Everybody wants to break something

There are two immutable truths about golf: 1. it’s a numbers game and 2. all golfers want to be better.

The numbers thing is pretty obvious. 18 holes, 14 clubs, par 3s and 4s and 5, scores in the 70s, 80s, 90s or 100s. Distance in yards, putts in feet, GIRs and sand saves in percentages. Everything boils down to a number.

Which makes the second truth all the more applicable. As golfers, we all know our numbers. And as humans, we constantly want to do better.

Every now and then I’m paired with a golfer who says he doesn’t keep score, that he doesn’t care what he shoots. While he may not be brandishing a card and pencil or an electronic device to record his performance, I’m pretty certain he cares. Otherwise, why be at the golf course at all? Why not take the dog for a four-and-a-half-hour walk?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve recorded my stats after each round. Total score, fairways hit, greens in regulation, sand saves, up-and-downs, total putts, three putts, penalty stokes. All this performance data is supposed to help me understand what I need to work on or to some extent, how I should plan my round.

Faced with a long shot to a green guarded by bunkers on the left and a shallow pitching area to the right, my plan should be to err to the right because my up-and-down percentages are almost twice as good as my sand saves. Good information? Of course, but I still aim for the flag. Sometimes instinct and pride get in the way of sound strategy.

In the last few years, I’ve added another number to the record: number of good shots.

A good shot is defined as one that is well hit as intended. Putts and chips don’t count. A hybrid from deep rough that puts me back in scoring position is a good shot because it achieved its objective and was properly struck. However, a skulled 7-iron that trundles onto the green and comes to rest three feet from the stick is not a good shot. Lucky? Yes. But it’s not getting a tick on my scorecard.

There’s a well-known story about Ben Hogan playing a round on his home course and afterwards, one of the members asked him what he shot. Hogan answered, “Four.” How is that possible he was asked. Hogan replied, “I only hit four shots I was happy with.”

Ben Hogan’s standards are considerably higher than mine. I’m generally happy with 27 or 28 shots when I’m playing well but that number can dip precipitously into the teens when the wheels come off.

One thing all of these numbers do is help establish a baseline for what’s average or what’s best. Sometimes they represent a wall. As is, no matter how hard I try, I can’t break 100.

The title of this blog may have led you to think that it was about smashing your driver or breaking your putter after a particularly frustrating round. Not even close. The numbers represent records and as the saying goes, records are made to be broken. Even Mr. I-don’t-keep-score likely has a few things he’d like to improve on and his outward refusal to record his performance doesn’t mean he isn’t keeping track. He’s just keeping it all inside. Do you have numbers that you’d like to break or stats that need improvement? I think we all do.

I have one in particular that I’d like to break in 2024. I used to consistently break 80 but a combination of shorter driving, a wonky short game and poor putting has added five or six strokes to my handicap and made 80 a fantasy. It’s not just my score; all of my stats show a decline. Breaking 80 isn’t just about a number though, it’s about making changes in several aspects of my game and person that can lead to a different outcome.

The four pillars of sport are physical, mental, technical and tactical. I need improvement in all four and will detail some of my efforts at finding that help in the coming months. Golf is a journey – I don’t believe anybody can master it even though some can play at an exceedingly high level. But not always and not forever.

I have a lot of questions about how to be a better golfer and will be looking for answers wherever I can find them. Perhaps not in all the conventional places either. I hope you’ll follow along on my journey and perhaps glean some insights how your own game can be better too.

The great Irish writer Samuel Beckett may have perfectly described golf when he wrote:

Ever tried.

Ever failed.

No matter.

Try again.

Fail again

Fail better.

I plan on failing better this summer.

Peter Mumford
Peter Mumford is the Editor and Publisher of Fairways Magazine. He's played over 500 different courses in 21 countries and met some fascinating people along the way. He's also a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

6 thoughts on “Everybody wants to break something

  1. There is one simple answer to all your golfing woes (and life’s maladies in general), and it’s been right under your nose for some time……… F.I.W.

    1. Wish it were under my nose, but as you know, we’ve looked for F.I.W. (Feckin Irish Whisky) for years to no avail. Another of life’s mysteries.

  2. Great story Peter. I especially like your comment about doing something else if he doesn’t care.

    1. Thanks Gloria. I might have added that the ones that don’t keep score and say they don’t care are usually the same ones that take mulligans and ‘do-overs.’ Hope your game is in top shape as usual.

  3. Love all your comments. Numbers do make sense and help. We have a board at my club and you mark your score on every hole. Then you change it when you shoot better. At the end of the season when you look you see how well you could have done had you made all those good shots at the same time!! Fun to see what your potential could be.

    1. Great suggestion, thanks Michelle. I’d forgotten about that. We used to call it a Ringer Board and there were prizes for the lowest score each year. Any personal records you maintain become objectives moving forward, either to match them or break them.

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