If you want to play this game the right way, then there are a set of rules you need to play to each and every time you go out on the course. This is not to say that casual games are no longer allowed and you cannot take mulligans or give yourself and your buddies the short putts. What I mean is that if you want to track your progress then you need to play the same way every single time.

It's all about developing a winning attitude. There are no shortcuts to success. If you play in any competitive tournament, then know that there are no redos or 3-footers you can just pick up. You won't get to pick, clean, and place or roll the ball to give yourself a better lie.

If you play by the rules of the game each time you go out, then playing in a tournament won't feel that much different. If however, you are stepping into the first tee of your club tournament and you haven't done this all year and that you can't hit another one if you duff it off the first tee, you are going to be nervous.

This is especially true when moving from winter rules to summer rules. It is interesting to note that not touching your ball rarely helps you save any shots off of your total score, but golfers still get it in their heads that if they don't have the perfect lie then the ball isn't going to come out right. Some golfers also has this notion that six inches to the left or right is going to give them a shot around a tree that they otherwise wouldn't have had. That is certainly not true! What is true is by playing the ball down every single time you tee it up you get your mind right for when it does matter.

If the first time you go out for the year you take mulligans and gimmes, but you get rid of them later on, you might get frustrated by a lack of progress. The mind seems to forget all the little cheats you gave yourself before and it is only really focused on the end result. Obviously your score is going to be lower if you cut out shots, so give yourself a chance to show improvement and play the same way all year long.