The Paradox of Performance: Boring is Brilliant
The other day, I was talking with one of our Academy students who, in his first try, made it through local qualifying for the U.S. Open. I asked him to tell me about the round. He said, “To be honest with you, it was pretty boring golf. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens.” I was fascinated that, after shooting one of his best rounds—under perhaps the most pressure he’s ever faced—he would describe his experience as “boring.” Interestingly, this isn’t the first time in my career as a sports psychologist that I’ve heard a player use the term “boring” to characterize an exceptional performance. It got me thinking: if exceptional golf is boring, then what is unexceptional, or bad golf? Interesting?
When I ask players to expound on what they mean by the word “boring,” they often say things like the player referenced above—that the round was easy and they didn’t do anything special. They just did what they were supposed to do: hit fairways, hit greens, and make putts. They kept things simple. And then it dawned on me: the reason they use the word “boring” when they play well is because, when they’re playing poorly, it’s anything but boring. The round is filled with ups and downs. There’s scrabbling to save par, hitting recovery shots from anywhere other than the fairway, and constant struggles with swing mechanics and self-doubt. It’s far from boring!
So, since playing well is more often the exception than the norm, it would make sense that what feels most familiar to many golfers is chaos, not calm. They’ve become so accustomed to navigating stress, solving problems on every hole, and managing emotional swings that, when all of that is absent, it feels…odd. Almost like something must be missing.
“Boring” rounds are often the result of clear decision-making, disciplined strategy, emotional control, and precise execution. In other words, they’re the outward expression of a well-trained mental game. No drama. No heroics. Just consistent, process-driven golf.
In contrast, “interesting” golf—full of unpredictable outcomes, reactive choices, and constant troubleshooting—often reflects internal instability. It’s mentally taxing, emotionally draining, and inconsistent in results. Sure, it might produce the occasional miraculous save or highlight reel moment, but it’s rarely repeatable.
