course coach the game. I’m just saying that golfers all around the world need to be better at enjoying the sport they play for fun. We need to let go out there take the time to laugh with our friends, and even at ourselves after a bad shot. Here’s a different perspective: in this day and age, take a moment to look around and be thankful you’re on the golf course.

In just reading this blog I would suggest that you might be on your way to a more enjoyable experience on the golf course. The next time you are on the links, take a moment to reflect, ask yourself, am I enjoying my time out here? If the answer in your heart is yes… GREAT! If the answer is no, well then take a few deep breaths, find the inner optimist in yourself and let out a smile.

In summary… golf is hard, golf is fun, and for the vast majority, it’s a recreational sport.

Play to #enjoythegame.

Josh Fleming
Director of Player Development
365 GOLF