Is there anything more embarrassing than hitting a freshy on the first tee? Yes there is, hitting two freshies on the first tee. Is there anything more embarrassing than hitting two freshies on the first tee? Yes there is, hitting two freshies and a shank on the first tee while someone is recording you.
You would think that this poor golfer was a beginner but he is not. You might think this poor golfer had a very bad round of golf but he did not. He made 36 points of a 16 handicap and won second prise at the monthly competition.
I love golf for exactly this reason. There are so many comparisons to be made between golf, business and life. I have seen golfers loose their temper after hitting a bad shot, and I am guilty of that myself, but there is nothing to gain from this type of reaction. It is possible to finish a round of golf on par even if you did start with an embarrassing freshy. It is possible to achieve success even if we fail along the way. It is possible but it requires learning and change not emotional breakdown.
The whole world is dealing with a crisis now. I am not trying to compare a freshy to a worldwide pandemic but the principle of learn and change is universal. We are all under pressure in our professional and personal lives and emotions will build but now is the time to stand back, assess the problem, determine the appropriate changes to make and then to execute those changes.
Do not be blinded by the threat of failure because the game is not over. We have the opportunity to step back from our lives and to see it for what it is. We all want to hit that 300m drive off the first tee and make birdies all around the course but it does not work that way. A freshy does not determine the whole round just like a pandemic and lockdown does not determine our future. It is fun to laugh with your golf buddies and to joke about those embarrassing shots, that’s how we build friendships. Now in the lockdown we have the opportunity to strengthen those often neglected relationships with our closest loved once and to build those relationships. Do not waist this opportunity by focusing on the fact that you are forced to stay home, use it to create purpose to your life and to motivate you for when the crisis is over to make sure you end on par.
