There is an expectation that every low single digit handicap golfers hit pure shots….most of the time. The processes are very easy for onlookers because of the mystique of shooting lower golf scores. Well, I am here to set the stage straight! Not every low shooting golfer hits pure irons all the time or even a vast majority of the time. From time to time, we forget how to play golf and make ridiculous shots that would embarrass a first time player. It is the nature of the beast and I believe I experienced this first hand during my last round.

During my last round I can count eight poorly hit iron shots. This is quite a high number considering I normally hit only a few during any round. Interestingly, These poor shots only resulted in four bogies and four resulted in pars. I bet your saying that the shots could not have been that poor considering my score, but believe me they were stinkers.

It was if I forgot how to hit a iron. I am telling you that each iron shot missed left, half were the result of the heel of my club digging in and the other half were the result of poor alignment. It was if I had forgotten how to address the ball. And the harder I tried, the more challenging it became.

Fortunately, my short game was working well. I was chipping close enough to give myself a chance on seven of eight holes. I made four of those putts and was actually very happy with my up and down game. I still broke 80, but not by much.

Interestingly, even low handicap players have mental lapses that result in poor shots. The impression is that we forgot how to play golf, well at least some iron shots anyway. The difference between low handicappers and other players is that we accept that poor shots are part of the game and compounding them with other poor shots is just a mental failure. I even commented to my friend Rick that the difference between me now and 15 years ago is that I have the ability to rebound from poor shots and minimize the damage to my score.

Golf is a funny game because regardless of your skill level, we all play poorly from time to time. Of course, the nature of the poor play is relative, but the situation is constant across the entire scoring spectrum. So, the next time you feel like you have forgotten how to play golf, take a deep breath, minimize the damage, and enjoy your time on the links. This really the only thing that makes sense if you want to control the outcome of your game.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!