| Every golfer's goal is to pass a benchmark score. | | | | For example: you want to break 100. That means |
| Those three are the major ones, and when we | | | | you can get bogey on nine holes, and double |
| do it for the first time, break out the champagne! | | | | bogey on nine holes. Identify the nine holes that |
| What golfers approaching those benchmark | | | | are hardest for you, and play them deliberately |
| scores don't realize is, they had the game all along | | | | for double bogey. Play safe off the tee, safe up |
| to do it. They just weren't planning for it in the | | | | the fairway, safe onto the green, and safe into |
| right way. | | | | the hole. The other nine holes are bogey holes. |
| Here's the wrong way to plan for it: go out to the | | | | Play to get onto the green in one extra stroke, |
| course, play 18 holes, and see what score you | | | | then take your two putts. All that adds up to 99. |
| get. With this plan, eventually you'll have a good | | | | Now you don't have to hit great shots to do that. |
| day but that can be a long time coming, with lots | | | | If you do hit a few, fine. Passable shots with a |
| of frustration along the way. | | | | handful of good ones will do. You'll keep the ball in |
| If you want to take charge of your scoring, | | | | play and avoid blowup holes that you can't |
| rather than leaving it to chance, prepare yourself | | | | recover from. |
| by accepting The Realization and making The Plan. | | | | Meet the other benchmark scores the same way. |
| The Realization is that good scores are not made | | | | Play every hole for bogey except the easiest |
| by making great shots. They are made by getting | | | | one, and you play that for par, and that's 89. Play |
| the ball in the hole in the fewest number of | | | | the hardest seven holes for bogey and the rest |
| strokes. In other words, stop playing to impress | | | | for par, and there's your 79. |
| your buddies, or even yourself. Play to get the ball | | | | The point is to stop trying to be a hero on every |
| in the hole. | | | | hole. Pick your spots and play within yourself the |
| The Plan is to separate the eighteen holes into | | | | rest of the time. That's how professionals play, |
| two groups -- the ones you can take an extra | | | | that's how you should play. |
| stroke on, and the ones you can't. | | | | |