People like us who love golf will tell you they love the challenge, they love the fresh air, and the relaxed pace a round of golf offers.  While golf and investing might seem like opposite activities, they actually share a LOT of similarities. If you can improve at one, it’s likely you can improve at the other. All it takes is a little….practice.

1. It takes time to develop the skills. Becoming a good golfer requires a lot of effort and time. All of that time at the driving range helps. So does becoming a skilled investor.
2. Both golf and investing require expert instruction to reach your potential. Even the best golfers have a coach that they work with. You might not hire expert instruction directly for your investments, but you can purchase books, subscribe to blogs, podcasts, and other sources of information.
3. It’s easy to get into trouble quickly. One golf shot into the water or out of bounds can be disastrous. One poor investment might not destroy your portfolio, but it can come close if you don’t handle the mistake quickly and properly.
4. To be successful, it’s important to focus your thoughts. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thoughtful and intelligent. It means that emotions can force you to make poor decisions. Nearly all investors have made at least one terrible financial decision from an emotional purchase.
5. Be patient. Quickly made decisions are quite often poor decisions. Take the necessary time to make a good decision. Rushing a golf shot rarely turns out well. Jumping to conclusions about an investment leads to very similar results.
6. Fancy tools are not the answer. Golf technology improves by leaps and bounds each year. Courses that held professional tournaments in the past are frequently too short for the great new clubs and balls. That being said, the average player doesn’t seem to improve his score even WITH all of the advanced technology. Investing theories, tools, and software get more sophisticated each year, too. All of these fancy tools have never been shown to improve the results of the average investor.

7. Short-term results are not always an indicator of long-term results. One great shot doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a great golfer. One horrible game doesn’t suddenly mean that you’re a horrible golfer. Just because a stock has gone up 10 times in the last several years doesn’t mean it can’t go even higher!

8. It’s always about risk management. The best golfers are great at hitting the ball, staying cool, and managing risk on the course. It’s not always easy to decide whether to lay-up or to go for the flag. Risk is a significant part of investing, too.
9. Casual advice is often bad advice. Every golfer has had a friend, stranger, or playing companion provide advice on his swing. The casual investing advice from a well-meaning friend is about as useful. If you’re going to take advice, be sure to take it from a real expert!
10. Know exactly where you want to go. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you end up in a good place? Each shot on the golf course requires a target. This target is chosen based on the obstacles and the location of the hole. Your investing must have a target as well. Ask yourself “what are your investing goals?”

Golf and investing might not seem to have a lot in common at first glance, but they actually do share many similarities. The same ideas that allow a golfer to become great will allow an investor to do the same. Planning, patience, and expert instruction are a great way to improve your odds of success.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

I am a stubborn dieter. I always believed what I had heard about losing weight. I’ve been traditionally taught to avoid carbs, have an early dinner, and never eat before bed. But the fact is, the latest scientific research shows us this earlier model is not the most ideal. Based on surprising science, Always Eat After 7 PM debunks popular diet myths and offers an easy-to-follow diet that accelerates fat-burning and allows you to indulge in your most intense food cravings: Eating the majority of your calories at night. I had a hard time adjusting to this. My old mindset had been deeply ingrained.

I went to the source of this new book, Joel Marion to get some answers.

What made you want to write this book?

Joel Marion: After authoring 6 best selling books it was glaringly obvious there were 2 huge misconceptions about dieting that needed to be exposed. The first is that you can’t eat late at night or before bed, which science now shows is NOT true. And second, you can’t eat large portions that satisfy your natural instinct. This book solves both these problems by providing an evidence-based, enjoyable approach to dieting that can be used by any person to quickly achieve their weight loss goals.

How long did it take for you to research & create this diet program?

Joel Marion: It actually took several years of researching for me to discover the real science of eating late night. After a few years of tweaking and refining, I finally came up with a rapid fat loss solution that overcomes all the pitfalls of traditional diets.

How difficult is the Always Eat After 7 PM plan to follow?

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• I like to drive.
• I would much rather drive than fly.
• I am much less afraid to drive than to fly.

With that in mind, it’s not much of a choice but to pack up my new Subaru Outback and head from Fort Pierce, Florida to North Conway, New Hampshire. This is a journey of approximately 3,000 miles round trip. The perfect trip for me and my Outback to get to know each other a little better.

This Outback may have saved my life!

It’s not long before

The pre-collision system proves its worth.

Here’s what happened

I started out to beat the traffic by leaving at 4:30 am. It’s pitch black outside and I a in the far left-hand lane on Route 95 North with the cruise control set at 67 mph. All of a sudden I feel the cruise control snap off and the car breaks HARD. I thought there was something wrong with the car. As I stared into the darkness, I realized that there was nothing wrong with the Outback, but that the tow truck in front of me had NO LIGHTS ON and I couldn’t see it. I don’t know if the Subaru saved my life, but it at least saved one heck of an argument with the tow truck driver.

