GolfMission cards aim to incentivise your round
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How I approach a game of golf depends entirely on whom I’m playing with or against. It's my desire to beat them that dictates how seriously I'm up for it.
If, for example, I’m playing my best mate in our annual foursomes matchplay event, I want to win it more than life itself - after all, a year’s worth of bragging rights is up for grabs, as well as a dented replica of the Claret Jug. It’s a pretty worthless prize, but the result of the match means everything.
But if I'm playing my dad, I don’t like losing but I’m almost happier when it ends in an honourable draw after one of us has made a miracle shot on the last hole to even the scores. And then there are some days when I'm just out for a bit of fresh air and how I play bears little relevance to my enjoyment of the round. My mind wonders, I 'stop to smell the figurative roses' and a three-putt here or there does little to upset the rhythm of life. A good walk unspoiled, if you like.
But what about those golfers who like to constantly challenge themselves on the golf course? What about those goal-orientated players who like nothing better than to find other ways of increasing their desire to play well? Aside medal-play, matchplay and good old Dr Stableford (surely the worst scoring format in the world for those who want to improve their game?), there are plenty of incentivising games in golf that help to focus the mind on any given hole.
There are Snakes, for example (avoiding three-putts) or Sandies and ferrets (saving par from a bunker) and oozlams (nearest the pin) and other terminology depending on twhich part of the country you play. These are free to play and require nothing more than a little imagination, a penchant for gambling and someone with a pencil to mark whose holding the pot on any given hole.
So the launch of a 'new game' aimed at improving a golfer’s concentration levels during a round left me slightly puzzled. GolfMission, encouraging each player to achieve a number of ‘missions’ in a round, claims to offer something more focused than merely trying to get the ball in the hole in the fewest number of shots.
'Missions' can vary from hitting the first fairway to avoiding bunkers on the last three holes; recording five consecutive to avoiding a three-putt on three consecutive holes. Each 'mission' is typed on to a piece of card that is then kept in your pocket as a reminder and each is mentally ticked off as you achieve it.
GolfMission packs cost £9.99, are sold with four cards, each with a different variety of missions to achieve. Skill levels are broken down so that single-figure players should expect to tick off five or six missions in a round, while a sliding scale of missions is required depending on your handicap. Adhering to each mission is supposed to help focus your mind on virtually every hole and each one achieved is supposed to help lower your scores and improve your handicap.
To use my favourite food analogy, it’s a bit like slicing up a cake into six pieces and eating one at a time, rather than trying to stuff the whole thing in your mouth at once! Small steps to reach the eventual (if greedy) goal!
