Golf is normally a very solitude and lonely game. It’s a game of competition, but mainly with yourself. Most amateurs compete with the previous weekend’s score and aim to beat only that number.
If I can make a recommendation to making golf more fun, I’d recommend competition. Any competition. Compete against your playing partners in a match play format, play in an alumni scramble event. Anything works.
Put yourself under pressure. Put something on the line. You’ll be surprised of the thrill.
Why Competition?
It’s easy to get bogged down in how your score compares to what you shot last week, last year, or even earlier in your life. It’s easy to get discouraged about the lack of progress or the downfalls of a poor round.
Constant comparison to yourself can be tiring and can leave you feeling deflated.
Competitive golf can be the injection of lightning that your golf game could use.
The nerves of stepping up to a crucial shot, or the shaking in your hands as you line up a clinching putt can’t be replicated anywhere else.
Going head to head against a friend and battling all day only to step up to a decisive 18th hole gets those competitive juices flowing again.
Many of us haven’t competed seriously in years or decades and can forget what those feelings are like. We forget what it feels like to line up a drive that you absolutely need to hit down the middle or the feeling of coming up huge for your teammate.
If you’re feeling in a rut or stuck in your golf game, make your weekend round a competitive match and set up something to give it some teeth. Play for $5 a side, or for lunch afterwards. Get a big group together and play team matches. Anything to get those competitive juices flowing. You’ll be surprised how fun golf becomes again.
Two Off the First 