Respond-ability

Greetings Golfers,

Last week I got heat for not writing about the Open at St. Andrews.

I didn’t think that I had much to add. The only thing that I would say, is that I wish it had been windy. They beat up the course pretty bad … they are the best players in the world … and a defenseless St. Andrews is vulnerable to those guys.

Unfortunately, modern golf has put the emphasis on long driving and putting. I’m more into shotmaking and strategy. A windy St. Andrews is much more about rewarding shot-making and strategy.

That’s it … so let’s move on. The other day, The “Daily Stoic” had a great piece about the difference between trying to control everything in your life … and … taking charge of your life.

As the article said “Taking charge of our lives means owning our lives and having a respond-ability to our lives.”

This actually correlates to a windy St. Andrews. The player needs to have more “respond-ability” than playing in easy conditions. 

We’re way too into creating “perfect” environments … instead of helping people get strong and able to deal with not perfect environments.

A similar mindset has too much emphasis on the perfect swing … instead of learning how to hit golf shots.

And … not just too much emphasis on the perfect swing … but also on the “perfect” golf course. If every fairway and green aren’t perfect … I guess it’s not playable and the people responsible should go to jail.

Excuse the sarcasm …I’m not defending poorly maintained courses … or people who provide bad products. But I am attacking the idea that people are not responsible for their behavior unless the environment is flawless. 

My wife and I just went to see “Top Gun”. I was skeptical … on the way over, I said that I hoped it was at least a C-. Well, I loved it. Much of the plot was about that an older “washed-up” pilot was better than the new hot-shots because he had “respond-ability” … he wasn’t just a robot. 

And, when their mission went off the rails … it was the “respond-ability” of the characters that saved-the-day.

How much “respond-ability” does your golf game have? Are you always working on the perfect swing … or working on hitting golf shots? Punch-shots … cut-shots … high-draws, etc.

The world isn’t perfect … and golf courses will have windy days. We all need to work on our “respond-ability”.
 

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com