18 Things You Must Do In Your Golfing Career 2

Your golfing career is a true odyssey. A collection of highs and lows that combine to make golf such a fantastic game. Everyone dreams of playing like a god but golf is about so much more than the score on your card.

7) Fall in a water hazard

As all golfers know, this game has a habit of kicking you when you?re down and never so much as when it comes to water hazards. Not only do they swallow your shots, but they then tempt you to retrieve your ball. You know you should leave well alone, but the lure of a nearly-new ball is too much. What ensues is all too predictable. Remember, ?guaranteed 100% waterproof shoes? only live up to their billing if you don?t immerse them fully.

8) Play a whole round with one club

Usually the sort of thing that?s undertaken in a beery haze after a liquid lunch, playing an entire 18 holes with a single club is an enlightening experience. Not only will you play quicker as you no longer agonise like a tour player over the merits of a ?hard 6-iron or an easy five?, but you?ll also learn the mythical art of ?shotmaking? as you have to get your one club to do the job of 14. Choose your weapon wisely though. The driver might see you miles up the fairway ahead of your 7-iron-wielding partner, but remember not even Seve could conjure it up and down from a greenside bunker with one.

9) Win a golf trophy

We?re not talking about scooping a green jacket or a claret jug here, but rather a tacky plastic golfing figure mounted on an MDF plinth or a flimsy silver-plated cup.

It could be the club championship or the society wooden spoon but, whatever your prize, the one thing you can be assured of is the moment you stride triumphantly through the door with the trophy, your other half will vow ?that thing goes on the mantelpiece over my dead body?.

10) Get your other half to ?caddy? for you

Many a golfer?s mind has worked thus. Ladies enjoy romantic walks in the countryside, golf involves walking among pretty green stuff. Let?s combine the two and everyone will be happy. The reality is, however, nothing like your utopian image as you reveal your hitherto hidden Roy Keane-esque temper and shock her with a torrent of swearing and she gets cold standing in the chill wind

as you line up every putt from four sides.

11) Break a golf club

Sometimes this game gets too much for even the most mild mannered of us. It could have been a topped tee shot that fails to inch past the ladies tee, a fluffed chip or, most commonly, the missed tiddler. But there you are ? your face going puce with rage, steam coming out of your ears and a primeval urge to inflict real harm on something. At this point you have two options. Calm down and get on with repairing your round, or take matters personally and destroy a club. Go on, you know it makes sense.

12) Card a hole in one

Aces come in all shapes and sizes. No one really cares whether yours was a crisply struck 4-iron or a thinned seven, the number that goes down is the same ?

a glorious ?1?. It?s a majestic moment to be dined out on for ages to come, but just remember there?s a bar bill to be picked up.

Click here for numbers 13-18

Mike Harris
Content Director

Mike has been a journalist all his working life, starting out as a football writer with Goal magazine in the 1990s before moving into men’s and women’s lifestyle magazines including Men's Health, In 2003 he joined Golf Monthly and in 2006 he became only the eighth editor in Golf Monthly’s 100-plus year history leading the brand until July 2023. He is now Content Director overseeing Golf Monthly and two other iconic sports brands, FourFourTwo and Rugby World.

His three main passions in golf are courses (he's played over 500 courses worldwide), equipment (he's always in search of something shinny to give him an edge) and shoes (he owns more pairs than he cares to mention!).  

Mike’s handicap index hovers at around 10 and he is a member of four golf clubs: Hartley Wintney, Royal Liverpool, Royal North Devon and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.


Mike's current What's In The Bag? 

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ 9° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S

Fairway woods: TaylorMade Sim Max 3/15° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S & TaylorMade Stealth 7/20° - Fujikura Ventus Red 6S

Utility Iron: TaylorMade Stealth UDI 3/21° - Aldila Ascent 90HY

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (5-PW)  - Nippon Tour NSPro 950S

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 50°, 54° and 58° - KBS Tour Hi-Rev s2.0 hafts

Putter: Evnroll ER2B (Gravity Grip) 

Ball: TaylorMade Tour Response (Yellow)