Do the easy and obvious

February 17, 2018

Golf courses have 18 holes, four of which are considered “Par 3,” and four of which are called “Par 5.” That leaves 10 holes that are “Par 4.”

What every hole has in common is the expectation that it will take two putts to achieve Par. So 18 holes times two putts equals 36 shots (strokes) with the putter and, at most, 14 shots with the driver, a.k.a.

  • “the big gun,”

  • the “grip it and rip it” club,

  • the “chest-thumper.”

But there are a couple of sayings in golf that show how ass-backwards that thinking is:

  1. “Big drive…make five” (assuming a Par 4 hole, which means you missed the mark.)

  2. “Drive for show, putt for dough.”

In golf, a 300 yard drive over an orchard, a creek, and three sand traps is tracked on your scorecard the exact same as your 11 inch putt: one stroke.

But practicing what matters—short putts—isn’t hard or “sexy.” (It’s just 50% of your game, that’s all.) So amateurs don’t do it, which is why they will forever remain amateurs.

If you’re ready to turn in your amateur status, do more of the easy and obvious. Need some ideas? Try:

  • Scheduling your days and reviewing your schedule before you start your day and before you go to sleep.

  • Set fewer meetings and those you set, make them shorter…and take them standing.

  • Don’t rush to answer every phone call.

  • Send hand-written thank you notes.

  • Write things like blog posts more often, even if you’re not a good writer. (You’ll get better…if you stick with it.)

  • Say “please” and “thank you.”

  • Buy a joke book…and read it.

  • Eat healthier.

  • Exercise more.

  • Watch less TV.

  • Watch / read less (no?) news.

  • Learn to juggle. (It’s easier than you think and entertains everyone from 2 to 92.)

  • Unsubscribe from 10 things today…and tomorrow…and every day this week.

  • Unfollow 10 people that bring you down on social media today and every day…until you have no more idiots in your social media life. (Then work on distancing yourself from idiots in your real life.)

  • Get more sleep.

  • Ask for the sale.

If you need more help growing your sales, check out the following resources scattered around this site and a few others I operate, such as:

Good Selling, 

P.S. Yes, that is my new putting green on the side of my house. Yes, I took that picture. Yes, I do enjoy stouts, especially Boddington’s.