A player taking golf lessons from me once complained about how much he disliked playing on a team. It seems he had several bad experiences playing on teams, even though his teammates were all good friends. So he decided he would rather play alone than play on a team. Unfortunately, many tournaments involve team play, so he ended up missing a lot of events that he really wanted to play in.

Playing on a team, as I tell players who take my golf lessons, can be a lot of fun. But it can also be upsetting. Even though you're playing with a close friend or several close friends and it doesn't affect your golf handicap, the opportunity to upset one another is great. And while it may seem silly, friendships have been lost over team play. On the flip side, playing with friends is a lot of fun, especially when you win or play really well. It's something you can share.

Handling the Pressure
The key to playing successfully on a team is how you handle the pressure involved. Playing on a team is stressful. Teammates either take pressure off you or they add pressure on you. If your teammates are the kind of players who add pressure, you're probably better off playing with another group, even if you don't know them. With less pressure on you, you will relax more and will maintain your confidence, which means you'll play better, as I written often in my golf tips.

To get the most out of team play, you need to approach team play in the right frame of mind. Here are five tips to keep in mind next time you play on a team.

1. Share Common Objective
Make sure your teammate or teammates share the same objective as you, especially if they're good friends. Are you there to have fun or to win at all costs? Some players don't care that much about winning as long as they enjoy themselves and can play with their friends. Others are dead serious about winning. That's their priority. And that's all they care about. If you or your teammates have different objectives, you could be in for a long afternoon.

2. Prepare Appropriately
You should always prepare for a tournament, especially if you're serious about winning it. The problem arises when your teammate or teammates don't prepare the way they should. If you commit to playing in a tournament-and everyone is serious about winning-then you need to prepare correctly. Otherwise, you can upset your teammate or teammates even before you start playing. There's nothing worse than spending hours preparing for a tournament only to hear one of your teammates say he or she hasn't played for weeks.

3. Set Ground Rules
You need to set some ground rules when it comes to playing on a team, even if you've played together before. These ground rules should cover things that can, and often do, happen on a course. Some teams, for example, talk a lot. Others don't talk at all. Whether you talk or not isn't as important as setting some limits as to what you will say and not say while on the course.

One thing to avoid is giving "advice." Sometimes people give advice that really isn't advice. Instead of helping a player, it attacks a player's confidence, like reminding a player about a water hazard just before she takes her shot and telling her ‘Make sure you get it there." Comments like that tend to erode a players confidence, doing more harm than good. If you're going to point out hazard or a trouble spot, do it long before your teammate shoots. (Personally, I prefer to give advice during golf lessons.)

4. Make no apologies
Whenever I play in tournaments, I invariably hear some players apologizing to one another for bad shots or missed birdies. What starts out as a trickle, eventually becomes a flood, until all the player is doing is apologizing. That's not good for the player's confidence or his ego. Before starting enter into an agreement that no one is going to apologize, regardless of how badly one of you plays or if one of you misses a critical shot. The team will be better for it, and so will the player.

5. Be a good friend
If decide to play with friends, make preserving your friendship the top priority. Sure, you'd like to win the tournament. Everyone likes to win, especially if bragging rights are involved. But you need to keep reminding yourself that it's just a tournament, not a critical life event. Do things to maintain your friendship. You don't want to lose good friends over a game. Good friends are harder to come by than birdies. You don't need a golf lesson to know where I'm coming from.

Playing golf is supposed to be fun. And playing on a team is one of the most enjoyable experiences in the game. You can play poorly and it won't affect your golf handicap. But to get the most out of the experience, you need to approach it with the right attitude. Remember the key is taking pressure off your teammate or teammates, not adding to it. If you do that, you'll not only play better, you'll also remain friends. And you'll play together in a lot more events.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jack Moorehouse

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