Mistakes happen, but not all are created equal

In 1999, our government space agency, NASA, launched a rocket that sent a Mars orbiter into deep space. However, someone at NASA made the dreadful mistake of using the U.S. customary system instead of the required metric measurements.

The confusion caused a malfunction on the $125 million (nearly $1 billion today) craft, resulting in the probe’s loss. That is a bit of history that leads me right into mistakes golfers make every day, though not nearly so costly. I review these randomly.

The first mistake that comes to mind is golfers trying to give unsolicited advice to strangers on the practice range. This is not only annoying to folks that just want to be left alone, but it is rude in terms of etiquette.

Another faux pax I notice regularly is middle-aged men thinking that the young, pretty beverage cart girl enjoys chatting with them. Hey guys, here’s a golf tip: order the beer, pay for it, thank the beer cart girl, provide a generous tip, and be gone.

Also, some golfers delude themselves by believing their playing partners actually like your non-stop, stupid jokes. That rivals the tendency of some to just talk and blab incessantly, disturbing the serenity of the outdoors.

When it comes to risky mistakes, reaching your hand into a bush to get a golf ball is dangerous, but not as dangerous as reaching into the water for your golf ball in a pond full of alligators. Golf courses in Florida abound with stories about golfers losing hands and arms.  Another dangerous habit some idiots have is yelling at a big guy down the fairway that you think is playing too slow.

Professional golfers make mistakes too. One of the most famous and saddest errors happened at the 1968 Masters, when Roberto DeVicenzo signed a wrong scorecard, thereby depriving him of a playoff with Bob Goalby for the championship. DeVicenzo’s playing partner, Tommy Aaron, wrote down a 4 instead of a birdie 3 on the 17th hole, and DeVicenzo, without realizing it, signed for a 66, when in fact he actually scored 65. He was heard lamenting, “What a stupid I am!” 

Over the years tournament pros have made a number of similar mistakes, though not so career changing as DeVicenzo’s. In the 2019 Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC in L.A. Jordan Spieth signed a wrong scorecard in the second round and was disqualified. And in 2019 Wyndham Clark was disqualified from The Players Championship for signing a wrong scorecard.

We can’t forget the crazy and the common mistakes everyday golfers make on the golf course. One really stupid one is agreeing to play a money game when you don’t know the format or the rules. That could be embarrassing and expensive. 

Then there’s playing the wrong ball, playing the wrong tees (usually too long), playing the wrong hole (because your GPS watch was set wrong), playing the wrong club because you manage to lose the club you should be using.

I’m reminded of an apt Yogi quote: “We made too many wrong mistakes.”

Mistakes many golfers make also involve time, like showing up for your tee time late. At some clubs you lose your tee time and have to wait for an opening. Then there is wasting time searching for extra golf balls, as if you can’t afford to buy a dozen new golf balls. And worst of all is wasting valuable time by playing too slowly, which often involves not being ready when it’s your turn, taking excessive practice swings or just dawdling.

Golf swing and aiming mistakes are bound to happen. We correct those by instruction and practice.  Stupid mistakes by mindless buffoons are ones that are avoidable.

Henry Ford once said, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” I say, we should learn from other people’s mistakes, so we don’t make the same ones.