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You’ve probably been told that when you’re playing golf in a group, you shouldn’t worry about how other players are performing and focus single-mindedly on your game.

Well, that was my philosophy until I stumbled onto some of my old high school football notes, where I’d written, “Your job is to beat the man who stands in the way of your goals; beat him so badly that the next time he sees you, he’ll break his neck trying to get out of your way.”

That statement gave me my competitive drive back. When you’re playing golf, you need to have the mindset that you’re going to beat the players in your group as badly as you possibly can. After all, if you don't beat the players in your group, you have no chance of winning. And even if you don’t win first place, at least you know you dusted off the players in your group -- any type of mini-victory prepares you for the ultimate prize.

Many of us, especially in golf, are reluctant to give up old ways of thinking. Much too often, people play the game too passively, trying to be psychologists on the golf course. Golf is about competition, and it’s about time we take a more aggressive mental approach to the game.