What is your objective when you play golf? Um, hit the ball cleanly? Yeah, well, no.

The objective of playing golf is hit the ball in the hole using the least number of shots. The official Royal and Ancient St. Andrew’s rules have something to this effect written clearly at the very beginning. So why does everyone concentrate on the ball when you should be concentrating on the hole?

As Chuck Hogan said this is the “game of golf swing and not golf”. The perfect example is Nick Doherty in the Scandanavian Masters yesterday who had a horrid par 5, 15th hole which finished like clockwork. I’ll explain. He missed the fairway by about 50 yards to the right. It was a crappy drive. He knew it was crappy off the stick and he just kind of watched it go further and further away. He followed up by shanking one out over the left into some deepish rough.

I thought, like the sadist I am, how cool it was to watch a pro trudging through the weeds up both opposing sides of the fairway to find his ball. Then everything changed. Doherty pitched out of the rough with a fine shot, not spectacular, but a good workman-like effort to about 15 feet. Then he drains the putt and comes away with a birdie and grinning like he’s in a toothpaste commercial. He knew he’d slipped out of jail because he didn’t lose sight of what he was out there doing. Getting the ball in the cup. This is golf.

Yeah, but these guys have solid swings and they slap the ball 300 yards, blah, blah, blah. I hear you thinking. Sure this is true and nothing will replace putting in some hours to work on your swing but the swing is one part of getting the ball into the hole. If you are serious about putting the ball in the hole you need to think about this as your priority.

The opposite of Nick Doherty’s scramble is a golf partner of my brother-in-law’s. The guy spends a fortune on lessons and you can really see the work being put into the swing. It looks nice and smooth as he practices before the first tee. Then he tees up and squirts one down to the ladie’s tee. All his mental energy is sucked out in the mechanics of his swing. I’m sure he hits them sweetly on the driving range but on the course he’s missed the point. Someone must tell him to leave his golf lessons on the driving range and to start playing golf on the course.

So, what’s the objective again?