Play golf like a quarterback

You may think that golf and football have little in common, except both being a sport. But there are more similarities than meets the eye. Driving a golf ball to a landing spot in the fairway is not unlike a quarterback throwing to a receiver on a long touchdown pass. The quarterback throws the ball to a target, and the golfer drives the ball in a specific direction, for example toward a tree in the distance.

The quarterback can’t be sure the football will land in the hands of the receiver, nor can the golfer be sure the drive will land in the perfect spot in the fairway. Both the quarterback and the golfer’s goal are to put the ball up in the air over their respective landing areas, and the ball will come down by itself, hopefully in the hands of the receiver or a good spot in the fairway.

I can’t stress this enough — you can’t bring the ball down to a certain spot; all you can do is put it up in the air and gravity will let it fall where it may, whether it be a football or a golf ball.

Once the ball lands, then the game begins anew from there. Sometimes the quarterback’s pass is right down the middle and the receiver waltzes into the end zone with it. Same for the drive in golf — down the middle and it is a straightforward path to the green from there.

But sometimes the football comes down in a crowd of defenders who tackle the receiver, and the path to the end zone begins anew from there. Same for the golfer who lands in a grove of trees and might have to negotiate a creative path to the green from there.

Whether tackled by defenders or trees, it might take three more plays for the quarterback in the red zone, or the golfer on a Par 4 to score: one play to get the ball back into position, another to get it close, and a 4th to pick up the remaining yard or so for the touchdown or the par. Of course, the quarterback or the golfer might score on the 3rd play or shot from longer yardage, which is a bonus for the quarterback and a birdie for the golfer.

So, maybe next time you are on the tee, think of yourself as a quarterback rather than a golfer. You are just throwing a pass up in the air over the fairway. From wherever it lands, you have three more plays to get it into the end zone. And you always have hope for getting the job done in fewer plays.

Dr. Tom Dorsel is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and a Clinical/Sport Psychologist. He lives and practices in both Hilton Head and Pinehurst. He can be reached on facebook or at tom@dorsel.com. Dr. Tom’s best selling book is, “GOLF: The Mental Game,” from which you can learn more than just golf — it’s all about life!