10 Rules to Actually Enjoy Golf

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10 Rules to Actually Enjoy Golf
0:00 Intro
0:18 Front 9
3:23 BetterHelp
4:55 Front 9 – Continued
8:34 Back 9
14:01 Recap

golf is supposed to be our refuge from The Daily Grind but so many of us golf angry so today I’ll outline 10 rules you can follow to Play happier golf it starts with teeing it forward it’s not fun hitting long irons and woods into greens all day and I’ve noticed that even scratch golfers will Tee It Forward from time to time so there’s no reason you can’t uh-oh I’m trying to get one in play with a hybrid here and sadly my first shot of the day finds the water I see it rolling get wet okay well I was in the water somewhere and that leads to the second rule of happier golf sometimes you just have to pick up your ball and move on we’re not on the PGA tour and the handicap system provides a maximum score you can take on each hole for your skill level so after plopping a second ball in the water here on one I’m swimming again I’m just going to take my Max triple and move on it speeds up the game for my playing partners and allows me to take a breather and reset before the next hole angry golfers also tend to lament every instance when the ball doesn’t do what they want it to but golf is a game of misses and the better you start to miss the lower your scores and part of that is learning to appreciate a good miss this is a poor strike low on the heel of my club face but it’s in play and rather than whine about it yeah I was a Miss I’ll just appreciate that the golf Gods allowed me to miss in a good place okay so I’ve got 211 in it’s so downwind I’m thinking a 180 Club A five hybrids enough here because I’m in the right frame of mind I’m focused aware of my surroundings and choosing a club not based on ego but rather factoring in the conditions that I’m tuned into it’s a good strike and on a decent line oh just in the bunker there but ultimately comes up just a hair short my playing partner gourd hits a great one here and I have my eyes wide open hoping to get up and down for birdie and then this happens heads up but that leads to the fourth room of happier golf whoops let go of bad shots immediately yeah in the blink of an eye I’ve gone from hoping to get up and down for birdie to being left trying to scramble for Pawn but what would be worse than taking an extra stroke or two on this hole would be allowing myself to spiral into negative thoughts and letting these opening holes ruin my day good bogey it’s a frustrating bogey but will harness the memory of a goldfish by putting this behind us immediately and it’s just on to the next hole we’re lo and behold I take my best swing of the day so far it’s a towering drive right up the middle or is it somehow this ball takes a brutal kick from the middle of the Fairway into a waste area but in the same way that we appreciate the good misses we also have to accept the bad breakes Bobby Jones said it best we just have to play it as it lies Miss to the right we can’t control the brakes but we can control our reactions to them and I’m just focused on getting this one back into play than the result is a putt from just off the green which turns out to be yet another bad stroke nope but what about the next one notice that I’m still taking my time and treating this one without regard to the one that came before it and with a committed stroke here I get this one to go hey and I hope you’ll appreciate the story of my journey to happier golf by hearing about today’s sponsor I’ve confronted serious health issues in my life none more serious than a life-threatening autoimmune disease several years ago and it was at that time that I began to speak with a therapist it struck me that I was seeking professional help for my physical health but not my mental health and choosing to speak to a therapist was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made I learned to understand the feelings I was confronting and more importantly my therapists provided practical real world strategies for me to confront my mental health while I was in a battle for my physical health and while I appreciated therapy during an acute crisis today I continue to speak with a therapist as part of my mental health regimen it’s helped me so immensely in my personal life and incidentally it’s even helped me on the golf course where keeping a level head is just as important as any technical aspect of the sport seeking therapy can be a daunting task especially if you’re unsure where to start or overwhelmed by the idea of face-to-face sessions and that’s where the sponsor of today’s video betterhelp comes in betterhelp is an online platform that makes it easier to get the support you need they offer sessions by phone calls video chats and even messaging so you can choose the best format you’re comfortable with with a network of over 30,000 licensed therapists better help can match you with the professional that best suits your needs and preferences and if you feel like a therapist isn’t the right fit you can easily switch to a new therapist at no charge so I encourage you to take that first step and give therapy a try visit betterhelp.com iscratch golfer or select my channel name at signup for a special discount off your first month of therapy with betterhelp and that pins at the back too I’m going to aim at the middle of the green and back off of a 165 clip I previously made a video highlighting my 10 rules of course management and I’m following a cardinal one here by just taking aim at the middle of the green as it turns out it’s the appropriate strategy here leaving me with a birdie putt I’ll take a second to past this one off here before giving it a run and I do a good job playing this one that starts downhill before following a slope uphill closer to the hole thank you and I’ll put a mark on it before tapping it in for par partner and at long last I finally found something of a Groove here on the par 4 F it’s another good drive up the Fairway all right we got 143 playing 152 slope I’m going to hit a really light seven iron and with a committed plan over the approach shot I managed to hit another good ball at the middle of the green be good leaving me with about 30 ft for Birdie the LI putts are coming along too it’s another good one here and for now the power train is rolling on the safe play here is hitting a three-wood to the end of the Fairway on the right but irrespective of all the rules I’ve discussed today poor execution is just a reality of the game oh and this one finds the waste area so just here that’s fine with some input for my opponents in my match today I’ll take relief from the cart path here before hitting a wedge towards the green is that long but it winds up long and after another bad one here oh God it’s time for rule number eight bogey is never a bad score no matter your skill level Bogies are almost always never the doing of a round of golf the scorecard doesn’t discriminate where you lose Strokes it just counts them up I’ve hit three bad shots on this hole but escaping with just a bogey is no problem at all on to seven where I certainly appreciate having a seven iron in hand from these T’s and even a bad strike here a leaked It Go Go manages to catch a piece of