Excellence over Perfection

“Perfection is motivated by fear. Excellence is motivated by love.”

One thing I’ve noticed in the 14 years of consulting, evaluating, and watching female golfers, is their tendency to seek perfection and overachievement in the game of golf. The girls have a mentality that creates fear because they are motivated by perfection. That if it’s not perfect then it’s not good enough and the fear sets in and begins a downward spiral. And to make matters worse, many times their expectations are well above what is realistic, even for the average tour player typically.

Many girls expect every shot to be perfect because bad shots mean they did something “wrong”, they made a mistake, or it wasn’t an A+ when in reality, most golf shots can be around a B average and still produce the lowest round of your life. Ask any college or tour player and they will tell you that most of their best rounds were rarely their best ball-striking days. And a general rule of thumb is that half the shots you hit in a round are likely going to simply have to be “good enough” and you still play your best golf that day.

But with young “immature” golfers, who are still learning this idea of excellence vs perfection, it’s tough to understand this conception. I see many young girls take the same approach with their academics into their golf games, and it’s just not even close to the same thing.

Studying hard for a test to earn an A+ does not equate to practicing hard for golf to hit A+ golf shots.

So, instead of seeking perfection on the golf course, focus on seeking excellence. Excellence is driven by a love to want to work hard at something in order to get better. To build up a desire and resiliency to make the most of whatever you are dealt. To embrace the challenges you are given. To accept shots as “good enough” bc you know your effort was 100%. To be determined to recover when you do find trouble. To go to the next shot and focus on what is ahead. To not let a bad hole affect your attitude.  To love the grind. To believe in your preparation. To trust yourself.

Learn to love the good and the bad that comes with every round of golf. Look at bad shots as an opportunity to do something special. Look at bad rounds as an opportunity to improve.

Seek EXCELLENCE instead of perfection. Be motivated by LOVE instead of fear.

Leave a Comment