I wanted to write about something that honestly gets under my skin a bit, both on and off the golf course. It shouldn’t, but it does. It’s something I do, or have done, myself. After reflecting on it, I try my absolute best not to do it anymore. I hope that putting it into words might bring some awareness to this small habit many of us fall into, especially in golf.
I think this tendency shows up across all sports, and maybe even more in everyday life. Part of me wonders if it’s tied to competitiveness, or if it’s just human nature. Either way, it’s something we all see, whether we realize it or not. I’m talking about accountability. Taking responsibility. Owning your decisions. More specifically, why does it feel like so many golfers are quick to blame everything except themselves when things go wrong?
To be fair, I understand where it comes from. Golf is hard. Mentally, it might be one of the toughest sports out there. You’re on your own, fully in control of the outcome, and that kind of pressure can be heavy. Naturally, there’s a temptation to lighten that load. Maybe it wasn’t a bad swing. Maybe a bird chirped in your backswing. Maybe the wind shifted. Maybe someone made noise at the wrong time. In a strange way, I don’t completely disagree with this instinct. Deflecting that immediate blame can sometimes help you move on. Instead of spiraling into negative thoughts, you can reset and approach the next shot with confidence. And sometimes, that’s beneficial. Believing your swing is fine and that the result was caused by something external can keep you from overthinking and compounding mistakes. In that sense, a little mental protection can be useful.
Shifting the Blame
But there’s a line. It becomes a problem when the blame shifts beyond momentary distractions and into the decisions you control. At the end of the day, you choose the club. You pick the target. You decide how committed you are to the shot. You own the process. You make the score. External factors like a sudden noise or a genuine misread of the wind are one thing. But the core decisions? Those belong to the player.
And this doesn’t just happen in golf. You see it off the course all the time. At work, it might look like blaming a teammate for a missed deadline instead of owning your role in the miscommunication. In school, it’s easy to point to a difficult professor or a tough test instead of preparation. Even in everyday situations, people tend to shift responsibility to circumstances rather than their decisions. It’s subtle, but it adds up. Over time, avoiding accountability can quietly limit growth in the same way it does in golf.
College Golf and Coaching
I’ve seen this firsthand in college golf. It’s surprisingly common for players to blame their coaches for poor performance, and that’s always been hard for me to understand. Coaches want their players to succeed. Their guidance is meant to help, not hinder. And even if you don’t fully agree with what they suggest, you still make the final decision. You’re the one hitting the shot. Blaming a coach for the outcome, unless something truly unusual is going on, feels misplaced. The responsibility ultimately sits with the player. At the end of the day, the golfer makes the final call. You control your process, your choices, and how you respond to the results.
Take the Credit…See Improvement
And that’s really the point. If you’re willing to take credit for the great shots, you have to be willing to own the bad ones too. Growth comes from recognizing both. Golf, like anything else, leaves very little room to hide from that truth.
Accountability isn’t always comfortable, but it’s where improvement starts. If you want to truly see progress, especially at the college or junior level, start by recognizing the mistakes you’re making rather than searching for some hidden factor. That’s how you learn, improve, and avoid creating unnecessary friction with the people around you.