I enjoy the game, and a few decades ago, when I had time to play it more often, I became pretty decent at it. More recently, however, I had to learn not to take it very seriously so that I could enjoy it when I did get the chance to play. It can be seriously frustrating, no matter how good you think you are. Golf has a way of toying with everyone who takes it on. While there are physical capabilities for sure, the mental game is where it gets you. Like so many other areas of life, you gotta get your mind right.
I had the opportunity to play recently, and had a great day with friends and some fun competition. Standing on the 18th tee (the final hole for you non-golfers), the score was all tied up. I stood over the ball, cool as a cucumber, pictured my drive going down the middle, brought the club back, and smashed the shot exactly where I wanted it. My mind was right, and my shot followed. My opponent hit his shot, and it was fine, but nowhere close to mine. I had him.
He got up to his ball and had a pretty difficult shot in front of him. He told his partner exactly what he was going to do, and nailed it just a few feet from the pin. It was perfect. Normally, this would cause me some nerves, but it didn't. My shot was easy, so again, I pictured it, relaxed, and hit it right where I wanted. Piece of cake.
Well, I got to the green and had a longer putt than his, but it was makable. The only problem was, I'm not a good putter, and that is what I thought about as I readied to hit. My mind just kept saying, don't screw it up. Well, I did. I was trying so hard to be careful. I only hit it halfway to the hole. Then the next one, out of frustration, I blew past the hole and lost the match. I had played great all day, but it was all for naught because I didn't finish well. I lost the battle of the mind and therefore lost the match. Starting is good, but it's how you finish that makes the difference.
"We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." (Luke 23:41)
In a remarkable twist, a criminal who was crucified next to Jesus finished strong. He played terribly the whole round, but his final shot, on his final hole, brought him victory, as Jesus assured him that he would be joining Him in paradise. That's how to finish!
We have to finish well. Period.
And that is everyone's responsibility. In our business, how we finish is a reflection of how everyone did their job along the way. Are you operating in such a way that leads to a strong finish, or are you expecting someone else to clean up after you? Are you positioning the next person for success? Don't shank your ball in the sand trap and expect someone else to put it on the green for you.
Finishing strong is a mindset. When you think about how you are going to finish, it changes the way you start. The best golfers visualize where on the green they want to putt from, and then plan every shot backwards from there. Are you focused on a strong finish or just hitting whatever shot is in front of you?
You can play the entire round well, right up to the end, but if you don't sink the final putt, you don't win the match. That's true in golf, in work, in your family, and with your faith. You gotta sink the putt.