Greetings Golfers,

Do you let a bad shot bother you? Be honest. How about a REALLY bad shot? I mean a shot that you can’t even imagine?

Though I’ve really mellowed a lot over the years, bad shots still bug me. I’m not very good at letting it go and moving on … but I usually do, and am ok after the next hole. Not the same hole … after the next hole.

But, a few weeks ago, I hit a shot that bothered me for weeks. I know that’s ridiculous – but true.

Don’t get me wrong … I hit a lot of bad shots. In fact now- a-days I hit very few good shots. But, my bad shots usually aren’t wild. They aren’t solid, but they go fairly straight. They don’t look good or sound good, but they’re usually fairly serviceable.

But this shot was incredibly wild. And it wasn’t with a long club like a driver – I was using an 8 iron. I was playing a match. My opponent was very kind and said that it bounced back into the fairway – I didn’t even know where it went. I vaguely remember the holes we played after that shot.

Why am I boring you with this confession? Because I learned something – I didn’t process the shot. I was trying so hard to be a good sport, that I didn’t deal with it. I tried to ignore it instead of deal with it. But my subconscious wouldn’t let me move on. I became a zombie – for two days. Seriously.

How should you handle a bad shot? I’m not sure – it depends on your personality. But you do have to deal with it. I am not someone who is good at stuffing things – I have to clear the air, deal with the problem, learn something and then move onto the next hole.

Golf/life … I’m still learning how to deal with it.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com