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Golf / Life Lessons From My Inner Caddie

April 19, 2023

Golf is just a game, but the principles I have learned are applicable to getting better at life.

Golf has been a passion of mine since I was an early teen. I played high school football, baseball, and basketball, and moved on to playing college football, but never was golf neglected, much less forgotten. Golf has taught me much about competition, owning my own outcomes and results, character building tips for me, like honesty, and giving me keen insight on the people I have played with over the years. My game was always my length off the tee. People noticed it, it was my identity, and I was always ready to show it off.

Recently though, I had a huge change in my approach to my golf life. I removed my driver and three wood from the bag. I painfully retired my distance clubs for three basic reasons. Why you ask? Those clubs were costing me extra strokes every round. They were killing my score, no predictability off the tee. Also, for 14 of 18 holes I would dread drawing the club back off the tee because of no confidence where the ball was going to end up. Even when I hit it well off the tee, it left me with a second club in my hand that I was equally as challenged with, and that was my dreaded sand wedge.

No doubt, playing with a five iron off the tee box bruised my ego. It hurt my pride and it made me endure the ridicule of my playing partners. But at the end of the day, my risk mitigation strategy of removing from my bag what was causing me the most damaged, showed up in the most important stat, and that was my score.

Here are three principles I have learned while playing golf, that whether you're a golf fan, participant, or not interested at all, can help you regain control and just flat out help you perform better in life.

1. Choose Accuracy Over Power

Accuracy demands precision. May I be bold enough to say that, like me, at times, your lack of accuracy and precision has left you in places you didn't bargain for or expect? Take the clubs out of your bag that are leaving you in places that make what you're doing next more difficult.

2. Play Your Game

Regardless of what others say or expect, you have to swing what gives you confidence. Many times I've changed clubs, the ball I played, etc. I was picky about the types of greens I putt on, and one day realized that none of that was a real problem. My real problem was me and the lack of confidence that followed me each step of every round I played.

3. The Score Matters

Even though I felt embarrassed that I was teeing off with a five iron and I had to give up the need of being the longest in the foursome, I came to the conclusion that I was seldom getting beat because I minimized my mistakes and played with much more confidence.

Have you lost confidence or are you playing hurt? Is your ego keeping you from making necessary changes that can get you the results you desire in life? Be courageous and remove what is messing up your life and you'll get better at it. Much of what I do is geared toward helping people minimize their mistakes in my mentoring programs. If I can help, please reach out to me for mentoring services to get your game back on par.