It’s seems like every U.S. PGA tournament I watch on TV
anymore is mostly about how loud some moron can yell something absurd to make
sure his idiot friends at home know it was him yelling. I did not hear this
stuff once while watching the British Open (the Open Championship). In fact,
the crowd there seemed very respectful — sure they hollered, but mostly
motivational things towards their favorite players. Who are these idiots
yelling, “Mash potatoes,” and stuff like, “Get in the hole,” when the pros tee
off on a 560-yard par 5 at PGA tournaments? Why isn’t someone in the crowd
telling these idiots to shut their traps or knocking the fools out!
While watching the recent Bridgestone Invitational, every
stinking shot Tiger hit, some jerk was yelling, “Get in the hole!” It couldn’t
have been the same guy — there’s no way he could move through the crowd that
fast to the next hole. If it was the same guy, why didn’t someone stuff a
hotdog in his mouth every time he opened his trap or escort him off the
property?
In the Open Championship, Tiger finished T6. He appeared mad
on just about every shot he took. In fact, he was busted more than once for
dropping the “GD” bomb on microphone, and slamming clubs to the ground,
spurring some pretty harsh criticisms from broadcasters, and rightful so.
However, a few weeks later in the Bridgestone Invitational, suddenly he’s a new
player with a better attitude, and he vaults to a huge early lead, going on to
win his fifth tournament of the year by seven stokes. Tiger played like a
different player with a completely different attitude — he actually looked like
he was having fun.
This got me thinking about my own game. Some days, I play my
absolute worst golf — when I’m frustrated or mad just because I’m not hitting
the ball well that day. It’s almost as if I’ve convinced myself of the last
statement, and I play that way for all 18 holes. No, I don’t throw or slam
clubs to the ground — I mostly hold the frustrations inside.
Recently, I was playing with three players who, well let’s
just say, made me feel really good about my golf game. They must have lost two
dozen golf balls and, if counting all their strokes, shot well over 100. I
played my best that day. I hit nearly every fairway dead-center, every green in
regulation, and shot par on all but six holes. The six holes I didn’t par were
the results of bad shots, but the guys I was playing with were having such a
tough day — nothing could make me feel bad about my mishits, so I never got
frustrated or angry. I played like a different player with a completely
different attitude and scored well.
I learned something that day. In golf, even Tiger’s game is
off when he’s frustrated and not relaxed on the course. It’s not always a good
idea to play to your competitors’ game, even when they are beating you by a
landslide. Play your game, relax and have fun. Bad shots happen, but good shots
can outweigh the bad, if you focus on the good ones and forget the bad ones.
Have fun golfing, but please don’t be that guy yelling “Mash potatoes,” or “Get
in the hole,” that’s just dumb!