The Scorecard Shift: How to Stop the Blow-Ups and Start Scoring

Are you tired of heading to the course and walking off the 18th hole frustrated by the same results? It’s a common story. We get stuck in a rut, expecting a different outcome without changing our approach. Well, today, we're going to mix it up! We’re going to give you a few challenges designed to help you have more fun and, most importantly, learn something new and valuable about your own game.

I was recently interviewed for a popular golf magazine, and I shared three strategies that I want you to go out and test this week. This isn't about buying a new club or taking another swing lesson; it's about playing smarter.

📅 Day 1: Minimize Your Blow Up Holes

We all watch golf on Sunday, and we see the pros making birdies, and we think, "That's what I need to do." But let's be realistic. For the amateur golfer, it's not about making birdies; it’s about keeping the big numbers off the scorecard. Plain and simple.

Think about Tiger winning the Masters with no double bogeys. The guy who finished second had two doubles on the back nine and lost. The fact is, if you can get rid of the big numbers—the doubles, the triples—it's not that hard to keep racking up pars and bogeys and keep yourself around the score you want to shoot.

The problem is, most of us are programmed to see a par four or a par five and immediately think: "Driver." We grab that big stick without thinking: How's the driver been going today? How tight is this hole? Where is the trouble? We just assume because it’s a long hole, we have to hit it.

Here is your number one rule: Keep the ball in play at all costs.

If your driver is your straightest club, fantastic, hit it! But if you're worried about keeping the ball in play, I would much rather be 200 yards out than taking three off the tee.

Now, some of you are thinking about Mark Broadie's Stroke Gained research, which suggests you should get the ball as close to the green as possible on every hole. I actually asked Mark this exact question, and his answer was clear: "No, you have to get the ball as close as you can safely to the green without losing your golf ball or getting a penalty."

The mindset shift we need is this: Yes, we want to hit it far, but we absolutely cannot do that if we're risking hitting it in the woods or the water. Choosing smarter clubs means choosing smarter aiming points. It's learning how to play the game strategically and choosing a practical approach that fits your ability.

🛠️ Day 1 Homework

I want you to golf for 18 holes and see if you can just keep it in play the entire time, no matter what. That means no chipping out sideways and no penalty shots. Make a challenge out of it, and then—if you really want to see a change—do it for 72 holes.

📅 Day 2: Track This One Stat – Proximity

How many times have you said, "I'm a terrible putter. I had three three-putts today"?

The next question you need to ask yourself is, "What was the length of my first putt?"

If the answer is 60, 70, or even 80 feet, I've got news for you: the problem is not your putting! No one can consistently two-putt from those distances.

You’re most likely struggling with your chipping and pitching, not being able to get the ball close enough to the hole for a one or two-putt.

Consider this: If you're 150 yards away from the green, and you hit it to 30 or 40 feet from the hole, even as a single-digit golfer, you've hit a fantastic shot. But if you're 25 yards off the green, and you chip it to 12 to 15 feet, you've just shot yourself in the foot because the likelihood of making that putt is low.

We've all walked in and said, "I would have had a great score if I hadn't putted so badly today." We’re debunking that myth right now.

My belief is that you have the potential inside you, but you may not have the patience or the understanding of where the strokes are truly being lost. Once you get that "aha" moment, you can literally go from a 92 to an 82.

Here's the problem: Most people's technique is actually much better than it needs to be, but their ability to put the ball in the hole—to play the game—is very weak. They scratch the surface rather than diving into the strategic side. They start keeping the ball in play, tracking proximity, eliminating three-putts, and the next thing they know: "Wow, I just broke 80 for the first time, and I haven't been to a range in a week!"

If you are consistently frustrated, maybe it’s time to try something different. Don't go to the range, don't buy a new driver. Do what the best golfers and statisticians are doing: improve your strategy.

🛠️ Day 2 Homework

Play 9 or 18 holes, score your putts, and note the length of your first putt.

Crucially, note where you hit it from. Was it a chip inside 25 yards? A pitch inside 50? A wedge shot inside 100? An iron shot inside 150? At the end of the round, total those first putt lengths for each category, then divide to determine your average distance from the hole when you're chipping, pitching, and wedging. That will give you real clarity.

📅 Day 3: Mindset for Scoring

The final step is getting better at accessing the skill we already have.

What I tend to see is that our thoughts lead to our emotions. A better player is often very loose at one or two over par, but they start to tighten up when they get one or two under.

That tightening leads to more thought. Those thoughts lead to anxiety. That anxiety leads to struggling to commit to the shot, which, of course, leads to a bad shot. Then the player says it was a "swing" or a technique problem.

But was it a technique problem, or was it a commitment problem?

What I see from most good players is that they are not getting fully committed on a golf shot. That’s why they struggle, not because their technique is fundamentally wrong.

🛠️ Day 3 Homework

At the end of every single shot, I want you to note and track your level of commitment to that shot. Did you visualize it? Did you actually see your nine iron, a soft cut, landing on the left edge of the green?

Too often, we doubt the decision—"maybe it's an 8 or a 9 iron"—then we rush the shot, duck hook it into the water, and blame technique. Start tracking your commitment on a 1–10 scale for a round of golf and see how that correlates with your score.