The premise of the Dunning-Kruger Effect is simple. The less you know about a particular topic the more you over estimate your own skill level in it.
The fun part is that we tend to notice this with other people but seem to ignore that fact with ourselves.
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You can see the Dunning-Kruger Effect on a daily basis on the golf courses of this world.
Nearly every golfer seems to suffer from some kind of hubris. Just ask some people what they think their skill level is. Are you better than average?
Better than 70% of the golfers around here? Surprisingly almost everybody you ask including yourself will say that he’s better than average.
But think about it, by definition only every second golfer can actually be better than average!
Somehow we are all blind to our own skill level although we see the results without doing some kind of elaborate research. [clearboth]
Increase your Golf Skill to Increase your Self-Evaluation Skills
So the question must be how to show an incompetent person his lack of competence.
Kruger and Dunning found a simple solution: If the validity of self-evaluation correlates with expertise you simply have to raise that expertise to bring ones self-evaluation nearer to reality.
Once people actually know what they are doing wrong and see a path for improvement they become more humble and can evaluate better where they are standing with their skill level.
If you think like Socrates and start to notice that you don’t know anything you actually achieved quite a bit. Which is true for me as well.
Whenever I’m on the course I have the feeling that there’s more to learn than a lifetime. Which I think is a good thing and makes some part of the challenge and enjoyment of golf for me.
What Does That Mean for your Game of Golf
Knowledge is power. Be humble. Watch your scores and statistics. Ask your local pro.
Honestly though, all cliches aside, try to get an honest view on your game.
Don’t fall into the trap that with one good shot on the range you found the holy grail and the twenty bad shots before where just a coincidence.
Golf’s a process and we all start at the bottom of the staircase.
If you know where you are you know where to go.
So invest some time regularly to get an honest view where you are standing and where you might go next.
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