Taking ownership of your mistakes.

[microcrayfish]

Just a little rant. I'm usually pretty easy going on the golf course, not a lot gets me riled up when I play, but one thing that gets to me is people blaming every other thing apart from their selves for their bad shots. I've borrowed the phrase "taking ownership of your mistakes" from Tiger Wood's book and it's something that it seems so many people who play golf simply can't do.

I'm sick of hearing the phrase "bad luck" on the golf course. So many people seem to blame their "bad luck" for the ball ending up in a bad spot. If your ball clips a tree branch or just rolls into the trees then you've got nobody to blame but yourself, you shouldn't have hit it near them. There's no trees in the middle of the fairway (okay sometimes there is but if you hit those it's still your fault for hitting it at them). The only bad luck is if your ball rolls into a sanded divot on the fairway.

Here's an example. The other day I saw a friend of mine after his round and he told me he would have broke 90 but for one thing; his ball hit an acorn on the par 5 16th and it bounced into the trees and he shot a 9 on the hole. An acorn?! And apparently he saw that from 160 yards away. He doesn't even consider that he didn't break 90 because he hit a bad shot and couldn't recover well enough and went high on the hole, no, it's all that darn acorn's fault.

You're never forced to hit towards trees, take on a tight fairway or shoot at a pin from a lie that might end up in you over shooting it through the green. You can play it safe or you can go for it, you're the only one who hit the shot and any consequences are your fault and yours alone. Now there's plenty of golfers who accept they hit a bad shot and made a mistake and just get on with hitting a better one to recover, I'm just sick of having to listen to the whining of those who don't.

[PiKapp23]

We've seen this thread before. In golf there is bad luck - rub of the green - but accepting that is part of the game. Sometimes you hit a perfect shot only to have it hit a sprinkler head or land in a divot or something else of this sort of which you have no control. However, I usually think the bad luck and the good luck seem to even out. I think we just have to accept those bad breaks as part of the game and move on as we'll probably get a good break at some point soon (of course those are the result of a great shot, not good luck ).

While I wasn't there that day, a few years ago a friend hit a horrible shot on a par three - a bad pull about 20 yards left of green into a grove of trees. He went looking for his ball while the rest of the guys went to the green where their balls were on or close. While waiting on him, they decided to play out and when they went to pull flag, there was his ball - in the freakin' cup (the funny thing is he 'found' his ball in the trees - he's a notorious cheater, but the guys said there was no way he could have cheated the hole-in-one as he never even went close to the green and it was definitely his ball).

There is also an idea that golfers can not let their fragile egos think that a bad shot was their fault. They need to believe that it was bad luck that caused the poor shot - how many times do you see on PGA Tour when a player hits bad shot they throw grass into air or turn and glare at the gallery or their caddy (Robert Allenby is always good for this). Obviously, this is all about confidence.

[ks8829]

One of my college professor once said.............

"No blame"
"Total respect"

I believe these words of wisdom applies to golf.

[MiniMoe]

I go through phases when I get a little like that when the greens are bad and I'm not making any putts. It's part of the game, but I hate when luck determines the winner, especially on the greens.

The worst was about 10 years ago. I played in a qualifier for the pub links am. The greens had just been punched and sanded two days before. One guy shot 64 in the first round. I asked how he made so many putts his playing partners told me he hit the putts really hard and many of them were not going in until the ball hit a bump and jumped into the hole.

[Fourputt]

We've seen this thread before. In golf there is bad luck - rub of the green - but accepting that is part of the game. Sometimes you hit a perfect shot only to have it hit a sprinkler head or land in a divot or something else of this sort of which you have no control. However, I usually think the bad luck and the good luck seem to even out. I think we just have to accept those bad breaks as part of the game and move on as we'll probably get a good break at some point soon (of course those are the result of a great shot, not good luck

Putting on my teachers hat

Rub of the Green: A "rub of the green" occurs when a ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by any outside agency (see Rule 19-1). A rub of the green can be either a good deflection or a bad one, but it isn't just any bad thing that happens on the course. Hat off... now to the commentary: A bad break is just that, a bad break. Bad luck happens, just as good luck happens, and both should be taken in stride. But more often, bad luck starts with a poor shot, and that leaves no one to blame but yourself. I might say "Crap, if the ball had rolled just a foot farther I wouldn't be behind that root." That isn't whining, complaining, or anything other than stating a fact... maybe lamenting my own folly. I will readily admit that if I'd hit the shot I intended, I wouldn't be anywhere near that root, so the situation is one of my own making. It's up to me to find an acceptable way out of my predicament.

[Paradigm]

I take ownership of my mistakes all the time on the course, usually in the form of, "@#?* I suck!!!".

