A friend of mine asked me the other day what I think about when I see golfers throw an unbelievable fit of anger on the golf course when they hit a bad shot. We’ve all seen this type of thing as the golf ball flies into the pond, sand trap, condo yard, etc.

There are usually a couple of thoughts that go through my mind when I see these displays. Both of them revolve around the same theme…..we are AMATEURS for goodness sakes!

There is a statistic that I saw one time about golf scores. It said that over 90% of all golfers in the world shoot above 90, and the pros are included in this number. So the huge majority of us are not professional golfers and probably never will be! But I see people lose it on the golf course because they think they should have hit their 5 iron to within 4 feet of the flag instead of hitting the fringe and rolling back. And these are 13 handicappers!

The second thought I have comes from a story I heard that goes like this: Two golfing friends are talking about their golf games. Both are in their early 40’s. One guy is convinced that with a little work, he can make the Senior tour when he hits 50. The other golfer, who is also his best friend, quickly brings him back to reality. He asks “So, who are the pro golfers that are around your age right now?” His friend answers, “Well Greg Norman, Nick Faldo I guess.” To which the first guy says “If you can’t beat them now what makes you think you are going to be able to beat them in 8 years?” OUCH!!

So what am I trying to say on this topic? Golf is a great game and you can enjoy it or it can make you nuts ALL the time if you let it. I am as competitive as the next guy, but my approach is to be realistic about my ability and enjoy the game to the max. To each his own, but my way is much easier on the heart and blood pressure.