A couple of weeks ago while playing golf with my league partner, Bruce, I was faced with a difficult shot. I could attempt to hit the ball over a swamp or play a fade around the danger (a fade flies left to right for right handed golfers). I don’t always get the carry I need, so I played the fade, wrapping the ball around the swamp. My shot hit the front of the green and ran to the hole. Bruce commented, “Nice shot. Way to play the fade.”
When I was younger I had a natural draw (a draw flies right to left for right handers). My draw ran when it hit the ground, and I picked up a few extra yards. My fade runs too but not as far. Age, a declining lack of strength, and the golf gods have taken their toll, but I still like to play and do whenever the opportunity presents itself. I’ve learned to accommodate my lack of distance by hitting the ball to favorable locations that provide for the best approach shots. I tell people my game is based upon “geography”. I watch for hills and undulations that will provide for the bounces I desire and help my ball roll a bit farther.
Ruth and I played golf with our going on one hundred and three years old friend, Ed, last week. Like mine, Ed’s game is not what it once was. He can’t hit it as far so he plays to his strength. He’s a good putter so he hits his shots to put himself in a place that takes advantage of that skill. With age comes wisdom. Putting uphill is easier than putting down. Ed tried to keep his ball below the hole. He doesn’t talk about it. He just does it. Capitalizing on your strengths is a wise move.
Playing to your strength is a good move no matter the obstacle. We should try to improve upon our shortcomings, but when push comes to shove, go with our strength. We learn by doing and avoiding our past errors. As we go through life our skill set changes. We learn new ones, and hopefully, put them to good use.
Learning to drive a stick shift was a challenge. My dad had a three speed Corvair and if I was going to drive solo, this was the car I would be allowed to drive. Running through the three gears took timing. In the beginning I avoided left hand turns so I didn’t have to come to a complete stop for traffic lights or on-coming traffic. My timing for such obstacles became an art form. Stopping meant running through the gears again, and I failed on a regular basis. Seeking right hand turns, or looking far enough down the road to avoid oncoming traffic when I turned left, became my “fade”.
Experience is a great teacher. I played golf with Brady several weeks ago. He has a grip it and rip it approach. He complemented me on how straight I hit the ball. “I can’t hit it very far, so I’ve got the hit it straight. It’s the shortest distance between two points. Pushing it left or pulling it right costs me too many strokes.”
I offered up some words of advice. “As your game improves, you’ll develop certain tendencies. Learn them and use them to your advantage. No matter the path your ball flight takes, aim at targets accordingly.”
As we work through the obstacles life offers up, each of us needs to learn to play our fade.