There was a tragic, almost funny moment in the US Open at Pinehurst in 2023
. The greens were rolling so fast, with so much undulation that even the best putters in the world were flummoxed. Phil Mickelson let it get to him. On a makeable birdie putt from about 15 feet, he got a little too aggressive. The ball rolled past the hole and proceeded to continue to gain speed on its way off the green and down the fairway. Phil had had enough of the “unfair” US Open conditions and ran to chase down his runaway putt and swat it back toward the hole before it got to the fairway. Surprisingly, he was not disqualified, though he violated the obvious rule of “you can’t hit a moving ball.”
Phil Mickelson notwithstanding, the moment the club strikes the ball, the shot is history. There is nothing we can do at that point to affect the outcome. We can talk to the ball, give it our best body English, but the ball will go where it will go, and we live to play another shot.
Golfers love to hold onto the last shot for as long as possible. We show our mindset when we talk about “making up a shot.” As far as I know, the eraser on the end of our pencil is the only way to change what has already happened, unless you’re Phil. The double bogey we just made or the hole-in-one are both past history and have no impact on the next short, unless we allow it to affect our mindset.
I think the best golfers have amnesia. They forget the last shot quickly. This is why the best golfers can run a long string of birdies together or bounce back from a bogey. While I’m sure they don’t truly forget the last shot, they only use the last shot as positive motivation. They refocus their attention to avoid further mistakes, or use strong play to build on momentum to repeat. They “interpret” results to aid their play. It’s time for us to learn a little “golfer’s amnesia,” on and off the course. Leave the past behind and move on to the next shot!
