The swing looked great all day. That’s what made it so frustrating.
He shot 73.
Late in the round, he stood over an approach shot with both a wedge and an iron in his hands. The pin was tucked front right with water short. A college coach from one of his dream schools was watching. He chose the wrong club, a club that required nearly perfect execution.
He came up short and made double bogey.
When I looked back at the round, what stood out wasn’t the swing. His strokes gained numbers showed he drove the ball beautifully and hit his approach shots better than almost anyone else in the field. The tournament wasn’t lost because he couldn’t hit the golf ball. It was lost because of one decision that took only a few seconds to make.
That is what frustrates me.
His dad had spent the entire spring paying for extra lessons and range sessions to improve a swing that was already good enough to win, while nobody was tracking the one decision that actually cost him the tournament.
Swing coaches do an incredible job helping players improve their mechanics. Tournament golf is about much more than mechanics. College coaches do not add players to their rosters because they stripe balls on the range. They add players who consistently post scores, and scores are often determined by the quality of a player’s decisions more than just the quality of a player’s swing.
That realization changed my own career.
For years, I believed I simply needed a better swing. Strokes gained analytics showed me something completely different. It identified where I was actually losing shots, where I was taking unnecessary risks, and where smarter decisions could lower my scores without changing my technique.
I learned this the hard way as a competitor, not just as a coach. I was once ranked inside the top 288 players in the world. I spent three years on the Korn Ferry Tour, and I am a current PGA of America Member. I am also one of only eight players to ever complete a 72-hole PGA Tour-sanctioned event bogey-free. I know what it takes to compete at the highest level, and I built my coaching around the same strokes gained process that changed my own game.
Today, I use that same process in the Fish Tank, my 1:1 mentorship program built around elite course strategy, personal mentorship, and direct access to me. We identify where strokes are really being lost, build smarter strategies around those numbers, and fortify a mindset that will withstand the pressures of tournament golf. If you have ever wondered where your junior is really giving away shots, I would be happy to show you. No pressure. Click below to grab 20 minutes on my calendar, or text me directly if that is easier.
Book a no obligation call and let’s see if I can help
or text me for a time 480-544-6157
Chris Petefish
Course of Action Golf
chris@courseofactiongolf.com
