Somewhere along the line, golf became all about numbers. Golfers are constantly talking about their scores, their handicaps, and the ratings and slopes of courses. However, fundamentally, golf has never had anything to do with numbers.
For the first part of golf’s history there were no such things as pars, birdies, and bogeys. Therefore, you could not be above or below par. There was no magical 72 to judge yourself against. The game was all about getting the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible.
Unfortunately, the magical 72 has become a part of golf psychology today. But there’s a way to remedy this unfortunate event. Golfers should never ever worry about the par of the hole. If you find yourself on an unusually long par 4 (one that you’re unsure you can hit in regulation), play it like a par 5. Let the bogey feel like a par. Do the same things on short par 5s. Play them like par 4s and you’ll get birdie. If there’s a par 3 that requires only a pitch, play it like a par 2 since it’s only a pitch and putt.
After you’ve mastered this technique, start working on forgetting about your score during the round. A lot of times, when golfers have great rounds they start thinking, “If I par out I’ll shoot my best round ever.” This thought is very unhealthy because it doesn’t set new goals. The player should be thinking about knocking the ball in the hole as soon as possible, not about just saving par.
