Thread by @PeterArnottGolf

Why I don’t ask players to miss greens in Performance Games Anymore.

I used to play group and individual performance games with ‘Elite’ golfers where it would be score based and part of the game you would have to deliberately miss the green.

The rationale is it taught players how to ‘grind’ out a score. It created ‘desirable difficulties’

I don’t use them anymore because I see too many flaws in this type of game now.

The game of golf is to get the ball in the hole from A to B in as little shots as possible.

However with approach play in particular, the best have an awareness of the environment (wind, lie, ball condition etc), what tools they have on the day and matching this to the task in hand.

There is in element of ‘shot euphoria’ when one meets these demands and hits it close to the hole. One worked it all out and executed it.

This builds ‘self efficacy’. I’ve done this before and I know I can do it again.

Sometimes it takes a few holes to get ‘attuned’ to all this information. Such as how much the wind is effecting the ball, or how the ball is reacting on the greens. One needs to feel and see the results for feedback.

There is an art to becoming more ‘attuned’. Figuring out what you have today (i.e. shot shape), what the environment offers you and then calibrating this during performance.

This ‘art’ can be trained through exposure and/or assistance (I.e. watching, learning and querying better players)

When deliberating missing a green you are not training this art, it offers no/to little feedback on your approach shot. You have less to reflect on. For example you did not see how the ball reacted on the green.

Additionally there is no ‘shot euphoria’ or ‘self efficacy’.

I quote (loosely) a top level player when I asked him to play a game of this ilk

‘**** off, I’m trying to hit greens, not miss them’.

His rationale is that it was too negative. (No self efficacy)

It took me a few years to figure out his ‘hostility’ to the game :-).

What do I do now?

Play performance score based games that allow players to hit greens and if wanting to create a game that teaches ‘grinding’ out a score.

I add validation shots (ref @IcebergGolf ) that are linked to their specific training/performance needs (strengths + areas of development) and have consequences on the ‘overall’ game (I.e. Each hole 10-20 yard chip in 2 or +1 to overall score, if 3 in a row in 2, -1 from score)

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