green and a committed strike over this putt gives me a good chance at a birdie here but it’s not quite meant to be but we’re back on track with the p and now this oh no sit it’s a terrible drive into the desert which plays as a lateral here and my third is no joke either but I’m trying to abide my own rules of happier golf by not lamenting how many strokes I’ve taken to get here and a good strike on this one gets me in wedge range it’s a good reminder not to give up on a hole when a respectable score is still Within Reach everyone has a favorite wedge number and this one is mine 82 cultivated by countless rounds of pitch and put I can tell looking at the footage that this was a stress-free swing and lo and behold it rolls right up to tap in range where somehow some way I’ll escape this hole with a p the ninth is a downhill dog leg left and while I thought I’d overcook this one a hair oh it winds up in a perfect position where I’ll have just a wedge in and with the hole cut in the middle of this screen this is easily the biggest green light I’ve had today to take aim at a pin and it’s right on the money yeah thanks and I thought i’ drill this one right at the center of the cup but it leads to the final rule of happier go we have to be patient out there I had multiple close calls for Birdie on this front nine mixed in with a triple and a fist full of Bogies but again there’s no sense in letting the round unfurl I’ll stay in good spirits knowing full well that the back nine will present its own opportunities to score and spoiler alert I put up a great score on the back that allowed me to break 80 so let’s see how I did it following each of the rules of happier golf we start with the short downhill par 4 and given that the driver has been my best club today I’ll opt for it here yeah that was hit well and it’s another one on a rope right down the middle almost reaching the green I Chi this one on and it releases to only about 6 ft and I’m thinking I finally made my first birdie of the day but no we’ll have to stick to the 10th rule of happier golf by just staying patient and moving on to the next hole which is a drivable par 4 in Earnest it’s just a matter of identifying my line kind of online with the tall green bushy tree at the top of the hill but unfortunately I miss it ah that is definitely right and this effort out of the bunker isn’t my best leaving me a long look at birdie go but I’m not fearing this putt I’m relishing it my lag putting has been solid today and finally the patience pays off and we get this unlikely one to go hey on to another short par five where another good drive leaves me looking to reach the green and two okay so 187 196 slope just feels like it’s down I’m going to hit a 180 club and this is eerily reminiscent of the second hole with another good hybrid strike that hooks just a bit left be good ball this time missing in a grass bunker oh it’s short Shane great line oh my God I should be able to do this but I’m not plagued by Demons of what I did the last time I was in this position it’s a outc this time not intentional but it worked leaving me just a few feet for birdie but I’ll have to let go of this bad shot right away and just move on oh Adam and I’ll have to harness the same thought after this one it’s in that bunker I’ve had some mixed results out of bunkers today but at long last it’s a gem here thanks allowing me to easily clean this one up for par poor stri were actually a Bound for me on this back nine and here on 14 it’s another one that’s going to find its way into the desert that’s trouble okay so 163 we’re into wind I’m going to look a little right of the flag and try to draw one in and this recovery shot leaves a whole lot to be desired too but remember the ninth rule of happier golf staying mentally checked into holes where you can still Salvage a bogey I don’t treat this putt any differently than I would if it was a putt for Eagle I’m getting a sense of the slope while walking to my ball here and even though I ride the ridge a bit lower than intended because I took the time to program the speed into my feet the distance control turns out to be bang on and after some careful deliberation from my opponents they decide to give me this one for bogey thank you the wind is starting to pick up here on 15 and despite what felt like a good strike this one doesn’t work out whoa that took a funky turn it’s a bad break to find this bunker yeah that was bizarre and before hitting mine once again I’ll get a look at gourds it looks great but ultimately rolls right off the green into another trap with that in mind I’ll try to barely get mine out of the bunker and let it roll out but oh no way boy that was miserable I thought that was a great shot when I hit it so I’ll have to harness the fourth rule of happier Golf and just accept that bad breaks are part of the game that’s firmly in my rear view by the time I’m standing over this one but the go Gods deal me one more obstacle here go go I’m left with another slick down Hiller for bogey but I managed to get it to go Y and safe for the first hole we’ve kept double squares off the card today thanks perfect line would be that greenside bunker with a baby draw after a stray drive on the last par 4 I’m going to take my time getting my line here on 16 I’m locked in yeah and with a conservative club I’m able to hit my line here should be good the wind is still a factor on the approach shot I’m aimed at the middle of the green although the wind pushes this one just right of the flag stick leaving me a makeable birdie putt but this one good putt is not my best and I’ll settle for par the 17th is a tricky uphill par five that moves gently left we’re a good drive unfortunately deals me another bad break ah what a shitty lie Let’s Not Top This I’m just focused on making decent contact here and though the trajectory is a little scuzzy thanks actually happy with that it works out now it’s a blind wedge into this green I hoist it up in the air but it’s a bit tuggy and winds up over the back of the green but my opponents have made a mess of this hole so this is mostly academic now I tidy this one up close enough okay and they’ll hand me the par to secure the match thank you 18 is a tricky par for with water up the right and with some of my drives missing a bit right today I’ll be sure to pick a conservative Target here Go baby go I just feel like that pin’s right at the front I don’t need two extra clubs one’s more more than enough right and this approach is no joke either there’s a bunker protecting the green short and water up the right and after some deliberation I’ve chosen a club but it’s ultimately one more poor strike as my last full swing of the day that’s going to work I think I’ll have to ensure to get some check on this one to ensure it doesn’t release towards the water and mission accomplished yeah I got the spin yeah it’s about 15 ft for par here and it’s online but I don’t quite get it to go and I’ll close the dat with a bie and there you have it happy golf it’s not hard to remain in good spirits when cing a respectable score but if you’ve watched the channel you know that I tend to remain in these Spirits whether shooting 79 or 99 and I hope you’re able to harness some of these rules to better enjoy rounds yourself