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| Colin's Philosophy |
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Over the years, I have made no secret of the fact that I believe I could save an average golfer about six or eight shots a round if I got the opportunity to caddie for him. It is not something I have tested in real life, I grant you, but I do believe it to be true and would welcome the opportunity to explain why.
In my experience, gathered playing in literally hundreds of
pro-ams, I have found that amateurs often drop shots, not because they make poor swings, but because they make bad mental errors. I have lost count of the times I have watched amateurs run up ruinous eights or nines, not because they have hit one downright bad shot, but simply because they have attempted to hit the wrong shot at the wrong time.
A couple of years ago, for example, I happened to be paired
with a senior business executive in a pro-am staged over the Brabazon course at The Belfry, the scene of Europe's most recent Ryder Cup triumph over the Americans. Clearly, given
his lofty position, he was a man used to making decisions based on sound business principles but, for whatever reason, that ability to think logically, analytically, seemed to go out of the window as soon as he stepped foot on the first tee.
That day this 18-handicap golfer hit the ball pretty well, at least by his own standards, but I doubt that he broke 100 simply because he hit one downright daft shot after another. On the fourth, for example, he ran up a ten, having driven into the trees and then attempted an impossible shot out through a miniscule gap in the foliage. Later, on the 18th, if I recall, he lost three balls, attempting a carry over the water that I might not even have taken on.
That, I should add, was by no means an isolated experience. Over the years, I have lost count of the times I have watched amateur partners get into all sorts of trouble, either by attempting the impossible or not thinking through the shot at all.
Sitting down to write The Thinking Man's Guide to Golf, I was conscious of the fact that it was part of my remit to give the reader good, basic advice on how to swing a club because, without such information, no one would ever be able to get round a golf course. Equally, however, I did not want to stop there because that would mean leaving out arguably the most important thing I have learned over the years, namely that to become a good golfer you have to think your way around a golf course.
I remember, a few years ago, watching a young Swedish golfer hitting some shots. He had a marvellous swing, and hit the ball exceedingly well, so much so that I turned to his coach and told him how good I thought his pupil looked. 'He does hit the ball well,' replied the coach, before adding, somewhat ruefully, 'but I'm afraid he's still not much of a golfer.'
To me, that is an important distinction, but one that is often overlooked, even by experienced players who, one would have thought, should know better.
Over the years, I have learned that to become a successful golfer, it is not enough just to hit the ball well. You have learn how scramble, to get up and down when you miss a green and, above all else, learn to hit the right shot at the right time. Put in simple terms, you have to learn how to manage your game, something I hope my latest book 'The thinking man's guide to golf' will help you to achieve. |
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