Golf is a wild game that requires every player to adjust their game to combat the different course conditions. If you are like me, weather watching is a sport unto itself because of the impact it has on our golf game. I have played in torrential rain, scorching heat, snow and all types of weather in between. Regardless of the conditions, I play my game as best as possible without hesitation. It is what golfers do and I will admit that weather has gotten the best of my from time to time. Recently, however, I played in conditions that tested every part of my game and I am a better golfer for it!
If you have not guessed it from the picture, playing is foggy conditions is a challenge that I enjoy. I have played in worse conditions than above (picture taken from 75 yards to the green) with the same basic results. If you are wondering why I like playing in the fog, well it all comes down to TRUST! Yup, that one word encompasses all aspects of our golf game and forces us to focus on the basics in order to score well.
How does trust fit into all of this you am ask? That is an fantastic question. Trust is key to playing successful golf regardless of the weather conditions. The basics is this, we need to trust our swing, yardages with each club, our ability to aim, our ability to complete our golf swing and finally (but, not an exhaustive list) our mental ability to play golf blindly.
Swinging a golf club without being able to watch the completion of our golf shot is tough. So many doubts creep into our minds that it is almost paralyzing. Well, I can tell you that if you let your FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) fall to the wayside, good things can happen to your game.
When I played the other day in foggy conditions, I focused on hitting the middle of the green, hitting the middle of the fairway, and swinging within myself. I focused on targets near and as far as I could see. I allowed my swing to happen without over thinking the results. Many hazards were removed from my sightline. It was a relaxing way to play golf because on focused on the immediate and less on what could happen.
Here is another shot of the same hole as above from 100 yards. As you can see, I am almost blind for this shot. I do have course knowledge so I know where to aim (sort of) and I needed to fully trust my swing and yardages to make my approach shot.
In both cases I hit the green because I trusted my swing and club yardages. I found that my focus was better and I thought slightly different than my normal game. It opened new thought processes that I carried over to when there were ‘better’ playing conditions. Overall, playing in the fog helped improve the trust in my game.
There are always benefits from playing golf in challenging conditions. Fog is on where if forces players to trust their golf game. It is a challenge sometimes to let go and allow our swing to win the day, but it can be very rewarding if we succeed in making great golf shots. If you find yourself in challenging conditions, trust your game. You never know, unexpected magic could happen.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
Good stuff. Yesterday I played out of state so I had to play on terrain and at an elevation that I’m not accustomed to. So having some conviction was required even knowing you’d likely be rapidly trying to recalculate. Especially through the first few swings with different clubs.
But I did pretty well I think. I shot 81 from 6500 yards. Well, sort of. You see, on one hole we mistook which green we were playing to. So technically we’d be DQ’d. I got my only double for the day on that hole wouldn’t you know. I was looking at a downhill shot I needed to fade around a tree. Nothing too tough. The GPS watch gave me front, back and center and I chose a club. It didn’t occur the numbers were wrong. My only excuse for that is it was early in the front nine, the 3rd or 4th hole and I was already a bit confused with distances. Anyway I was a good 30 yards short and tens yards short of safety yet I’d hit it well. I was sure. But it splashed and it’s because the GPS had given me the numbers to the right hole. Not the one I was playing. AND I’D TRUSTED IT. lol We didn’t realize it until we left the hole and the path took us back to a hole we’d already played. So we played the same green twice but from a different angle. lol
But hey, later on the GPS gave me 245 to the green on a par 5 for my second shot which was blind. A ridge line hid everything beyond about 150 when standing next to the ball. On the way down to my ball though I’d seen the heads of the group in front leaving after hitting what I assumed was their approach shot. But from down by my ball I just had to trust the distance given and get my clues for direction by the fairways cut and where I saw those guys when driving down the hill to my ball. I hit my 7 wood for the first time of the day. Down here in Florida, it’s a club I trust reaches 195 to 215 depending on the breeze when hit well. That seemed safe if slightly aggressive. But that was just what I was feeling after the drive I’d hit to get there. Luck was on my side when I’d hit it. I’d nailed it down the right hand side with a small fade and it clipped a tree but that just sent it left enough to put me dead center of the dogleg and cut off 30 yards from the line I’d hit it. From the tee box it looked like a gift.
After hitting the layup with the 7 wood and driving over the ridgeline I found it had gone the whole 245 and was sitting on the green 40 feet from the pin. Don’t know how it got kicked that far but I was feeling pretty good about it. Unfortunately the magic on that hole at least ended right there. That was the only green I three putted all day. lol
Still my mistakes that day weren’t from being wishy washy over the ball. I committed. That works in life too. In fact it’s how I came to be on that course yesterday. I committed to doing something. I committed to traveling 800 miles one way to get a car my mom wanted to give me. She’s 90 now and can’t drive anymore. And her husband can’t get into his SUV at all anymore. It’s something they can’t take care of anymore and want gone. And my son has recently though far later than anticipated expressed the desire to learn how to drive. So it’s providence. I don’t have to buy another car to give him the car I’d originally bought for him (another long story). I just have to drive 1600 miles round trip. Buy hey, I get to play a new course and drive a slightly weird SUV with a stick and a towing packing. How does a guy refuse that? A gift that provides a challenge and opportunities. And we made it. I installed a new battery this afternoon so no more jumping needed (finding one along the way on the 4th of July weekend proved it’s own challenge, one I lost but by choice not wanting to deviate from my path too much) after I woke up from a 10 hour snooze. It’s now ready to go and I’m looking for the next adventure. You know, tomorrow or at least after another nap. Maybe I’ll give my son a driving lesson in a 5 speed SUV tonight. That sounds like an adventure to me. lol
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Wow, Kevin! You were having adventures on and off the course. I have hit at the wrong green before and was never rewarded with a new vehicle. 😉 the golf gods shined on you!
Cheers Jim
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looks like a fine Nova Scotia day, not a Northern Ontario day. Great article on Trusting your yardages – likely something that would benefit all golfers
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Thanks and you are correct. Fine Nova Scotia weather!
Cheers Jim
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