Is Your Ego Killing Your Score?

Don’t let your ego get in the way of making sound decisions.

For most golfers, ego is their worst enemy. In my 40 years as a golf professional I have played thousands of rounds with amateurs of all ability levels and observed certain things that most have in common. The most common score killer for the average golfer is ego.

The two most common mistakes that I see are not enough club on the approach shot and too much loft around the green. Club selection should not be based on hitting the ball dead flush. Reality is that this rarely ever happens for most golfers. The other is being in love with the idea of the high soft pitch that ends up next to the pin.

By far the most common mistake is not using enough club. This is caused by two things. The first is not really knowing how far they can actually hit the ball with each club the majority of the time. This is not about how far they CAN hit a club under ideal circumstances. This is about how far the ball goes with each club the majority of the time.

Throughout my career I have hit an 8 iron 145 yards on average. It is necessary to understand that this was not using today’s equipment with jacked up lofts and balls that don’t spin as much. By today’s standards I would be hitting my 8 iron around 165 or so. But my point is that I knew under normal conditions I could consistently hit it 145 accurately. There were days when I wasn’t hitting the ball well or weather conditions were such that I needed a 7 iron from 145. Other days when I was swinging really well or adrenalin was a factor it might be a 9 iron.

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The majority of golfers will check the yardage and pull the same club every time, even if they don’t reach the flag 75 per cent of the time. This is the result of listening to their ego instead of their brain. They know that it is possible for them to hit it 145 under ideal conditions but not very likely. Never club yourself based on what you hope you can do.

This is exactly why golf course designers place most of the trouble short of the green. As one of them said to me, “You never hear a golfer ask if a 6 iron is too much”.

The other is lofted clubs around the green. Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf, once told me that when his people came to him and said they want to put a lob wedge in the line he told fine but put a skull and crossbones on it.

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Don’t let your ego trick you; loft is usually your enemy. A lob wedge has almost no margin of error and should not be used by anyone without a solid short game except in extreme circumstances. Get the ball on the ground as soon as possible and let it run to the hole. A slight miss with an 8 or 9 iron will be much better than a slight miss with a lob wedge and a slight miss with a putter is usually as good as a well struck chip.

Always go with what experience tells you to do. Hit the shot that you know you can hit, not the one you hope you can hit. If you address the ball with doubt, the over whelming odds are that you will hit a poor shot. The whole point of this game is getting the ball in the hole in the fewest number of strokes using whatever club or shot is necessary.

Next: Golf Instruction: Golf Is Like A Bulls Eye

Relax, enjoy, and play smart.