What "truths" have you learned .....

[SiberianDVM]

from playing golf? I think I have learned more in the last few months playing in some amateur tournaments than I have in the 3 years I have been hacking away.

What amazes me most is that I can "learn" some of these things, and yet as soon as I get on the 1st tee in a tournament, my head goes completely blank and I immediately revert back to beginner hack.

So, in no particular order........

You don't always have to hit driver off the tee just because everyone else does.

If you can't hit a particular club on the warm up range, more than likely you won't be able to hit it on the course, either. Especially 240 yards over water from 3" rough. Consider leaving it in your car.

Golf balls disappear more easily into thick grass than they do thin air.

Tempo is more important than strength.

The putting green bears zero resemblance to the actual greens other than possibly being green.

Tension is a game killer. Relax and tell yourself that it is only a stupid game. It means nothing. Even if you need this 5 foot downhill slider to win your flight. It means nothing in the grand scheme of the universe. Even if you miss, your dog will still love you.

If you have recently quit smoking, you are almost gauranteed to be put in the same group as 2 chain smokers. Take plenty of Nicorette.

Always mark your balls. Always mark your provisional ball differently than your first ball. Always mark your second provisional ball differently than both your first ball and first provisional ball. I could go on, but I see no need in further embarassing myself.

When an official tells your group that you are 15 minutes behind, they are not just blowing smoke. Start running between shots.

If you hit your tee shot into the rough, no matter what else you do, make sure your next shot is played from the short grass. The pros can hit a long iron out of that stuff. You are not a pro. Hit a wedge back out onto the fairway, stupid.

It is possible to make a 15 on a par 5. Just ask Gary McCord. And it is possible to make a 10 on a par 3. Just ask me.

I now completely understand how Tiger Woods can say f***!!!! on national TV and not feel bad about it.



I'm sure I will think of more later.

 

[warbirdlover]

Those are all so good I can't think of any to add!!

 

[limpalong]

Golf is a game of opposites. Aim left to send the ball right... aim right to send the ball left... hit down to get the ball up... except on THOSE days when the d*** ball won't do anything it's supposed to!!!

It is always easier to hit a 2" diameter limb than a 20 yard wide fairway.

Yes, trees are 90% air... but so is a screen door.

 

[lamebums]

When you have a carry over water, you can either hit one more club or three more balls.

If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.

No matter how badly you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.


If you're afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.

The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.

It's surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you lay 10.

Taking more than two putts to get down on a lightning-fast, steeply sloped green is no embarrassment unless you had to hit a wedge between the putts.

The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.

It's often necessary to hit a second drive to really appreciate the first one.

There are two kinds of bounces: unfair bounces, and bounces just the way you meant to play it.

You can hit a two acre fairway 10% of the time, and a two-inch branch 90% of the time.

A stroke does not occur unless it is observed by more than one golfer.

Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.

If you want to hit a 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard.

It's a simple matter to keep your ball in the fairway if you're not too choosy about which fairway.

An extra ball in the pocket is worth two strokes in the bush.

A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.

And many more... :laugh:

 

[Snowman]

These are personal truths that I have learned this past season.

-No matter how much I practice or play, I will never excel at this game.

-The body type that made me perfect to play football, is my downfall in golf.

-At 37, I will never play this game professionally, so my expectations should never ruin a round of golf when my swing is not on.

-In my case, it is always the indian not the arrow.

 

[Jules150]

-No matter how much I practice or play, I will never excel at this game.

As long as you keep that attitude you wont excel. Learn to chip and putt, your body type wont affect your ability to do that. And those are the two key things needed to excel at this game.

 

[DaveE]

Someone else on ST should get credit for this but I can't remember who.

Never follow a bad shot with a stupid shot.

Unfortunately I get to tell myself this often.

 

[Dannykos]

i learned this one today on the range:

never have a go with someone's speed stick to see how fast your swing is - and then wonder why you can't drive worth a damn.

fyi I was SMASHING the living snot out of them all over the range.
i did peak at 110mph though!

 

[MCDavis]

2 I can think of:

Putts always break a little more than I thought.

wbl will never find the perfect driver, and if he does he will still sell it in pursuit of the perfect driver.

 

[Johnny Par]

I need all the forgiveness in a golf club I can get. For a weekend hacker like myself, why make the game more difficult and less enjoyable with hard to hit irons?

 

[kwcsports]

3 truths I can think of right now are-1. Never hit a shot that you have not practiced. If I have to hit a 220 draw around a tree and carry water in front of the green, lay it up!!! How many balls to I need to put in the drink to realize this. 2. Buying 12 drivers in the last 8 months has not helped my game. I am sticking with one and will not buy another. 3. Putting and chipping is important
and the key to lower scores . Since I have been practicing more around the putting green, my scores have dropped and I don't have the blow up rounds I used to have. I cannot type anymore, I have an ebay auction on a driver ending soon.:laugh: