Avoid the dreaded “other”

As the admin for our Wednesday Men’s League (and as an observer and occasional participant myself) I (too often) see scores of 8 (snowman), 9, or more on holes where anything more than a double bogey is a case of heartburn to come. Why? How does this happen? For novice golfers I say “if the score you make on a hole has a name (e.g. birdie, par, bogey, double bogey) then you’re playing golf.”.. try to avoid the dreaded “other”… I think the dreaded other happens because the golfer is trying to execute a shot that (on that day or at that moment) just isn’t “in the bag.” So if you’re on a par 4 and your playing partners bang ’em out 240 (and your driver just isn’t working) then tee it up with a club that you know you can hit! Maybe it’s a hybrid, a 5 iron, or even a 9 iron… whatever is working well… just do it. Even if it takes you three or four shots to make it to the green you’ll still have a putt for “a real score”… Another case: you hit your first shot out of bounds… do you simply tee up another and bang that hard right into the farm… again? Or do you make some kind of adjustment? Maybe tee it up further to the right in the tee box, or maybe choose a different club? Take one club more and take less swing… or take the tee shot knowing that you won’t reach the green but will settle for a long chip or pitch to get on in two or three? I think the key to avoiding the dreaded OTHER is to set your ego aside and “use the arrows that you have in your quiver today” not the shots that just aren’t there today (or yet). (Now I just hope I can take my own advice the next time I’m called into service as the substitute of last resort!) Caddyshack Reference