A place where the next shot is easier, rather than carrying it far

What the temptation of a short par-4 taught me

The morning air is still a little chilly.
Dew glistened on the tips of the grass, and just standing on the tee ground made for a morning that felt like it straightened my spine.

In front of me was a short par-4 hole.
The sky looked vast and the fairway looked inviting, yet it is holes like this that make it hard to keep one's heart calm.

“I want to go with the driver here.”
“If I hit it well, I might be able to get pretty far ahead.”

Such expectations gradually swell within the fingertips gripping the club.

However, when that feeling of “I can do it” becomes too strong, my breathing becomes shallow and tension enters my shoulders.
The moment I hit, the white ball drifts softly to the right and disappears into the woods.

What remains is not the satisfaction of distance, but a deep sense of regret in my chest.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with that feeling.

Regret is proof that you love golf

After making a mistake, I find myself replaying that shot over and over.
“I shouldn't have pushed it there.”
“Why was I so tense?”

But I don't believe that feeling is a sign of weakness.

It just means that I wanted to hit that shot with care.
It just means that I truly love golf.

Regret is not proof that you aren't cut out for it.
Rather, it is proof that you love golf.

Even now, on the drive home from a round, I sometimes find myself reflecting.
Even after 15 years of teaching and over 30 years of holding a club, there are days when my heart leans forward when I see a short par-4.

I know better, yet I do it anyway.
I think golf is a sport that quietly reflects our unfinished selves.

Even as an instructor, I get greedy even when I know better

I have been an instructor for 15 years.
I have seen thousands of golfers to date.

While I smile and tell them, “Please don't tense up,”
there are days when I am practicing myself that I clench my teeth and stiffen my body.

When faced with a short hole or a distance that seems reachable,
the expectation that “I might be able to reach it” turns, before I know it,
into “I want to hit it far,” “I want to sink it,” and “I don't want to fail.”

The other day, while playing a round with a student, the moment we stood at a short par-4, the air changed slightly.
The distance in front of us wasn't far. That is precisely why greed sets in.

While I thought to myself, “It would be better to lay up today,”
I simultaneously felt my hands reaching for the driver.

It is pathetic, but this is the reality.

And on that day, the hole where I pushed myself to bend it to the right and the hole where I carried it to an easy spot and was able to hit calmly—not only were the scores different, but my feelings afterward were completely different as well.

Choosing a place where you can enjoy the next shot

Change your way of thinking just a little bit here.
That alone will make golf much easier.

We are surprisingly quick to be swept up in the atmosphere that "it's all about distance."
But in golf, being able to hit the next shot calmly often leads to better results than a shot that carried far.

Instead of forcing a shot to the green from the woods, first return to a wide area.
If it's a short hole, dare to hit your tee shot with a club you are good at.

That is not "running away."
It is a kind choice that helps your future self.

Rather than swinging with 100% power and breaking into a cold sweat, it is probably more fun to play golf for a long time if you leave a little room to enjoy the scenery.
It is not that you are "not attacking," but rather,
you are just "choosing a place where you can enjoy the next shot."

Once you can adopt this perspective, the view of a short par-4 starts to look a little different.

Words for today

"Strategy determines the future"

I feel that there is nothing that teaches this lesson as gently as golf.

We tend to want to change the flow with just the one shot in front of us.
But in reality, the "way of choosing" that comes before that is what creates the next scene.

It is okay to have days where you hit it far.
It is okay to have days where you lay up.

What is important is whether you are choosing a move that suits you.
That choice will even change the expression on your face after you finish the hole.

Look at the sky for just 3 seconds

The next time you are on a short par-4 during a round, try looking at the sky for just 3 seconds before you hit.

And then, whisper this in your heart:
"Where is a place where I can enjoy the next shot?"

That alone will broaden your field of vision in a mysterious way.
You will start to see the course not as a "point" called the pin, but as a "surface" called the scenery.

The feeling of leaning forward will return to yourself just a little bit.

It makes you want to head to the course again

Look at the sky for just three seconds

The next time you stand on a short par-4, try looking at the sky for just three seconds before you hit.

And then, whisper this to yourself in your heart:
“Where is the place I can enjoy next?”

Just doing that will strangely broaden your perspective.
You will start to see the course not as a “point” called the pin, but as a “surface” called the scenery.

Your eagerness, which was leaning forward, will return to you just a little bit.⛳

What kind of strategy will you choose?

The moment you feel like grabbing your driver on a short par-4,
how do you feel?

If you have had any recent moments where you were torn between “attacking or laying up,” or any small discoveries from a day you chose a strategy,
please do let me know in the comments.