Over the last two years I have begun to play in more serious competitions for the first time and I would like to share my thoughts on how this is different to casual play. I would also like to reflect on if this has changed my approach or enjoyment of the game in general.
I started playing golf just before I turned 7 and I first joined a club when I was 10. For a few years after joining I did not play in club competitions and it was not until I was 14 or 15 I began to play competitions at my club regularly. From being 12 I started to play on my club's junior team which was always a great experience. The junior team organizer never put any pressure on me to play well and the focus was always on having fun over the result. As I have grown up my joy for the game has strengthened and I decided I want to try playing competitively. In 2014 I played some matches for my club's scratch team and I played in a few opens at local clubs.
When I played my first open events I was playing off around 6 and I was nervous. I was playing with people I did not know for the first time and at courses I did not know. This was also the first time I had to drive myself to somewhere I was unfamiliar with which was something else I was not used to. With all of these changes it is not surprising I did not play my best golf in these first events. Despite how uncomfortable I felt at times I knew I wanted to play competitively again this year.
At the start of this year I decided to push myself by entering a few county level events. I took it slowly at first, entering a couple of events at a time and seeing how they went. I mainly entered these events for experience knowing I had little chance of winning. For example one event I played had a handicap limit of 5, exactly what I was playing off. On the start sheet I saw the county champion was playing. It was his home club and he was off plus 3 but I was keen to play just to gain experience. I measured my success in events not by score or finishing position, but by how much I had learned.
After a few events I discovered I was not as out of place as I thought and my nerves began to drop. I had always felt lost on the practice range at these competition before because I somehow felt my swing and routine did not fit in. As I got used to the environment I realized that what I was doing was just as effective as what most people were doing and my nerves began to drop. I started to play to my full potential and I had a degree of success. To some people finishing 8th in the county Under 25s Championship would not be a big achievement but I was incredibly pleased with this because it showed me I had been able to adapt to competitive golf.
My approach this year has been to slowly get used to competitive golf. I did want to rush and lose confidence but at the same time I wanted to keep pushing myself. It was a fine line to walk but I think this was the right way to go about it. It was important for me to have friends and family who understood why I was playing competitions. I needed the people around me to understand that I was not interested in the results but in what I had learned. They understood that regardless of score if I thought the competition had been a success then it was.
Part of me was worried that as soon as I introduced competition I would lose the love for the game I had as a child. Golf had always felt the same to me from when I first started and I knew I risked changing that. When I went out to play I did not have care in the world; It was like I was transported back to being a 6 year-old first picking up a club. Fortunately playing competitions has not changed this. I believe this is because I do not make a big deal of where I finish in the field. I use competitions to challenge myself and see how good my game is as opposed to playing to win. By doing this I have been able to keep the same attitude I have always had to the game. The only real effect competitive play has had on is to motivate me because I want to go back to these events next year and beat how I did this year.
Competitions have also had a positive effect on both my physical and mental health. Most of the events I have played have been 36 holes in one day. During the first of these events this year I really struggled during the final 9 holes and my score reflected this. At first my posture went, then later I lost power and accuracy. The final competition I played this year was 72 holes over 2 days with a cut after the first day. I arrived at the course just after 8 am and due to weather delays did not finish the second round until after 8 pm. It was 9:30 pm when I got home and having missed the cut I was at a different course at 8:30 am the next day to play in a match for my club. While I was tired after this it was a long way from how I felt during my first 36 hole event of the year despite having done no training for stamina other than playing in competitions.
Over the summer my concentration also improved dramatically. I still occasionally lose focus on the golf course but this happens far less frequently than it used to which I believe is purely because I have been training my mind to concentrate for long periods of time in competitions. This has lead to far fewer mistakes during a round and I believe more consistent scores as a result of this.
Hopefully this has been helpful to people because taking the plunge into competitive play can be very daunting. There was definitely a temptation to not even try competitive golf for me but I am glad I have done because my enjoyment of the game has increased. I enjoy being able to test myself and it has provided me with an extra source of motivation. I would urge anyone who is thinking about trying competitive golf to give it a try. This could mean entering just one small event at first and seeing how it goes. The most important lesson I have learnt is that I do not need to be the best player in the competition to have fun.
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