Imperfectable

Rob Rashell
Director of Instruction
TPC Scottsdale
Scottsdale, AZ
http://www.robrashell.com 
robrashell@pgatourtpc.com

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Well, as Arizona Golfer comes to an end, I thought it would be a good time to share what I love most about our sport. For some context or to get the most out of my interpretation of the game, it needs to be played fully by the rules, holing everything. I understand that most don’t play the game this way, but for someone who devoted more than 20 years of their life to making a score in tournament environments, golf provides so much more played this way.

No Guarantees - The game owes you nothing. It’s the most maddening and wonderful pursuit I’ve ever undertaken. Just because you practice or work at your game does not mean you’re going to go out and play great. The probability you’ll improve is high, but as everyone knows…golf has a way of humbling you.  

Improving - Breaking 100, 90, or 70 for the first time is one of the great gifts playing golf can give you. I still remember scoring in the 70’s for the first time in a junior tournament as a kid. I had no business playing that well, but I was making everything with the putter. I can still remember the feeling of accomplishment I had. The uncharted territory of scoring better than you ever have teaches you so much.

Mentally Taxing - Golf played for score is such a great mental challenge. All of us know how much the mind can wander during rounds, and about the most random things. Amazing to me how you can play a hole 100 times yet every day it feels slightly different than the next. The weather, the course conditions, all of these tiny variables that have to be accounted for, this aspect of golf is one of the reasons playing every day is challenging and fun.

The Perfect Round - The game can be played for a lifetime and although the score or context may change, there’s always one shot out there that could have been better. Missing a six footer on the fifth hole, hitting a ball in the water on ten, it may be for 64 or 104, but we all know the feeling of ‘could have been better’. I think runners and writers feel something similar. Always could have been a little better makes playing every day so enjoyable. 

I wish you all the best with your golf, it’s a great game. Good luck!  

Rob Rashell is now the Director of  Instruction at TPC Scottsdale. You can reach him at robrashell@pgatourtpc.com.