Below are some questions that pertain to your golf game. By answering these questions we can find out what type of Golfer you are, what gets you motivated to play better and what aspect of your game you need to work on harder.

Now some of these questions are a little outlandish and will never happen on the golf course – but take these questions in stride and have FUN with them.

For example how would you answer if I asked you this question:

Would you rather hit your pitching wedge from 50 yards away to an island green surrounded by water that is:

Only 5 yards in depth (front to back) and 40 yards wide (left to right)

OR

To a green that is 40 yards in depth and only 5 yards wide?

Answer before reading any farther!

I believe most Golfers would take the first one – the 40 yard wide green. What should this tell you if you picked it? It tells you that you’re too concerned with direction and not on how much more difficult it is to control your distance.

For example – there isn’t a Player in the world that could land a golf ball and stop it on the green that is 5 yards in depth — more than 3 times out of 10 shots. Imagine how many times you would land in the water short of the green or fly over a green that is only 5 yards in depth? And the times you did land on it – how many times would you have enough backspin on the golf ball to stop it from bouncing over the back edge? Or have too much backspin and spin it off the front of the green?

Try it yourself – set-up four poles (or cones) 50 yards away so that there is only 5 yards between the front poles and back poles. See how many you can land between the poles and stop between the poles.

However, on-the-other-hand, a Player could safely land on the 40 yard long (and 5 yard wide) green at least 7 out of 10 times (being off on direction only 3 times). Direction is important – though it’s easier for every level of Golfer (from the Golfer averaging 72 to the Golfer averaging 120) to come closer in direction than it is to come closer in distance. Again, just think how many times you’d come short or over green if it was only 5 yards front to back.

So for your wedge shots on the golf course – are you more concerned with being too far to the left or too far to the right OR are you more concerned with being too short or too long. If you’re like 7 out of 8 Monkeys, you’re too concerned with direction!

The Player knows that if they have the proper distance control – they most likely will hit a solid shot (which also means their direction will be good enough). Whereas proper direction doesn’t guarantee proper distance control.

Here are more questions for you to answer (remember, some are outlandish, but your answer will tell us a lot about your golf game). I have given what I believe are the better answers at the end of this article – so see how you do.

Would you rather:

Make your best, most perfect golf swing from 155 yards to the flag – watch as your perfectly struck golf shot goes directly towards the flag – yet the golf ball flies over the back of the green by 5 yards

OR

Hit a half topped, line drive, ugly looking shot from 155 yards that lands 35 yards short of the green, but continues to roll up onto the green and ends up 12 feet from the hole

Would you rather:

Hit 14 solid, perfect Drives that carry 275 yards down the fairway. Drives that your playing partners can’t stop talking about. Each shot is so beautiful as you watch it soar through the air. Yet all 14 Drives take terrible bounces that knock each golf ball 40 yards to the right and into the trees. Which leaves you only one option of hitting straight back out to the fairway without advancing the ball 1 yard closer to the hole

OR

Hit 14 Drives that slice 15 yards and go about 190 yards, but each Drive stops on or close to the fairway — leaving you with a perfect angle to the green

Would you rather:

Hit all 18 greens in regulation and 3 putt each hole for a Bogey

OR

Miss all 18 greens in regulation and hit one wedge shot and two putts to make Bogey on the first 17 holes, and then hit one wedge shot and one putt to make Par on the 18th hole

Would you rather:

Be known as an Excellent Ball Striker that can’t break 90

OR

Be known as an Average Ball Striker that never scores higher than 89

Would you rather:

Play 18 holes today and 18 holes tomorrow and score 80 today (and be very happy) and 100 tomorrow (and be incredibly frustrated because you scored 20 strokes lower the day before)

OR

Score 90 both days

In a Scramble Tournament (some may call it Best Ball) – would you rather:

Be the Golfer in the group that gets chosen to hit their tee shot last in the group because you’re “The Bomber” — meaning once someone else in your group is safe in the fairway you can try to bomb the golf ball as far as you can

OR

Would you rather be the Golfer chosen to putt last in your group because you’re known as the best putter and you could watch everybody putt so that you can read their putts and have a better idea of what the golf ball is going to do as it rolls towards the hole

Would you rather:

Be a Monkey

OR

Be a Player

The Monkey will pick the first answer in each question above because they’re only looking for the Perfect Shot and nothing else is acceptable

The Player will pick the second answer in each question because they don’t mind being called “Lucky” as they consistently have the lowest score

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon