When to shoot your shot – The art of not making a mistake

Mark Twain incorrectly is attributed with saying Golf is a good walk spoiled. He might not have said it but whoever did is not wrong.

This doesn’t mean golf is not a tremendously difficult sport to play and even harder to master.

Ryan Herrington set out to see the difference for a professional player going from par for every round they play, to -1, to -2 and how that little difference can make a huge difference and we can see how it can help you, as a leader make better decisions.

Small Differences, Huge Effect

The difference 2 strokes make over a round doesn’t sound like much. An extra putt here, a slightly mishit tee shot there. It is nothing. Or is it.

All players start 41 tournaments, and each tournament is 72 holes, so 4 rounds.

A player that goes even par for every round of the season will end up missing 22 cuts, they get one top-20 finish, and one top-10 finish. That doesn’t sound too bad.

A player that goes -1 for every round misses 12 cuts, they make seven top-20 and four top-10 finishes. Very impressive.

A player that goes -2 for every round misses 2 cuts. They make 23 top-20 finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. They get in the top 10 nearly a quarter of the time.

Ranking and Money

They are all very talented golfers but the small change in scores creates a massive divide in performance and returns.

Margin Gains

What does this mean for you?

If you are not at the elite level, the structural, fundamental changes will create the biggest increase in performance. For a golfer, this is correcting swing issues and technique.

For you as a leader, it might be working on your strategy understanding, communicating your story, and learning about your team’s strengths and weaknesses.

From Good to Great

At the elite level, it is tiny improvements that generate huge rewards. It is not even making great choices, it is more to do with not making unneeded mistakes.

Knowing when you drive for the green or understanding it is better to get on the fairway than to end up in the rough.

The consistent small wins add up over the course of the tournament, and over the course of the season to create a huge difference in the player’s results.

You never win a competition with one shot, don’t lead your team like it that either.

Shoot even par in every round on the PGA Tour and here’s how you would have done during the 2018-’19 season