different way of playing

Question
hello.  i am 16 years old and i play golf for high school.  i shoot in high 30s and low 40s on par 36, nine holes.  i recently shot 2 under par and i am feeling a little better with my putter.  in our league, there is a team that is VERY intimidating.  all six of their players can easily shoot under par.  they wear black, they are all very big and they can hit the ball at least 290 yards consistnelty.  they are all well equipped as they have bags, shoes, rainjackets, two shirts and etc.  also, for some reason, they pop up their collars which in a little way is goofy, preppy but yet a little intimidating.  we try to play our own game but its difficult not to get intimidated.  we are putting extra pressure on ourselves as we know that we have a chance to beat them.  i would like to look a little more intimidating as i do not hit my ball a long way as they do.  could you give me tips regarding this matter?  what can we do to look a little more intimidating?

Answer
Hi there and thank you for asking.  This is a interesting question and I would like for you to listen carefully.  90% of what you feel has to do with your age and your confidence level, including your future in golf.  Because you have little experience with people in general (due to really only 6 or so years of practical existence... we dont really have too much important experiences that help us in our adult lives when we are under 10 years old), whenever you run into an "intimidating" group, you will be affected more than say, a 35 year old professional boxer would.  Also even though you are a good golfer for your age, you are still not good enough to know that you can beat almost anyone on any day, even if you dont play your best.

So basically, the solution is, why do you play golf?  Do you really care if you win or lose one match instead of your overall game improvement and possibly having a great college career and maybe with some good changes, turning pro?  In other words, when you think of more lofty goals, you realize that pretty much every one of these guys you will be playing against wont make the pros, or has the same chance as you do.  In other words they are not "better" than you.

You should also know that distance isnt everything in golf.  Yes someone who hits the ball deep has an advantage, but if they were really that good hitting it long they wouldnt be playing in leagues or playing in school, they would be playing in national tournaments and have private swing coaches.  Anyways, the point here is, make your shotmaking do the talking.  In fact, dress like a liittle wimp... like a geek.  Do everything you can to look like nothing.  Why?  Because if these guys are already bigger and stronger and better dressed, then you cannot surpass them in that right now, so dont try.  That will only make you look weaker.  However, if you look so unassuming, so little, how can that help you?  Well, actually, anything I tell you can only help if you still play well.  The goal here is, how do you make your opponent play worse when you play ok.  For bullies, the WORST THING in the WORLD is getting beat by a nobody.  Like David versus Goliath.  When a little wimp start beating them, they tend to try harder, swing faster, lose concentration, etc...  then they will start spraying their 290 yard drives and then stop getting up and down, etc.... its the snowball effect.

So you see, make sure you dont try to overpower or outdo someone at their own game... find their weakness, exploit it, and then let them implode on their own while you go about your business.  Because at the end of the day, whats more important, that you tried not to lose to some losers who have to use cheap tactics to win at golf, or come away knowing that you can play a solid game and that if you won, you played well, and if you lost, the opponent was just too good that one day?  Remember there is always someone better than you, not because they are more intimidating, but because they are better shotmakers and putters on the golf course.

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