The 70:30 rule

How to apply the 70:30 rule to your game

Having one of those days? When you played so well last week, but now things just feel off? You missed that 3 foot putt. Or you shanked the third hole drive. Or you skinnied the approach to miss par. What is happening?

Welcome to Golf!

There's a rule I like to keep in mind when things get tough on the golf course. It's called the 70:30 rule, and it says that, no matter what, 30% of golf is going to be hard.

Things are going to go wrong.

And you're going to experience some pretty awful thoughts, feelings, or events. This is just the way life is. Not everything goes right - and so we can expect things to go wrong. Yes - I said it, EXPECT things to go wrong.

Now for those perfectionists of us out there - yes, me, I'm pointing at me, and maybe at you, whilst this might "intellectually" makes sense, it's really not supposed to be that way. Like me, you may resist the idea. Can't we do our best to try and make things go 100% right?

Unfortunately (or fortunately) not.

Golf is like life. It will never be perfect.

Things turn out differently from what we expected, and they inevitably will. Now if we can learn to accept this fact, and expect this fact - planning for, and living through, variability becomes a lot less stressful. When things happen that weren't supposed to, or weren't expected, or you feel different day to day - this gets put in the 30% bucket. There it is - drop it in! No resistance, or fighting, or crying. It’s normal.

Acceptance of the 30% frees us up to refocus on the 70%.

On all the things that are going right. Whilst being privileged to live in a free, non-war-torn/ poverty-stricken society, we can put our resources into those things which we can control - directly (including our responses to the things that go wrong).

What can you control?

And we can develop gratitude for the other 70% of things that are going right - and not take it for granted when they do. Each shot is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to improve. And it’s one less bad shot you have to hit to get there.

This puts you in a better position to take advantage of opportunities, and emerge a stronger, more resilient person afterwards.

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Click here for emotional strategies when things go wrong, as they inevitably will, 30% of the time.

Click here for gratitude exercises you can use to appreciate your life more.

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