“Eighteen holes of match or medal play will teach you more about your foe than will eighteen years of dealing with them across a desk…”

It’s always said that you can learn a lot about someone and their psychology of life by their handshake. If you speak to a golf professional, they’ll add to that by saying that you can also learn a lot about someone by the way they play golf.

Golf coach Tim Sanders says, “The way a player approaches the game of golf is usually a good indication of the way they approach life. It’s good golf etiquette to shake hands with a player you haven’t met before, before playing a round of golf but that handshake can tell you a lot about the type of opponent they’ll be. A strong handshake is usually given by a strong character but there are some characters who always want to be on top, so much so that they’ll actually turn your hand as they shake it just to get their own hand on the top. People can come to the game with that kind of attitude but the game of golf has a way of levelling the playing field for everyone.”

“…Golf gives you an insight into human nature, your own as well as your opponent’s”

- Grantland Rice, sports writer and commentator

Patience is a virtue

Another popular saying is ‘practice makes perfect’ and it holds true in all areas of life. “If I see a new player pick up a club and start swinging fast, I can be fairly sure that they live a fast-paced life,” says Tim, “but swinging a club fast doesn’t help you to learn the game of golf any faster! If a player wants to master the game of golf, they have to be prepared to practice and putting in practice requires patience.” 

 Whether your goal in life is to master a sports skill or a business skill, there are no shortcuts. Some people are going to get to the top before others but nobody gets to the top without working their way up the necessary steps of the ladder. “The first step in golf is to learn how to hold the club,” says Tim, “but newcomers to the game are often too impatient and they just want to hit the ball. What they must understand is that being able to hit the ball, no matter how hard, is not actually going to progress them very far in their game because without a correct grip, they’ll have no control over where the ball goes.”  

 One step at a time

If you’re one of life’s ‘hard hitters,’ are you sure your actions are keeping you on target to achieving the success you want? In the game of golf, your ultimate goal is to play all eighteen holes successfully so each hole you play is effectively taking you another step closer and every shot you take counts.

 Coaches Corner:

 What’s your ultimate goal in life ?

 What represents reaching the eighteenth green in the game of life?

 Make sure every shot you play in life counts and that each one takes you one step closer to success. What can you do today that will take you closer to your goal ?

 “Life is just like a game of golf, but played on a bigger course”

- Tim Sanders, golf pro

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