Tip #34: Aptitude Starts with Attitude

There are several good ways to swing at a golf ball, but only one good way to play golf -- aggressively.

Picture the swings of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Seve Ballesteros. They are three very distinctive styles, yet each of those players has demonstrated time and again that he knows how to grab hold of a tournament and subdue a course. Each knows how -- and when -- to be aggressive.

An aggressive golfer has a positive outlook, a smooth swing and a hunger for the bottom of the cup.

Aggressive play is a vital asset of the world's greatest golfers. However, it's even more important to the average player. Attack this game in a bold, confident, and determined way, and you'll make a giant leap toward realizing your full potential as a player.

I can't tell you how many amateurs I've seen who cripple themselves with a cautious, frightened attitude. It pervades their entire game, beginning with the tee-shot. Facing a tight or difficult fairway, I can see the fear in their eyes. This frightened attitude leads to a steering swing and a veering tee shot.

On approach shots, they rarely take enough club to go boldly at the flag. Instead they fall short, where most of the architect's worst perils lurk. In bunkers, these players are completely intimidated. As a result, they fail to make the necessary accelerating swing, and either they leave the ball in the sand or blade it across the green into another bunker, leading to even greater trauma on the next shot.

Many amateur golfers are good pitchers and chippers, but they often lack the ideal attitude around the green, an attitude which can be summed up in two words: "sink it." It's the same with putting, where the most common -- and absolutely inexcusable error among weekend golfers is to leave the ball short of the hole.

All of these problems can be countered with an aggressive approach to the game. The aggressive golfer plays with a positive outlook that translates into a smooth, unhurried swing and a voracious hunger for the bottom of the cup. And that in turn translates into lower scores.

I can see you saying to yourself, "That's easy for Greg Norman to say." And I can understand why you feel that way. You figure I'm this big, strong Australian guy who was born with tons of talent to swing fearlessly at every tee-shot and gun at every flag.

Aggressiveness comes not from genetics or environment, but from within.

Well let me tell you, you don't have to be big, strong or Australian to play aggressive golf. You don't even have to be highly talented. You simply have to know how to make optimum use of whatever you have. Aggressiveness comes not from genetics or environment, but from within. When I say "within," the last thing I mean is ego.

I've seen lots of guys play ego golf. In fact, occasionally, I still hit an ego shot or two myself. But those are bad shots, even when they're played perfectly. Ego shots are attempted by people who think they are better players than they actually are.

Let's face it, to a greater or lesser extent, we're all susceptible to ego - we're all victims of our best shots. If on a certain occasion in my career I was able to slam a 1-iron 260 yards over water to within a foot of the flag, I have a strong and pleasant mental record of that shot, and when I come to a similar situation it's natural to call on that memory. If my ego then takes over, I'll say to myself, "I hit that beautiful high 1-iron back in 1986, I can do it again now."

That's not aggressiveness, it's naivete. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, such shots fall short of the miracle shot you once pulled off. In my case, the 1-iron may miss the green and maybe even go in the water. In such a situation, a smooth, smart swing with one of my fairway woods would be the wisely aggressive choice.

Everyone makes an ego mistake once in a while, but only a foolish player does it often. Such a golfer bases his shots not on wise course management but on self-delusion and wishful thinking. When he runs into trouble, he typically reacts badly. He can't accept his own incompetence, so he attempts a recovery shot that's usually beyond his reach. This frustrated, desperate demeanor only leads him into worse trouble.

- Greg Norman