Meaningful Returns

I played golf on Sunday with a couple buddies at an old public course ten or fifteen miles east of Raleigh. I didn’t keep score for myself.

Now, before you call me a communist or worse, let me say I’m a firm believer that “keeping score” is generally an important part of getting better at something. BUT, it strikes me that this is only true after you reach a certain level of competency and experience. And it’s also highly dependent on the point of the activity you’re engaged in to begin with.

Since I am only now taking up the game of golf in any way approaching earnest, I am still really, really bad at it. I haven’t reached the point where keeping score is an effective way of getting better.

Furthermore, golf, for me, is primarily two things:

1. An activity that forces me outside for an extended period of time.
2. An activity that provides an extended period of time to disconnect from all my devices–phone, laptop, tv, radio–and to connect with a human being (or human beings) that I enjoy spending time with.

And of course both of those make no sense outside the context of a broader idea: to have fun. Indeed, many great golfers are proponents of not keeping score at all, because for them the point of golf to begin with is to have fun. Period. Full stop. If you can’t have fun while you’re keeping score, then continuing to keep score is nothing more (and nothing less) than stubbornness and volunteered unhappiness.

So what are some things you’re keeping score for when you might be better off throwing the scorecard away? The size of your home? The year, make, and model of your car? Your fantasy football team? Your workout routine? I don’t know, but I would bet good money there’s something. Find it.