Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2015 - 4

(editor's letter
)
Zoning Out
T
Most of us
know the
fleeting
moments
of being in
" the zone. "
his year golf snuck up on us. I didn't
see the 2015 golf opener, also known
as the unofficial official start of the
golf season, coming. I'm not sure which golf
course was the first to open, although many
were madly scrambling to get operational.
All I know is that by Friday, March 13, after
several days of spring-like temperatures,
sunshine and almost no snow cover, more
than 40 golf courses, plus a half-dozen more
driving ranges, were listed on the MGA website
as open for business. With an average
annual opening date of April 11-12, we were
a full month ahead of schedule.
Shooting a score is an important measure
of golfer satisfaction-at least it is for
15 percent of our members who, in a recent
survey conducted by Dan Sachau, professor
of industrial psychology at Minnesota State
University, Mankato, owned up to the statement:
My golf round determines how I feel
and act the remainder of the day. Of course,
a score is not the only measurement of fun
for most golfers. There is camaraderie with
friends and family, communing with nature,
soaking in the beautiful environs of
our favorite golf courses, and the enjoyment
of playing the game and the exercise that
comes with it. Most of us know the fleeting
moments of being in " the zone, " a hot topic
among athletic performance researchers,
Sachau says, where hitting fairways and
greens seems automatic, and getting up and
down feels effortless.
Sadly, 4 percent of our members have
never experienced that feeling of being in
the zone, a heightened sense of relaxation,
energy and control. Most of us don't know
when we'll enter the zone, let alone what
score we will shoot on any given day. But
the USGA Handicap System has a handy
tool that calculates what your target score, a
measure of your ability to play to your handicap
index, should be. To figure it, add your
course handicap to the course rating (for
the tees you plan to play). The sum is your
target score. The USGA says you'll only hit
that number 20 percent of the time. The rest
of the time you'll score about three strokes
higher (that's your average score).
Why spoil a good walk by pegging a target
score, an old American humorist might
quip. A target score will set your expectations
realistically. If it seems too high, move
forward to a new set of tees. That will lower
your target score, increase your enjoyment
of the game and improve your pace of play.
To keep things interesting, make a small wager
with your friends on matching or beating
your target score.
If playing well is a barometer to your
mood, consider changing your target score
to enhance your chances of hitting it. Now
that we've had the opener, knowing your target
score may even help you find the zone.
See you on the tee.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
4
MINNESOTAGOLFER Spring 2015
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2015

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