Do You Make THESE Mistakes on the Course?

Do You Make THESE Mistakes on the Course?

My mother used to say, “We all make mistakes. That’s why they put erasers on pencils.” Well, truth be told, when I was growing up, golf pencils didn’t have erasers. Which brings me to my father, who grew up during the depression. I used to tell people that at the dinner table I would say, “Dad, could you pass the salt?” And his reply would be, “We didn’t have salt in my day!” Pop really didn’t say that—but believe me when I tell you that it wasn’t far from the truth.

Anyway, we’re all human. And humans are error prone. But the more you engage yourself in something, such as golf, the fewer mistakes you’ll make. At least, that should be the case.

So after we take up the game, why do we do some of the boneheaded things we do, time and time again? Particularly when we’re starting out, we “trunk slam” and show up on the first tee—just in time to join up with our playing partners. And then we justify it by saying we didn’t have time to go to the range—and therefore, can we count that opening tee shot as a “breakfast ball?” That’s not an auspicious start to an event that will most likely take the better part of four hours that day.

Another error we make (assuming we got to the course in plenty of time) is we go straight to the range. We hit balls until about 10 minutes before we’re scheduled to tee off, then go “hit a few putts.” Why not start on the practice green and go to the range AFTER you have a better feel for the speed of the greens? Even if we’ve played that particular course before (and therefore, we “know” what kind of grass it is—we’re most likely not aware of whether they’ve rolled or cut the greens (or both). This can make a huge difference on the first hole itself. Three putting from 15 feet away is NEVER a good way to start a round.

We Don’t Line Our Pockets with the Right Things

We still have our keys, wallet and money in our pants. Take them out and put them in your bag—obviously making sure they’re safe. Replace those things with a certain number of tees of the proper length. It’s a good idea to have at least five full length tees—as well as a few short ones for when we don’t have to tee the ball up as high (e.g., on Par Three holes).

In addition put several ball marks in your pocket (even if you have one clipped to your cap). I use the large poker chip ball mark on the green when I’m not in someone’s line or if I have a long putt and I want to go take a look at the slope of the green from a distance (e.g., from the other side of the hole). Because we’re allowed to mark our ball, pick it up and clean it when we’re about to putt, I take advantage of this rule. After all, I’m on the green—so I’ve earned it! I also recommend a flat mark (or two) in your pocket for when your ball is close to someone’s putting line.

There may also come a time when you’ll have to mark someone else’s ball (e.g., if they’ve hit out of a bunker and they’re raking it). NOTE: if you’re playing a competitive event, it’s best to let the other player mark his or her ball. However, in normal everyday play, marking someone else’s ball for them out of convenience speeds up pace of play. Just make sure that person knows you’ve marked their ball—so they don’t end up playing from the wrong location.

In your other (non-dominant hand) pocket, it’s not a bad idea to keep another ball. It should be markedly different from the ball you’re playing. And it should stay there until you need it (e.g., if you have to hit a provisional ball—or if you’ve just hit your first one into the water).

It is never a bad idea to announce (at the beginning of your round) what ball you’re playing. For example, “I’m playing an orange Wilson Staff #3 ball.” In that event, there’s nothing wrong with carrying an orange Wilson Staff #2 ball in your pocket the whole round in case you need it. On the other hand, if you’re playing with two orange Wilson Staff #3 balls—and you happen to hit them both Out of Bounds (OB) or in that direction—good luck convincing your playing partners (or opponents) that the one you found “just in bounds” was your first one.  

Chance Favors the Prepared Mind

Louis Pasteur was right. Take an inventory of what you have in the pockets of your bag and think about what you might need on the course that day. Hopefully you have sunscreen on. But if you have to reapply—be sure that it’s convenient and that you can clean your hands afterwards. You certainly don’t want greasy grips.

Do you have a rain jacket? Rain pants? A windbreaker? Bug spray? Even an extra pair of socks don’t take up much room and might be just the ticket if you’ve stepped in a bog.

Some people, when faced with a shot that has to carry over a body of water—will take out an old ball—rather than hit a brand-new Pro V1. It’s not a bad idea—but if you trust your swing—and you’re playing a ball that fits your swing—then you might be better off taking the risk.

Another thought is to look for a drop area if you’re hit a ball into the water on a Par Three hole. There’s no need to tee it up again from the same spot if you’ve just rinsed one from the original tee.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to know what your handicap is. This can even work in your favor, particularly when you have a blowup hole. There’s a maximum number of strokes you can legitimately take (net double bogey), which is nice when you have a bad hole during an otherwise decent round.

If you don’t already know a thing or two about golf etiquette, it would behoove you to learn. If you’d rather not bother, but you’ve made it this far into this post, I’ll make it easy for you. The most important thing is to keep up with the group in front of you. If you’re “out of a hole” (you’re going to card a real high number), pick up your ball. There are 18 holes on a golf course. Don’t spend an inordinate amount of time on any particular one.

These ideas are rudimentary. However, when I was starting out, I was clueless. You might call these ideas Golf 101. Hopefully the number of shots you take will be fewer than that. But even if your score IS 101 (or higher), at least if you follow this advice, you will not have lost your self-respect.