Have you ever walked up to your ball with a club already in your hand before you actually looked at what was going on around you? This usually happens when a player is familiar with the course and draws conclusion before their next shot. We are all guilty of it, but is it really a case of familiarity or confusion?

One of the major challenges to members of a golf course is familiarity. Many players use the same club off the same tee all the time. Next they walk to their ball with the exact distance in mind; then select their club because it is the one they always use! After shooting the same score over and over, they question what is wrong!

Complacency on the golf course is a real challenge for most players. It causes them to stop thinking and to play golf on autopilot. Playing without thinking is the root of many challenges for amateurs. Having a preset plan on each hole stagnates the development of the famous Jack Nicklaus course management, degrades the Seve Ballesteros shot ingenuity, and limits their Lee Trevino’s love of the game!

Ultimately, by jumping to confusion players limit their ability to lower their score. Fortunately, there is a fix to this quagmire – change your approach to playing your favorite course. Instead of using your driver, use your three wood off the tee. Instead of bashing the ball each time, play to your favorite distance to the green. Instead of pin hunting, shoot for the middle of the green. There are many fixes, the real approach is just deciding to make a change.

As Jack Nicklaus says: Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game’s two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself. The only thing that a player can control is themselves; so instead of jumping to confusion, try something different. Only you can decide what changes are required, but changes are required if you want to lower your score!

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