Expectation Management: Why You’re Game Isn’t Up To Par
Okay, this is my FAVORITE topic to discuss with my students, so I decided to put it into writing for the world to see.
Having high expectations or sometimes having expectations can ruin your entire experience in the game of golf. Being the challenge that it is, golf will reward you for being open-minded and understanding that it is not going to go the way you hope a lot of the time. I have students come see me on the range for the first time and they hit a few good shots and then one bad shot and they completely give up and lose hope. Being a beginner golfer is a lot like being a beginner at pilates. It is not until you consistently work on those skills that you will even start to see any progress in your game. If pilates isn’t your thing, think of running. If you have never run before, do you think you will wake up tomorrow and run 10 miles? No. You also won’t wake up tomorrow and hit every club in your bag dead straight. It’s going to take time to practice before you get where you think you should be.
The real challenge is maintaining the proper expectations. The better you get the better you’ll expect which is where you’ll run into more problems. As you improve the ideal mindset is to be happy and proud of what you have accomplished rather than waiting for the next accomplishment you can chase. That chase and desire to be better and better and better in the immediate moment is why you haven’t gotten better in as long as you can probably remember.
What I would recommend is that you open up your mind a bit, and approach golf like a long term project rather than a hobby or a sport. Your golf game is going to stick with you as long as you are alive, so treat it that way. Approach your game like something you are working on for now and in the future and focus on building something that can last. The longer you golf the better you will naturally get at the game just because you are working on it consistently over time. You don’t need to put such high expectations on yourself to get perfect by tomorrow. You have your whole life to golf, just take it one day at a time and appreciate any improvements golf allows you to see.
As a professional now this is something I still struggle with to this day. I get out and play a golf course and hit some shots that make me wonder what I was thinking, and my immediate reaction is to be upset and think I’m better than that. Why would I hit a shot like that? I have to remind myself often that golf is an inconsistent game even in the hands of the most consistent golfer. Different variables come into play when you are on the course compared to the range including the types of grass, wind, course conditions, temperature, the list goes on. Essentially all of these variables change the way the ball reacts to your club and sometimes they change the way you swing. It is not always easy to navigate these variables, on top of the variables that exist in our swing. I could go on and on about variables.
My recommendation is to practice consistently and keep these variables in mind. When I say consistently I don’t mean you have to practice a lot, but you need a schedule you can follow on a regular basis for a prolonged period of time. That’s just the only way to get better at anything. Spend some time with a trusted instructor and work through the mechanics of your swing once in a while, and learn to trust the process of your game. Like I said, your game is a project that you will work on for the rest of your life. Learn to love the process that comes with golf.