[bogeyhitter25]

I never blame anything or anybody besides myself. If I hit a bad shot I don't worry about it. Golf's 10% what you just did, and 90% what your going to do next.

[PiKapp23]

I never blame anything or anybody besides myself. If I hit a bad shot I don't worry about it. Golf's 10% what you just did, and 90% what your going to do next.

Very good. You sound like an old instructor (my Dad). That's the attitude you must have to play well.

[Blades4me]

Just a little rant. I'm usually pretty easy going on the golf course, not a lot gets me riled up when I play, but one thing that gets to me is people blaming every other thing apart from their selves for their bad shots. I've borrowed the phrase "taking ownership of your mistakes" from Tiger Wood's book and it's something that it seems so many people who play golf simply can't do.

LOL. My favorites are the one's who get pizzed when they hit a good shot and for some reason, rub of the green, it ends up in a very poor lie. For the rest of the day its, "I hit a good shot and should be rewarded for that, blah, blah, blah". Makes me LMAO and when I'm feeling particularly mischeivious I'll say, "and I bet you got a trophy every time you showed up to your Little League baseball game too." Usually they just fester after that, which is great if we are play'n for money.

LOL, speaking of humilidy I noticed I put my last sentence in the "quote"; and that was, A little humilidy is a good thing.....LITTLE mind you.

[Guest]

Agree with a lot of the posts above, however I do sometimes use the phrase "bad luck" when playing with others, esspecially when paired up with people I don't really know. If I watch them hit a shot that kicks into the trees after just missing the fairway or drops a yard short into the water instead of the green I think "bad luck" is a polite an appropriate comment. I can't exactly say:" That was a crap swing, what is wrong with you??. Go back to the range!!"

[TheWarHound]

Well, I have proven, scientifically, that on the golf course there is three types of luck: bad, blind, and dumb.

When I screw up a shot, I sometimes get angry with me. Most of the time, I just roll my eyes, walk six feet, and hit the ball as hard as I can again.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Ive snapped 3 wedges and a driver this past season. thats how i own my mistakes.


Then get owned again when i have to pay to get them all reshafted...

[wachesawgolfer]

I disagree, repectfully, there is a lot of luck in golf and some days its all good and some days its all bad and somedays its inbetween. Accept it and go on is all you can do. Too many bad shots end up great to think otherwise.

[Brakkus]

Anyone read any of Tim Gallweys books on Tennis or Golf.Acceptance of events.It doesn't matter where you hit your ball,accept the outcome and you can move on.In his book on tennis he said why get upset about a missed ball whether it just misses the line or misses by 3 feet it's still out,you still have to play the next shot,no good tearing yourself up about the previous one.

Applies to any sporting endeavour,even parts of your life.Accepting the outcome,be a happier golfer.

[imtomtomim]

well, I do not like to take any responsibility for bad kicks and unplanned bounces. I know when I hit the shot I was going for and when that gets messed up by a nasty bounce or a gail that messes up the flight, it gets me pretty steamed, but that is life, things happen. But I never confuse that with me making a bad shot. I can usually call that from the second my club touches the ball.

[Par Fore]

I am a big believer at taking ownership of mistakes.....probably do too much of it and sometimes carries over to the next shot, which needs to change....

Also, I believe luck plays a roll in golf.....good and bad....there are times when a bad shot gets a lucky bounce.....and times when a good shot gets a bad bounce....it all works out in the end, but I'm not a fan of bad luck....another something I need to learn to let go immediately and focus on the next shot when this happens...

[DJYoshi]

Sometimes you hit a perfect shot only to have it hit a sprinkler head or land in a divot or something else of this sort of which you have no control.

AMEN! I just think no matter where your ball is... if you're confident you can get out of the spot with a bogey or better...then good. I'd rather bogey a hard hole out of the trees with a bad luck shot off of the tee and an awesome recovery shot or a string of recovery shots than to be in the middle of the fairway and bogey by having a crap 2nd or 3rd shot.

doesn't this game humble you? awesome shots can still yield bad results

[Fourputt]

AMEN! I just think no matter where your ball is... if you're confident you can get out of the spot with a bogey or better...then good. I'd rather bogey a hard hole out of the trees with a bad luck shot off of the tee and an awesome recovery shot or a string of recovery shots than to be in the middle of the fairway and bogey by having a crap 2nd or 3rd shot.

And horrid shots can end up in perfect shape.... The low screaming hook up the left side that's destined for the native rough nicks a branch and deflects back to the fairway with virtually no loss of distance.

(happened to me last year which is why it came to mind ) I agree that there is great satisfaction in playing well and keeping your cool after a poor shot, rescuing a par or bogey from potential disaster. I've made a golfing lifestyle out of those satisfying moments.