Let's face it, I'm an armchair golfer. Most of us are. We sit back and admire the folks on the pro tour and marvel at 20-foot putts, shots that achieve birdies from the rough or the bunker, and drives that go as high as they go long. We do not pay too much attention to the discipline that it takes to be a professional golfer. Did you notice, in all the recent come-from-behind challenges that led to playoffs, people who in theory had finished their final round spend time practicing their putting while they waited to get back in the game?

You may not be in a position where you can play golf every day. I'm retired and I certainly can't afford daily tee fees even if the weather here in Northern Wisconsin permitted daily play. But there are (at least) three reasons where I should get out there and play a whole round, on a regular basis. I don't mean go and practice putting or go to the driving range. The essence of the game is not just in the mechanics and proficiency of getting the ball from here to there. It is also in getting from this here to that there.

You can only improve your course management by actually playing rounds. (Against yourself if necessary) Even if you only ever play on your home course every round will be different, and present a host of different decisions to take about the right club, where to aim it, how to get out of trouble. If you have a chance ot visit another course you have the delight of discovering just how devious golf course architects can be! The emphasis in golf training is so much on skills improvement that we miss out on the benefits of improving our course management. And someone who hasn't thought through their course management will not be able to capitalize fully on their hard-won club-wielding skills.

A second reason to play a whole round on a regular basis is the simple fact of benefiting from the exercise. I am supposed to walk every day anyway, not necessarily for that distance, and not necessarily hauling a bag of clubs, But why not enjoy the walk. Hey, you needn't even take the clubs. Just do a mental walk-through practicing your course management ideas or re-living a famous round. That's a good walk enjoyed, not spoiled!

Thirdly, and most importantly, golf is a mental game. There is a growing interest in golf fitness, whether it is in stamina training to make sure the athlete-golfer is fit enough for four rounds over four days, or making sure the beginning amateur is not going to injure themselves the first time they swing the club above their heads (like I did!). But the mental essence of the game is only beginning to gain attention. Yes, Tiger Woods is recovering from an emotional perfect storm of his own making, and from injury and has made some necessary changes to his game. But his current battle is really one of mental discipline and self belief. And there go we all.

Only through playing actual rounds, ideally with well-matched partners, are you as a payer, going to be able to hone the skills that constitute the mental health of the good golfer. A lot of golf etiquette is designed to support and promote the proper attitude. A lot of the rules seem to be specifically designed to challenge our self-discipline.. Sometimes the game seems to be designed to defeat our motivation, when the other guy gets an oh so lucky lie on top of the sand and your ball is half-buried underneath the lip of the bunker. But that's the very time when playing on the course and not on the driving range or putting green, helps you make your game better, and you a better person.