Golf is Simple!
Have you ever taken a time-out to think about how easy it could
be to lower your golf score? When you really break it down, all
you would need to do to significantly improve your game would be
to shoot one less shot every third hole. If you could do this,
your score would be 6 strokes less than your normal score.
Of course, this is a case of easier said than done. If it were
so easy, Tiger Woods would have more competition than he does.
But, for the recreational golfer, a stroke here and a stroke
there can mean the difference between a personal best score, or,
breaking the barrier of 80, 90, or 100. There are tons of
golfers who have recorded a 92, 91, or even a 90 without ever
achieving the bragging rights to say they have shot in the 80's.
Imagine how it feels to be looking at a scorecard of 90 after a
great personal round and you've always dreamed of breaking 90.
It wouldn't feel good, especially thinking back about that 7 you
took on the par 4 tenth hole, or the four putt on number 3.
The idea of golf, as simple as it appears on paper, it to get
the lowest possible score you can. A missed putt can lead to
three or four addition strokes. This is what makes golf so
incredibly addictive. It is rare that any golfer finishes a
round thinking that it was the perfect round. It is this pursuit
of the perfect round that keeps golfers coming back for more
each and every time.
As with any game of numbers, golf can be made to appear very
easy on paper. Sure, save a stroke per each hole and you can
shoot 18 strokes less than your last round. Is this possible and
if not, why not? The answer is consistency. It is extremely
difficult to make shot after shot and putt after putt. Through a
couple of sand traps and a forest here and there and suddenly
the golf course wins.
Over 18 holes, the golf course itself is the only one than
remains consistent, shot after shot, game after game. When you
think about it, 18 holes are not that many but each and every
time the course manages to wear you down. Sure, the average
golfer hits great shots here and there that would be worthy of
The Golf Channel's highlight real but the reality is over the
course of 18 holes, the less skillful golfer has his faults
exposed.
So, can golf be made easy? Maybe on paper. Maybe by Tiger. But
not likely by the recreational golfer.