7 Things the Average Golfer Shouldn't Worry About

The single hardest aspect of golf to comprehend is the gap between the pro players you see on TV and an average golfer. Pro players are beyond freaks when it comes to the sport. When an average golfer watches these professional tournaments, they get a twisted expectation of how they should play on the course.

Relax. It happens to all of us. We see these masters of the game and begin to believe our game should resemble theirs at times. The truth is your game, especially if you are an average golfer, will never look anything like a professional player and you are only harming your growth as a golfer if you believe otherwise.

There are some specific ways in which this twisted expectation of self-potential can bubble up. It is important to understand that the main point of golf is to enjoy it. Don’t let yourself focus on things that don’t matter, and honestly do not affect your game anyway. 

The Golf Clubs You Buy

You don’t have to use the same set of irons that your favorite professional uses. Let me say again, you don’t have to use the same set of irons that your favorite golfer plays with. When you see a professional play with a certain set of irons, they didn’t just pick them up from the store and start playing with them.

Most of the time, they have been specifically designed by the manufacturer to fit everything about that golfer’s play style and needs. 

Choosing a set of clubs that gives you confidence when you stand over the ball is crucial for the average player. If you like a set of twenty-year-old Titleist irons or a new set of Callaway irons, it doesn’t matter, just so long as you are comfortable on approach. 

The only exception to this rule is if you are looking for irons in the wrong place. For example, if you see a new set of irons on Amazon for $20, then I would avoid them as they probably aren’t well made. Use common sense.

The Golf Ball You Play With

This pitfall is one I see the majority of golfers fall into. These expensive brands in the golf industry want you to think you can play like Tiger Woods, so they want you to use the golf ball he does.

Well, the truth of the matter is that for an average golfer, the golf ball you use isn’t going to make a bit of difference in your golf game. If you insist on purchasing Pro V1s for every round, you’re just begging to waste money that could have been better spent at the driving range or taking a lesson.

Again, confidence is the most important quality for a golfer to have, and you can have that with any ball. I recommend playing with the ball that gives you the most confidence on the course, whether it be a Slazenger or a Callaway ball.

A Rangefinder

This one is going to make me sound like an unhappy, old curmudgeon, but I still have to say it; you should not be using a rangefinder as an average golfer. Let me tell you why.

All of us can remember taking long division at some point in our lives. Calculators were around for a lot of us during this time, but our teachers still forced us to do it by hand. Although I hated it back then, there is a reason for this. The same applies to golf.

You never want to become reliant on any electronic to define your approach. The range finder is a good way to confirm or tweak what your eyes and your golf experience are telling you, but it is not something to be relied on.

Too often I see extremely average players using their rangefinder for every single shot, effectively dulling their natural golf senses while doing so.

Before you use the rangefinder, learn how to properly read distance, slope, and wind with your natural human abilities. This way, the rangefinder becomes a tool that aids you instead of a tool that rules your decisions. 

Interestingly enough, using your natural skills and using the rangefinder as a self-review tool, you can get a better feel for situations where you may not be able to use your rangefinder.

The Course Itself

A lot of times for the average golfer, courses can be intimidating. Maybe your friend invites you to play the private course where he is a member or you want to try to play one of the more expensive and well-known courses in your area. Either way, don't look at it as an opportunity to fail, but as an opportunity to grow from the unique situations it puts you in.

Don’t worry about the course. The only thing we need from a course is sufficient grass, everything else is a bonus. Never feel like you have to go play an expensive course because of the status it makes you feel like you have achieved. If you want to play a nice course, do it because you want to test your golf game. 

Too often players attempt to play a tough course simply because it makes them feel more like a “real golfer”, whatever that means. No, play the course because you are ready to test your game and see if you can handle another level of pressure. 

Your Group

I can’t stress enough how much this one is vital to the average golfer’s success. Do not ever compare yourself to the others in your golf group. There are too many factors that have landed each of you into your golf game's current state to compare yourself to each other.

The truth is, you are never really playing against anyone in your group or even anyone else in the same tournament as you. You are always playing against three things: the course, the game of golf, and yourself. If you are up to the challenge when it comes to all three, then you will find yourself having success anywhere you play.

Self-Criticism

One of the hardest things to do in golf is to get through a round without blaming yourself for a mishit or missed opportunity. As an average golfer, you shouldn’t be focused on giving yourself criticism during a round. 

Playing a round of golf is like taking a quiz. Hopefully, you have gained enough knowledge either through practice on the range or the putting green to succeed during your round. But if you haven’t then the outcome of your round will tell you that. You don’t need to be constantly berating yourself on every hole, it will only force you to play worse.

Instead, view your round like a quiz. Go in there, take the quiz, see the grade (score) and find out what you need to focus on during practice next time. If you approach every round like a quiz, maybe you can avoid going down that long road of self-criticism that only drains your enjoyment of the game.

Mid-Round Changes

Mid-round changes to your game kill more rounds than anything else on this list. The absolute worst thing you can do is try to change anything about your game during a round. More often than not, it will have you overcompensating to an area that is even worse than before.

No, the most you should ever change during a round is ball position. Changing ball position (in very small increments) can greatly affect the way you play, and could be a simple fix to a lot of other problems. The only other thing you should be doing on the course is picturing what a fundamentally sound swing looks and feels like to you. These two things will help you more mid-round than any drastic change ever could.

The time for big changes is on the range during practice. Mid-round alterations other than ball position are too dangerous. The risk is too high. 

Conclusion

It is good to have confidence in your potential golf game as an average golfer. Sometimes, though, this can have a negative effect when you are on the course. Worrying about little things that won’t turn you into a professional golfer overnight is pointless. It’s better to be more comfortable during your round and rely on the skills you have learned to test yourself.