4 Lessons From Inbee Park

Bryan Cromlish

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Inbee Park’s eight under performance at Sebonack, a tough course to say the least, helped her earn her way into golf history.



She’s one of only two players to win the first three golf majors of the year. It’s a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1950.

Park’s performance and character shed light on four important lessons that will help our fellow golfers, both on and off the course.

1. Modesty Is An Important Virtue

When asked how she felt after winning three majors in a row, she said, “I’m just very glad to put my name in history.”

There was nothing boastful in the statement. It was sincere. It was reserved.

Another important point about her statement was that it acknowledged her remarkable achievement. It didn’t brush it aside.

A lot of people think modesty involves ignoring any compliment or what we’ve worked hard to achieve. That’s not modesty – it’s being meek.

Behavior fails to be modest when it slides toward vanity, but it can be self-destructive to ignore our skills and undersell ourselves.

That’s what the meek do.

The meek won’t inherit the Earth. Nor will they win that tournament, drain that putt or clear that water hazard.

Park gets that. You need to get that.

2. Know What You’re Playing For

When she won her first U.S. Women’s Open Title, she said:

“I didn’t know what was going on at that time … I played very good golf then, but I didn’t know what I was playing for, and that was just my first win. It was a great championship then, but now I think I really appreciate more and I really know what this means.”

She was right and sounded a lot like psychologist Viktor Frankl.

Frankl believed that, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

He was right, but there is something else to remember. Living with purpose isn’t about getting – not about that paycheque or that great putt.

No, living with purpose means focusing on giving. You need to focus on what you put into things, not what you get from them.

Like Park said, she played good golf. Now she plays great golf and she does so because she’s taking the time to appreciate her accomplishments and is focusing on the effort it takes to get there.

3. Remain Calm

When asked about Park, Pat Bradley, the last golfer to win three straight, said, “She’s an incredible ballstriker and an even more incredible putter, but her confident calmness is what amazes me.”

Being calm is an asset on the golf course. In fact, it’s one of Arnold Palmer’s golden rules of golf.

Palmer tells a story about losing his temper when he was a younger golfer.

“In the final of the Western Pennsylvania Junior when I was 17, I let my putter fly over the gallery after missing a short putt. I won the match, but when I got in the car with my parents for the ride home, there were no congratulations, just dead silence,” he said.

“Eventually my father said, ‘If I ever see you throw a club again, you will never play in another golf tournament.’ That wake-up call stayed with me. I haven’t thrown a club since.”

It’s not just better for your game if you’re calm, it’s also better for your health.

Oddly enough, dwelling on the bad things in life makes you more likely to be sensitive to pain (wimps!).

More frightening, there is some evidence that prolonged bouts of anger and hostility increase stress on the cardiovascular system.

4. Be Ready For Anything

Park won three tournaments on three very different courses, that’s not easy. But, it’s what you need to do.

To pull off this kind of win, you need to have a solid set of skills and nimble mind. Her skill and dynamism lets her be adaptable and change her game so that courses, no matter the type, don’t hold her back.

It means Park is able to make the best possible decisions in continually evolving circumstances.

Want to make better decisions and think adaptively, whether in the boardroom or on the course, like Park?

Here are a few things you can do:

Don’t decide too early. If you decide too early, new information might arise and complicate things. There’s not going to be an easy answer. You will only ever be able to make a decision that is right in this moment – few decisions are timeless. Don’t get caught up in emotion. Anger will blind you, timidity will handicap you. Decide and don’t waver. If you’ve make a decision, be confident. If you’ve decided on a club, don’t hold back. Learn from your decisions. You’re not always going to make the right business decision or pick the best club, learn from those mistakes.

What lessons have you learned from Inbee Park’s success? Leave a comment and let us know.