I like to drive

To me, it does not get much better than having my Sirius XM radio churning out the music of the ’60s, ’70s, Beatles, Tom Petty, Classic Vinyl, ESPN, MSBC…the soundtrack of my life at 75 mph.

If I didn’t drive, I’d never know that there is a Horse Stomp, South Carolina, home to the Little Pee Dee River and its big brother, Greater Pee Dee. How would you know that Pedro at South of the Border has all new signs (a breath of fresh air compared to years past).

How would you know that you can stop at Peach World in Georgia or appreciate the same billboards that advertize pecan rolls, pecan pie, pecan candy and peanut brittle? Can you go wrong making a pit stop to see live baby alligators?

Forget McDonald’s. You can go to one back home, it’s  Stuckey’s , Shoneys, andthe Waffle House that make up the dining destinations on the road.

The GW Bridge – New York

The quality of the highway differs from state to state

The roads can go from just okay to okay depending upon the route, road, and state. By far, the best (and most improved after years of doing this trip is The New Jersey Turnpike. Three crisp lanes, crisp white lines, and smooth pavement make driving much more of a pleasure.

The worst and not even CLOSE has to be the George Washington Bridge. Sixteen dollars worth of shaking your dental work and jarring of your bones. I felt terrible putting my little Outback through this torture. Couple that with perhaps the worst, life-threatening drivers you could ever encounter. I am always shocked when I make it through New York without having an accident.

But, all of that is worth it when you turn the corner onto the Spalding Turnpike in New Hampshire and come face to face with the White Mountains as your guide. It feels like a total decompression.

I’ve been coming to New Hampshire or the better part of 50 years…mostly to North Conway…mostly in the winter to ski. But it’s just as beautiful in the summer as it is seeing those white-capped mountains with a chill in the air.

Yes, I like to drive

Most people (like my wife) think I’m crazy, but what I’m going to do is pack my car, place my coffee in the cup holder, set my radio to my favorite tunes, place the key in the ignition and head home.

P.S. In fifty years I have skied at Mt. Cranmore, Attitash, Wildcat, and Loon Mountain, but the best of the best has always been Bretton Woods with its friendly staff, beautiful and friendly lodge, and friendly and forgiving trails. The BEST!

P.P.S. I could tell about all of the different places that I have stayed in North Conway, but after all of these years, there is only ONE that I go back to time after time because it is simply beautiful. Tucked in the woods and overlooking Mount Washington with the BEST food in the area you’ll find the Stonehurst Manor (and yes, it’s dog friendly as well). If you go, tell Heidi I said hello and give Samantha the Rottie a pat on the head for me.

If you travel U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce, Florida, you may have passed this little squat grey building many, many times. If you are interested in golf PUMP UP THE BRAKES – pull in, and you will find a driving practice range, and so much more!

As you leave your car you see 13 practice bays, all of which have newer hitting pads. The bays are all under a roof for sun and moisture protection (so don’t worry about the weather, you can go no matter what the weather outside of a hurricane or monsoon).

The yardage is posted with accurate flags and signs. Along with the practice bays, you’ll also find 3 teaching bays as well as a huge of the grass area for those preferring to hit from the grass.

Head straight to the clubhouse to get a basket of balls and you will meet Bob, who will happily check you out and get them for you. The prices are:

• Small bucket – $7.00
• Medium bucket – $11.00
• Large bucket – $13.50
• Supersize – $22.00

My only complaint is that when compared to other driving ranges that I visit, their prices are higher. But, the balls are fresh, hitable, and that does count for a lot.

But, it’s not just the clean hitting bays, the spotless clubhouse with snacks and drinks, and the odds and ends golf equipment that I like about U.S. 1 Golf. It is the addition of teaching pro Jeffrey that turns this nice little range into a real learning center for golf.

Jeffrey has been a PGA member since 1979, and aside from the lessons and grips, he has also been a master club fitter for the past 15 years. If you call central casting for a golf pro, this is what you get, tall, lanky with Ken Venturi hair.

Time to talk about lessons

I’m always open for something…anything to improve my swing. so I signed up for a lesson. I’m 67 years old, and when I take a lesson and have the pro say that I have to start all over again is out of the question. Jeffrey offers a 15-minute lesson for $25. He took a look at my swing, made a change, and by the end of the lesson I hit a small draw. I now have something to practice! It is well worth the money. He also offers video if you are so inclined. But it’s not just these “quick hit” lessons that are available, he also offers 30 minutes, 1 hour, a 5-session package and a player package.

All of this makes U.S. 1 Golf a little oasis in a sea of 55 mph asphalt.

On a scale of double bogey to hole in one, I rate U.S. 1 Golf a solid Birdy.

U.S. 1 Golf is located at:

• 3847 N. U.S. 1, Fort Pierce, Florida

Check their site for more information – https://us1golf.com/

For questions or to set up a lesson with Jeffrey Carpenter email – JeffCarpenter@US1Golf.com