#Choice August 22

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Today’s Coach4aday post is about behavior I witnessed in a recent two day golf tournament. I am going to keep you the reader in suspense to the end of the post. My only foreshadowing clue is this is 2020. This year we don’t have to look hard to see examples of entitlement, snap judgements, and lack of respect for others.

I want to describe the scenario & provide you three CHOICES on the behavior I observed a golfer make in that two day tournament.  I really would like you to predict as you read what CHOICE that individual made.

This particular golf tournament had 144 golfers entered in it, each on a two man best ball team.

Many golfers requested playing with friends or colleagues on the Day 1 pairings. This CHOICE keeps people comfortable by being in a foursome not only with people you know, but probably with golfers of equal ability.

In this tournament on Day 2 each team is flighted based on the score they posted on Day 1 (see above picture).

On Day 2 you may be paired with golfers you don’t know but hopefully they are equal in ability.

One of the teams entered in this tournament did not request being paired with anyone on Day 1. Let’s just call that 2 man team George and Mike. For the record George is a past tournament champion and a former professional golfer. Some ten years ago he took steps to regain his amateur status. George and Mike got paired with Jason and Jack. The two teams did not know each other.

In golf being called a scratch golfer is lofty praise. George on this team has a plus 2.3 handicap index. In golf the lower the handicap the better golfer. A scratch golfer gets to zero, golfers that shoot under par have a plus handicap index. That is what George has. For the record Mike he playing partner has a 6 handicap index which is pretty good also.

At the other end of the golfing spectrum was the team of Jason and Jack. These two guys as a pair struggled to break 100.

Day 1 for George and Mike was full of birdie opportunities and good golf shots they posted a score that was amongst the best in the tournament. For Jason and Jack it was repeated lost balls, three putts, and thru a herculean effort they broke 100. On top of that score you also had a pair that were clueless on the rules of golf and the expected etiquette of the game.

At the end of 18 holes the teams share scorecards with each other. In this tournament you keep your opponents score and ask them to attest to the accuracy of the round at the conclusion.

So what CHOICE did I witness when George and Mike finished their round and turned in their scores? Go ahead and make your CHOICE on the behavior they exhibited.

1. Did George go immediately to the tournament director and club professional and complain about the travesty of the pairing he and Mike got? How could they do that to a past champion.
2. Did George during the round treat Jason and Jack with respect and patience. Did he assist them them in their search for countless lost golf balls. Did he do everything he could to make inferior golfers have fun on the course? Did he exhibit patience with their lack of knowledge about golf etiquette?
3. Did George and Mike immediately grab their phones after the round and post to social media Jason and Jack’s score in a sarcastic way?

So which one of the 3 CHOICES did they make?

Before I tell you the answer there is another CHOICE George made that is a big part of my post.

On Saturday George and Mike knew what score they shot as they left the golf course. They did not stick around to see it get posted on the tournament scoreboard.

There was a problem. The scorecard George signed he received from Jason and Jack had a mistake on it. Jason and Jack wrote down an incorrect score on one hole. George didn’t catch the mistake until he saw the scores posted online late that evening.

George made a CHOICE he called the club pro first thing Sunday morning and withdrew his team from the tournament. This was despite being one of the top teams in the tourney.

His act of integrity was in line with CHOICE #2 above. On Saturday during round 1 the CHOICE George made was treat inferior golfers with respect and patience. He didn’t complain about the pairing but embraced it. He did everything in his power to make two people he did not know feel comfortable.

George’s CHOICE may contrary to what 2020 news accounts tell us all leaders are doing. I disagree.

We still  have plenty of leaders who understand how to make a great CHOICE and glad I got to witness it.