If you’re a recreational golfer, that is, not a golfer who is trying to win tournaments, but someone who just wants enjoy yourself in the out-of-doors with your friends, try these five ways to make golf more fun.
1. Play from the right set of tees. Almost every recreational golfer plays a course that is too long, and therefore too difficult. Multiply the length of your average drive by 25. That product is the length of the course you should be playing. Be honest with yourself about how long your average drive is. It’s about 95 percent as long as your best drive.
For example, if your average drive is 220 yards, and that’s not bad, you should play a course that is 5,500 yards long, not the 6,400-yard monster that you’re playing now. You’ll have more short irons into the par 4s, you’ll make more pars and maybe a few birdies . . . and have more fun.
2. Play scrambles. This is a match where your foursome divides into two teams. Each player on a team hits off the tee, then the best tee shot is chosen and both players hit from there. After every pair of shots from the same location, the best shot is elected and the two partners play from there, all the way into the hole — even on the putting green. This game makes golf a little more social, because you have partner helping you with your score, and your bad shots are forgiven. That last part is really more fun.
3. Throw away the scorecard. Play a round where you don’t keep score. Just hit the ball into the hole and move on to the next tee. Too often we get anxious about the shots we have to hit because of how they might affect our score. The score is just a record. Don’t let it become the reason we play.
Try once just playing. Don’t count your strokes, don’t even keep track of them in your head. Give up the score. You might find that alone releases a lot of worry and makes the game a lot more enjoyable. You don’t always have to be competing with someone or with yourself. Sometimes, just play.
4. Lighten your load by playing with fewer clubs. You don’t need three woods, seven irons, three wedges and a putter to move the ball around the course. What you do need is a club to hit off the tee with, a long club and a medium club for the fairway, two wedges, and a putter. That’s six. With that set, you can solve any problem the course throws at you by being creative, and making yourself be more creative is, well, more fun.
What about your score? Won’t it go up if you don’t have all your clubs? If you try this, you might notice that with this abbreviated set your scores stay pretty much the same as the ones you get with the full set.
5. Play golf with your children or grandchildren while they still are children. You give them a lifetime gift, and your time on the course together will build a personal relationship with deep roots. What more needs to be said?
If you play golf for fun, play it so it is fun. We don’t have to play the game tournament professionals play. Being ourselves, recreational golfers out for a good time, is enough.