Golf & Therapy 1-7-26

Summary

Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast
Host: Scott Becker
Episode Title: Golf & Therapy 1-7-26
Release Date: January 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lighter, storytelling-focused episode, Scott Becker steps away from hardcore business insights to share personal anecdotes about the intersection of golf, therapy, perseverance, and the sometimes-comical struggle for progress. Becker uses his recent golf experiences as an analogy for confronting setbacks and dealing with well-meaning—but possibly misguided—advice, all delivered in his practical-yet-humorous tone.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Promise and Peril of “Breakthroughs” in Golf

• Practice Success vs. On-Course Reality
  • Becker shares a recent foray into improving his golfing technique by adopting a new wrist-hinging swing for his irons.
  • In practice, this new approach felt transformative:

    “It's going great in practice and I think, you know, this is the holy grail. I've now solved the game...I’m probably going to start hitting course records and golfing at a different level.” (Scott Becker, 00:55)

  • Once on the course, the new technique falls apart, leading to a poor performance:

    “Of course, most people that are golfers can tell where this is going and where it's going to end. It ends up being a horrendous, horrendous day of golf. I'm hitting balls all over the place.” (Scott Becker, 01:30)

  • Becker notes the familiar cycle of overconfidence followed by setback, prompting him to "go back to the lab" and simplify his approach.

2. Therapy and the Golfer’s Dilemma

• Coping with Golf-Related Frustration

  • Becker relates the emotional impact of golf, connecting it to a period of personal difficulty when he consulted with a therapist.
  • He relayed to the therapist how golf could leave him frustrated and upset.
  • The therapist’s advice:

    “You shouldn't golf. You should give up golf.” (Scott Becker quoting therapist, 02:10)

• The Non-negotiability of Golf for Devotees

  • For Becker—and many golf enthusiasts—quitting golf isn’t an option. His reaction:

    “You have a choice at that point. You... give up golf or you fire the therapist. And, of course, anybody that knows golfers...knows, of course, that we, of course, moved on to the next therapist...advice I couldn't take or wouldn't take.” (Scott Becker, 02:22 – 02:40)

3. The Unending Cycle

• Acceptance of Both Setbacks and Bad Advice
  • Becker concludes with two key (lighthearted) life lessons:
    • Any breakthrough in golf is fleeting—disasters are just around the corner.
    • If a therapist suggests giving up golf because it frustrates you, “you obviously have to fire that therapist.” (Scott Becker, 03:10)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On False Epiphanies in Golf:
  “It's going great in practice and I think, you know, this is the holy grail. I've now solved the game...” (00:55)
• On Golf-Induced Humility:
  “It ends up being a horrendous, horrendous day of golf. I'm hitting balls all over the place.” (01:30)
• On Therapy Advice for Golfers:
  “You shouldn’t golf. You should give up golf.” (Therapist, as related by Scott Becker, 02:10)
• On the Unbreakable Bond with Golf:
  “You have a choice at that point. You give up golf or you fire the therapist…we, of course, moved on to the next therapist…” (02:22)
• On What to Do if Golf Frustrates You:
  “If you ever have a therapist that tells you, well, if you don’t like how you feel after golf, you shouldn’t golf, you obviously have to fire that therapist.” (03:10)

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Timestamped Breakdown of Key Segments

• 00:30-01:55 – Introduction; golfing technique changes, the allure and downfall of “breakthroughs.”
• 01:55-02:40 – Personal story about seeking therapy for golf frustration; the therapist’s advice.
• 02:40-03:10 – Becker’s perspective on handling unwelcome but logical advice.
• 03:10-03:35 – Humorous wrap-up and key takeaways.

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Takeaways

• Mastery and improvement—on the course or in life—often come with setbacks and require persistence.
• Sometimes, cherished passions can be both the source of joy and frustration, but giving them up isn’t always a realistic or acceptable solution.
• Seek advice that aligns with your values—or, as Becker puts it, don’t be afraid to “fire your therapist” if they don’t understand your commitment.

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For Listeners:
If you’ve ever faced setbacks after expecting a breakthrough, or have received well-intentioned advice that misses the point, Scott Becker’s candid, relatable musings on “Golf & Therapy” will likely make you smile—and remind you to stay true to what you love, warts and all.

Transcript

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This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business, the Becker Private Equity Podcast. We try each day to bring you one to two business and market insight episodes, plus also an interview from a brilliant business leader. We also try and make sure a few of our episodes are at least somewhat ridiculous or at least hopefully a pleasure to listen to. And you don't have to learn anything from them. But today's episode is one of those this discussion is golf and therapy and I'm going to really talk about three different pieces of this and anybody who golfs will maybe relate to this. But the first concept is I go out to play golf last week and been working on a new swing concept with my irons of, you know, a little bit more wrist hinging, a little bit more, you know, cocking the wrist a little bit looser with the hope, get more distance, be a better golfer. And I'm working on this some and it's going great in practice and I think, you know, this is the holy grail. I've now solved the game, you know, and again my drive is going fine, my chipping's good, my putting is okay, but now I've got my mid irons working fantastically well and I'm probably going to start hitting course records and golfing at a different level course. When I get on the course, trying a little bit of a different swing thought, a little bit of driven swing effort. And of course most people that are golfers can tell where this is going and where it's going to end. It ends up being a horrendous, horrendous day of golf. I'm hitting balls all over the place. I immediately have to go back to the lab, go back to the driving range the next day and, you know, rework the swing to go back to simple to at least I could put it where I want it to be, at least close to it without a total disaster. And this was just a disastrous round. But it reminded me of, you know, years and years ago I'd gone through a different difficult, difficult life period and spent a lot of time with the therapist, and I would explain to the therapist how frustrated I was when I would go golf and, you know, and, and how. How much it would make me frustrated and stuff like that. In this therapist used the concept of, well, you shouldn't golf. You. You should give up golf. And of course, you know, it's. You have a choice at that point. You. You give up golf or you fire the therapist. And, and of course, anybody that knows golfers and people that like to golf knows, of course, that we, of course, moved on to the next therapist and got rid of that therapist, even though the therapist was actually just terrific. But, but, but advice I couldn't take or wouldn't take. So those are my two stories for the day. As soon as I think I've got golf figured out, I totally screw up and it's a disaster. The second thing is, if you ever have a therapist that tells you, well, if you don't like how you feel after golf, you shouldn't golf, you obviously have to fire that therapist. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business, the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Please do us a favor. Buy our new book on Amazon. Building Great Businesses. Create Momentum. Overcome Setbacks. Scale with Confidence. Or if you don't want to buy the book or you're the first person to list this all the way through, feel free to send me a text at 773-766-5322. You got to label it golf and therapy, and I'll send you a gift certificate for $50. You gotta be the first one. You can't be someone who's got the gift certificate before. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business, the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Thank you very, very much.

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