The Golfing Habits We All Follow... And Why It's Time To Break Them

The strange thing about the game of golf is how much we are all conditioned to conform to certain ‘norms’. What I mean by that is that there are things we always do, like playing off the same tees every week, or using a full set of clubs, along with various other accepted expectations of how we should play the game.

With the arrival of spring, I always look forward to lighter evenings and the opportunity to go out for just a few holes at the end of the day after picking my son up from school. The joy I get from playing a quick six holes as the sun is setting, on an often quiet, deserted golf course, is truly magical. It is also heightened by the fact that on these occasions I often choose to play from different tees.

My home club, Parkstone in Dorset, has four sets of numbered tees ranging from a forward 50 tee playing just over 5,000 yards to the challenge of playing right off the tips, the course at its longest off the 60 tee. On a regular ladies competition day I tend to choose to tee off alongside my playing partners on the 56 tees (the old reds) as it is more sociable and the length of the course suits my game.

But there are definitely certain holes at Parkstone where it is simply more fun to play further back. The par-4 8th hole, for example, enjoys spectacular sweeping Poole harbour views from the top tee where the 58 and 60 tees lie, whereas the two forward tees (56 and 50) sit at the bottom of the hill with no view and the hole plays entirely differently from here both in terms of the scenery and challenge.

I notice this frequently at away courses and I often feel that I’ve missed out on the joy of playing a hole from the best vantage point by not teeing off from further back.

It would make so much sense to play a hybrid course on a sociable (non-competition) round by selecting to hit from various different tees to suit each hole, rather than setting off from one set of tees and sticking to them for the entire round. Yet we never do. Not only would the experience be more interesting, being adaptable will do wonders for your enjoyment of the game and desires on the day.

There are so many benefits to mixing it up occasionally, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, having to play different clubs from different places, testing your ability to hit out powerfully with more positivity to try to tackle longer holes, or playing from a forward tee and increasing your birdie, or even eagle opportunities on shortened holes.

I am certain that with the way the game of golf is developing, innovative ideas for new fun and faster formats at the fore, this should be one of them. The closest many clubs come to innovation is playing a captain’s day format like a “cross country” competition. But often these sociable games are more of a Mickey Mouse silly course set-up, sometimes in fancy dress, simply focused on fun.

Another socially conditioned expectation of the game of golf is that we use 14 clubs, not 15, not 10, not two! The Rules of Golf allow us to carry 13 clubs and a putter in our golf bag, so we do. However, some clubs like to play a ‘three clubs and a putter’ competition once a year, this is one I absolutely love. It’s so much fun having to be more creative with shot-making and conjure up clever alternatives to normal full shots to navigate the way around the golf course without many club choices.

I wrote about playing a round of golf with just a 7-iron in hand last summer and surprised myself at how well I scored. Although I do appreciate that higher handicappers may struggle with this concept more than me as a low single figure handicapper, nevertheless I still think it will be beneficial for players of all abilities to take less clubs and experiment with shot-making.

You may not thank me when you end up in a bunker and only have a mid-iron to tackle the shot, but it’s great fun to attempt to play the shot by opening up the club face of your 8-iron to add enough loft to compensate for not having a sand wedge to get out.

I genuinely believe there are so many benefits when you are learning golf to begin with just a handful of clubs. Besides the cost-saving, you really do learn to be a more creative player on the course this way. It is equally a great way to improve your golf, especially if you’ve been playing for many years and your handicap is going in the wrong direction.

So why not break the mould every once in a while and try something different? Use a half set or less for a round of golf and play off a few different tees. I guarantee you’ll have to hit shots you’ve never had on your home course before and it will be a rewarding challenge.