Questionhello. 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?
AnswerHello Tommy:
Great question. I know exactly what you mean, I went through it myself in high school. But, my answer may surprise you. There is one thing that you and your teammates must do to look more intimidating. YOU ALL MUST SHOOT LOWER SCORES! In golf, there is only one thing that matters: WHAT DID YOU SHOOT? No one cares what you look like. Looking mean and looking intimidating has NOTHING to do with what you shoot. We are not playing football or playing a sport that has extreme physical contact. It sounds to me like this team is well funded, well outfitted and comes from money. They are probably all in the weight room as a team and are probably well coached in those areas. But as far as being intimidating to look at and that having an effect on you and your team, that is all in your imaginations. Here is my story. I am 5'2" tall. You can imagine how little I was in high school. I couldn't hit the ball as far as most guys and I struggled with that as an identity. But, I realized and was taught that shooting lower scores meant two things. First, in golf, a lower score wins and second, shooting lower scores demands respect. So I went to work on my short game. I knew that if I was to compete, I could get way better than anyone else in chipping, pitching, putting and sand play. And if I did, then I knew I would shoot lower scores. As a junior, I broke 40 for the first time. And as a senior, I shot 69 the first round of the State Championship and led the tournament. Now being so short, all the tall, muscular players that could bomb it were all wondering how to beat me??? What bothered them the most is that this little pip sqweek was beating them senseless every time we played a match. Remember, looks has nothing to do with your score. All they will ever ask you is "Hey Tommy, what did you shoot?" No one cares how you did it or what you look like. Do not get caught up in what you are asking me in your question. That is all something you guys have made up in your mind. So after high school, I played collegiately at Arizona State University on a golf scholarship. And after college, I qualified and played in the United States Open Championship and to this day am still the shortest male professional golfer to ever play in the United States Open. So the moral of the story: if you want to BE intimidating and not just LOOK intimidating, PRACTICE YOUR SHORT GAME RELENTLESSLY AND SHOOT LOWER SCORES. The last time I checked, if you shoot lower scores than they do, you win. AND NOTHING IS MORE INTIMIDATING THAN WINNING. If you do not have a practice schedule or practice regimen for the short game, email me at
[email protected] and I will send one to you and your teammates to help you get better. Good luck Tommy, play your own game, go practice and shoot lower scores. If you ever want people to respect you in golf, it won't happen by new clothing or new bags. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS BY SHOOTING LOWER SCORES THAN THEY DO.
Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member
