Own Your Bad Rounds

My freshly gripped driver and 3h!

I was trending up. Two of the best golf rounds of my season under my belt. I was riding high, clubs freshly regripped, a bucket of range balls successfully launched, confident of my pending progress. The sun was out, a little warm, perfect weather to let the ball fly. I was dialed in. Then it happened.

First hole: awful. Second hole: not much better. Two and a half hours later, what started with so much optimism ended in brutal disappointment and a quiet, reflective ride home.

I replayed every hole in my head. If only I’d hit this shot there… if only I hadn’t chunked that chip… Maybe I could have salvaged a respectable score and saved a few golf balls from the woods.

But what bothered me most wasn’t the number on the scorecard. It was that I couldn’t just grab my clubs and immediately fix it. Golf needs the weather to cooperate, your schedule to align, and a clear head. But in life and work? We get a much faster mulligan.

Think about the disappointing “rounds” we all have:

• The customer call that goes sideways and leaves you second-guessing.

• The rushed project that falls short and needs a redo.

• Critical feedback that lands the wrong way.

• The meeting where you just didn’t show up like you know you can.

The upside? You don’t need perfect conditions to fix it. Working with people gives you something golf doesn’t: the chance to take ownership in real time.

• Awkward conversation? Own it.

• Poorly delivered feedback? Own it.

• Missed deadline? Own it.

• Didn’t show up how you wanted? Own it.

People don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty, effort, and leaders who aren’t afraid to call a bad round what it is.

When you own your mistakes, you build trust. When you build trust, you get better results and get to keep playing.

So when you have a bad round, learn from it, own it, and step back up to take another shot. Quickly. Because mistakes don’t define you. How you handle them does.