Play It As It Lies

I chose a legal name for my fledgling enterprise that echoed my previous affiliation with the golf industry. I landed on what was then “Rule 13” of the official rules of golf which states that the ball must be “played as it lies.” (When the rules were updated in 2019, Rule 13 became Rule 9.)

“Play it as it lies” has been a source of consternation, deliberation and outright cheating as long as the game has been played. Why? Because it is hard to accept reality – even when playing a game – and it can be even harder to creatively plan for and influence a successful outcome when the conditions you face don’t match your expectations or your experience. (Note to the non-golfer: at your average practice area at your average golf facility you will not find golfers practicing shots from behind trees, out of two inches of water, from an elevated tree branch, from the inside of a tumbleweed, from the crevice between two boulders, etc…all shots I have either personally attempted or witnessed first hand). The difference between what happens in the preparation for golf and in the actual playing of it is massive. There are so many variables and so many unexpected realities that emerge as you play that you can’t possibly be ready for all of them. And so it goes with the leadership of anything worth doing.