I have met so many women who tell me they love playing golf but only when they play with their spouse. They are terrified to play with people they don’t know. I get it, golf is a scary game, a very scary game. You put yourself out there and open yourself up to criticism. You think that you will ruin other people’s rounds because you are not as good a golfer as they are. That they will be impatient with you and you will feel too much pressure. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have showed up to the first tee and the men that I have been paired up with look at me and roll their eyes and I know what they are thinking – “ great, we have to play with a woman.” Why would anyone want to put themselves in that situation voluntarily!
So, instead you stick with playing golf with your spouse where you feel safe. You miss out on all the networking, social and relationship building opportunities that golf provides you. So learn, learn how to play the game in such a way that you can play with anyone. If you find yourself way behind your group and hitting twice as many shots as they do, pick up the ball. Drop it at the 100 yard marker and hit it from there. You will keep the pace moving, they will respect you more and you will get less frustrated. Playing golf with other people is a skill that is great to learn. We all need to be taken out of our comfort zone sometimes and that’s what golf does- it takes you out of your comfort zone.
But once you are out of your comfort zone, you can truly begin to use your relationship building skills and bring out your best self.