Lesson 3: Being a Great Playing Partner
Golf is often played alone in the sense that everyone plays their own ball. But it is also a deeply social game. The people you play with — your playing partners — matter a great deal.
A great playing partner keeps pace, stays quiet when others are hitting, takes care of the course, calls their own penalties honestly, encourages others when they play well, and stays positive when things go wrong.
A difficult playing partner does the opposite: plays slowly, makes excuses, complains, needs to be reminded of etiquette, and makes the round feel like a chore.
You get to choose which kind of playing partner you are. And the kind of playing partner you are says more about your character than your score ever will.
The golden rule of playing partners: Be the playing partner you wish you had.
Think about the best playing partner you have ever had — or imagine your ideal playing partner. What qualities would they have? Now turn it around: would you be that playing partner for someone else?
Ask two or three golfers you know — family members, members at the facility, your coach — what makes a great playing partner. Write down their answers. Compare their answers with what you have learned this month. Create a ‘Great Playing Partner Checklist’ with the top eight qualities. Post it somewhere you will see it before each round.