Take a moment to think about the hardest things to do in sports.
You may think of playing cornerback against one of the NFL’s best, like Justin Jefferson. Maybe you think of trying to hit a fastball off of Aroldis Chapman. You may even go the fighting route and think of lasting five rounds in the octagon against a guy like Jon Jones.
I can almost guarantee closing out a golf tournament wasn’t anywhere near the top 10.
It’s understandable. But at the end of the day, golf is the hardest sport in the world.
Let me explain.
Golf is a solo sport. There is no one to hit the shot for you.
Golfers are in full control, or at least try to be. The good, the bad and the ugly depend on the player.
If a golfer hits a bad shot, the next shot doesn’t go to someone else. Out on a golf course, there is no one to pick you up.
Then there’s the ability to hit a golf ball.
Sure, everyone can physically hit a golf ball with a club, but no one can do it perfectly every time, even Tiger Woods.
Just look at the statistics behind hitting a hole-in-one.
An average golfer’s odds of hitting a hole-in-one are 12,500-to-1. You have better odds at finding a four-leaf clover, getting injured by a toilet or being born with extra fingers than you are at making a hole-in-one. The odds of getting struck by lightning are slightly better at 15,000-to-1.
Professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau went his whole life without hitting a hole-in-one until the 2019 Masters Tournament. DeChambeau beat some of the best players in the world but hadn’t achieved this rare feat up to that point.
If the “perfect” shot is the one that goes in the hole, golfers suck at it, but it’s not for a lack of trying.
The odds for a player on the PGA Tour holing a 100-yard shot from the fairway are 900-to-1. These are the best players in the world, and they can’t make it from a relatively short distance. Imagine the average golfer.
Let’s break it down even further into the real nuts and bolts of the game.
A golf ball has a diameter of 4.27 cm, and the diameter of a standard golf cup is 10.8 cm.
So simply, just put the ball in the cup that’s twice its size.
The only issue is that you start hundreds of yards away from the hole and have bunkers, water hazards and trees in between. Not to mention any wind or rain that may be hitting you as well.
If the physical factors aren’t enough, I saved the best for last.
You’re allowed 14 clubs in your bag, but there’s one more that isn’t seen — your brain.
Golf is not as physically demanding compared to football, but it is mentally taxing, especially the higher the level you play at.
People say that golf is 90% mental for a reason. Golfers need to be mentally resilient and locked in for hours on end.
Each shot presents a new challenge. The direction of the wind, the ball being in a good or bad lie, the placement of the flag, the sloping of the green, the placement of bunkers and the confidence in a particular club or shot shape all factor into a golfer’s mind when preparing for the next shot.
At the same time, you can’t overthink things. All too often, people get in their heads, overanalyzing poor shots and derailing their round or entire golf game.
Golfers need to be thinking while also not thinking. Think about the process, not so much about the results.
It’s much easier said than done when you’re not 6-over through two holes and feel like never golfing again.
People spend hours a day practicing in a controlled environment on the driving range. But once you step foot onto the course or in a tournament setting, something changes.
Golfers can hit what they think is a “perfect” shot with a great flight and distance, but the ball can end up nowhere near the hole, which is frustrating to say the least.
Just look at the many compilations online of professional golfers having meltdowns while competing at the highest level.
I say all of this not with hopes of bringing down other sports but with the thought of respecting what golfers experience on a daily basis.
Anyone can throw a football or make a free throw. But until everyone can drive the ball like DeChambeau, flush an iron shot like Scottie Scheffler or have the mental fortitude of Tiger, golf is the hardest sport in the world.
