By: Evan Lazarus
Let me first start off by saying that after watching parts of this weekend’s US Open golf tournament, it dawned on me that I truly do suck at golf. Not because the guys on TV are so much better than I can ever imagine being but because they understand the process, subtleties and nuances that make a pro well, a pro.
I have been attempting to play the game for about 3 years. I have taken various lessons, gone to golf schools and try and play with as much frequency as a New Yorker can. Every now and again, I may be able to put together a decent round (for me) which always leads me to believe that I have elevated my game to a new plateau and without fail, I can never stay at that level for more than just a round or two. What puzzles me the most about golf is not the long game or short game or even the putting it’s just that I cannot tell you why some rounds are good and others are not. I cannot tell you why I hit the fairway sometimes and other times I shank it hard right.
When I trade, I understand why some trades pan out and some don’t. When I golf, I can’t explain what should happen in terms of my round and I cannot plan my shot selection accordingly. Essentially, I go into each hole thinking about what I would like to do but know deep down that whatever happens happens and just hope for the best. I operate on the premise that it’s really a 50/50 shot….I wish it were better but as it stands today, it’s not.
Let’s say for example that I’m faced with a trade that is a par five dog leg left (or some form of a difficult trading scenario) I know exactly how to operate so that I can position myself for the best results even it means not trading. I’ll admit, sometimes I flat out just get it wrong or things don’t pan out as I expect with a trade but I know how to adjust. If a mistake is made, I know exactly where and why it went wrong. I can see past the mistake itself so that I don’t make that mistake again or at least do my very best to not make it again for a long time.
Good golfers never blow up on any hole. They know when to take calculated risks and what those risks look like and what the downside is just like good traders. Do you lay up or go for it? Should you play a draw or a fade? Do you punch out to the fairway or try to hit to split the trees in a dangerous shot? Bad golfers don’t really know what shot to take and just hit the ball at the hole. In addition, good golfers know why they hit a bad shot so that they can self police and self correct. Whenever I hit a bad shot it’s just because I don’t even know why I hit a good shot. My technique is still raw and I am not really in touch with the concept of a good swing BUT, I am working on it!!!
There are way to many similarities between unsuccessful traders and bad golfers. They both can’t explain why a good trade is a good trade (or a good shot) and vice- versa. Good traders know how to self police. They are aware of bad trades and when mistakes are made because they understand that nothing can be random to have success. I don’t have success at golf (YET) because the game to me is still a series of random events. As I continue the process of becoming a respectable golfer, I know my forward motion will be a result of focusing on the process rather that the result.
