Give them Something to Play For

 The Psychological Importance of a Short Par 3 In the Closing Holes in  Golf  Course Design

Ahh the pain, all golfers know it,  They have been rolling along reasonably well (sometimes better than reasonably) when the wheels come off. From nowhere the player manages to produce a string of double bogeys- even worse the horror of a single hole that creates the ignominy of  a double digit score on the card.

Now that vision they had of striding off the 18th green and signing for a very low score has been blown out of the water.

It's going to be a long long day - the golfer has nothing left to play for but pride- but will the golf course design allow them to enjoy it? Will it give them hope that they still have something to play for?

PSYenz, a specialist division of Sport Psychology Ltd has been researching the golf course experience for nearly 20 years, applying techniques first developed by organisations like NASA to understand human interaction with their environment.

In this research it has become very clear that for the average golfer there is a very high probability that they will have one big blowout score or a few bad holes  that means they have no chance of getting close to their handicap. This is incredibly deflating and can ruin the day of even the most happy go lucky personality. Given that only 2% of golfers can regularly break 80 this is a feeling most know all about.  The average player struggles with the consistency needed to card a good medal/strokeplay round.

However, not is all lost in terms of recreating that spark and passion when the overall score is gone. In our research PSYenz noted that some golfers were more resilient than others when their round collapsed. They were able to keep on going with a spring in their step when others trudged slowly towards the end of their torment.

On inspection of the data the neuroscientists at PSYenz discovered it had nothing to do with those players possessing some inner core of steel that us lesser mortals do not have. Instead it was all to do with the course design and its emotional impact on the mindset of those golfers.

The key difference here was that they played on a course that had a short par 3 (139 yards or less) as either the 16th or 17th hole- with the 17th being much better than 16th in terms of the effect.

No matter how high the handicap most golfers can reach these distances off the tee. Every golfer knows they can produce 'One good swing' and that is all that is needed on a wee par 3 to get them into a position to nail a putt for a birdie 2. Getting a gross birdie is always a joy - especially if you are in a club sweep for the 2's pot as many golf clubs, societies and buddy group swindles run.

This is due to the primaeval circuits that still lurk in the human brain- like a squirrel hunting for nuts for the winter we are driven to hunt out rewards. If there is an opportunity to get a reward just over the horizon humans will keep on going to get it. However, if there is no genuine opportunity of a reward another circuit in the brain will take over and put us into 'Energy Conservation Mode'.  A short par 3 fires the first circuit whilst a long tough stretch home fires up the latter.

You may ask if a short par 5 or Par 4 has the same impact? The answer is no. For the average player they know they have got 'One good swing' in the bag but they are not as confident that have two or three in a row which would be needed on the par 4 and Par 5 designs. Only the short par 3 in the finishing holes has the ability to create the hope that is needed to rescue a broken round.

They say that hope dies last but it certainly will if the golf course design has a long hard finish. Creating that reachable for everyone, one shot par 3 in those finishing holes gives everyone something to play for right up to the end.

For courses that want to deliver a great golf experience an ensure their members/visitors leave wanting to come back for more PSYenz strongly recommend putting a short par 3 hole in as the 17th.

PS short does not mean easy, take 'The Postage Stamp' at Royal Troon (hole 8) or the 7th at Pebble Beach - both just mere flicks for many but still incredibly tough.  What makes them so tantalising is the fact that they are well within the range of the average player. They always create huge psychological anticipation and hope in the minds of every golfer no matter what their handicap. With a short par 3 at the end the course designer can ensure that the power of hope to create joy in the game does not die early in the round.

Stephen Smith- The Fairway Physician

Independent Scientific Advisor to the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, UK Govt.

info@psyenz.org

07806 794 527