 Risk-taking is an essential element in
growing as a person and as a golfer. While
it is true that taking unnecessary risks has
the potential to create unwanted outcomes,
learning to discern between necessary and
unnecessary risks can make the difference
between reaching your potential as a player
or falling short.
Some golfers consistently like to “play it
safe” and stay so much in their comfort zone
that they never grow or stretch themselves.
These people feel frightened or “off balance”
when they approach unfamiliar territory. They
are so worried about a future “bad” outcome
like a missed shot or a lost opportunity that
they sacrifice their development as a player
in order to hit a safer shot today.
How do you get better if you keep doing the
same things day after day, year after year?
Metaphorically, hugging first base will never
allow you to take a chance at stealing
second. At some point in every person’s golf
career (and life!) there comes a time to
cautiously step away from the familiar and
encounter the unknown. Yes, it is true that
you can “get thrown out” if you try to steal
second. It is also true that you can either
make it to that next level, or at a minimum,
learn from the experience of “going for it”
and use that information to push toward more
growth on another occasion.
Many players leave their driver in the bag on
holes where a driver is the obvious play.
Others “hate” their 3-iron or sand wedge or
putter, and don’t trust those clubs when
they’re in their hands. Invariably, after I
ask the players with whom I work to rate
their confidence in each respective club,
what follows is typically an admission that
the time spent practicing with the clubs or
on the shots disliked is far less than the
time spent hitting balls with the favorite
clubs.
How will you ever get confident with the
clubs if you don’t practice with them
regularly? My advice- if you’re playing for
big money or something incredibly
significant, play in your comfort zone and do
whatever it takes to score low. If you’re
not in this type of circumstance, challenge
yourself to use clubs and shots that you
don’t like, so that in time you learn how to
trust these as well. Perhaps in that day you
might not score as well as you might have
otherwise, but what you have done instead is
make an investment in the future growth of
your game!
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