Think about how most of us practise our short game. A pile of balls, a favourite spot, the same chip again and again. Fluff one, rake over another and go again. Twenty minutes later it feels pretty good.
Then we go out to play. One ball. A lie we've never seen. A card in the back pocket waiting for a number.
Karl Morris describes golf as the ultimate game of consequence. Every time you strike the ball, it counts. There is no hiding place on the scorecard. Yet the way most golfers practise has no consequence at all — and that's the gap Par 18 was built to close.
Why your practice doesn't show up on the course
Raking ball after ball from the same spot teaches the brain that nothing is at stake. The good feeling it creates is real, but it rarely lasts. As Karl puts it, a feeling on the practice ground today is in all likelihood gone by tomorrow.
What we need instead is evidence — numbers that tell us, without any doubt, whether we're getting better. And we need the brain to experience practice as close to the real game as possible, so that when it matters, the situation feels familiar rather than threatening.
The four conditions of real golf
Karl's distinction is between practising and training. Training replicates the exact requirements of the game itself. On the course, every shot has four conditions:
- One ball
- One unique location
- One chance
- A score is involved
Recreate those four conditions and you are training for the game itself — not fooling yourself into thinking you're getting better. Par 18 is the simplest way to do it.
How to play Par 18: the rules
- Go to the chipping green with one ball. Make it the ball you play with in competition — you want to train with the ball you'll play with.
- Take only your chipping clubs and your putter.
- Choose nine unique locations around the green. Each one is a "hole".
- Mix the difficulty: three easy, three medium and three difficult shots.
- Chip on and hole out. Every hole is a par 2 — a chip and a putt.
- Go through your full pre-shot routine on every shot, exactly as you would on the course.
- Write your score down against a par of 18.
- Play it only once in any given day. One chance — just like the real thing.
The whole game takes roughly 15 minutes, yet it gives you a very high-quality workout.
How to score Par 18 (and what a good score looks like)
Par is 18, which means getting up and down on all nine holes. Anything over par simply reflects where your short game is today.
Karl gives a simple example. Imagine your first score is 24. Not great — but honest. You stick with the game, keep working on your skills, and a few weeks later that 24 has come down to 21. You now know, based on your own numbers, that you have a better short game.
That's the real value of the score. It isn't a judgement; it's a barometer. You build a personal best, and then you try to beat it. A healthy competition with yourself — not with anyone else.
If you're regularly shooting under 20, you're playing at an advanced level and can make the game harder (see the variations below).
Why Par 18 builds performance under pressure
It creates consequence
The moment a score is attached, you feel something — not as much as in a medal round, but enough to make practice feel real to the brain. Karl's observation is that none of us likes doing badly when a test is involved. That small dose of pressure is exactly what you're training to handle.
It trains your routine when it counts
Running your full routine on every shot, with one ball and one chance, rehearses the process you'll rely on under pressure on the course. The routine becomes something you trust, not something you abandon.
It changes how you see a missed green
The more you play Par 18 — and the more successful you become at it — the more your brain starts to see a missed green on the course as an opportunity, not a threat. You've already trained yourself to deal with the consequence of the game.
It builds confidence on evidence, not hope
Confidence that comes from a good-feeling session is fragile. Confidence that comes from watching your Par 18 average fall over weeks is solid. You have the numbers to back it up.
It keeps the focus on your own improvement
Because you're only ever competing against your own personal best, the game pulls you towards mastery — getting better — rather than worrying about how you look to others. That's the mindset that holds up under pressure.
Proven at the highest level
Karl created Par 18 more than a decade ago, and it has since become an established part of golf training at the very top of the game. US Open Champion Graeme McDowell has said it has been one of the most important aspects of his work with Karl over the years.
The principle works just as well for a club golfer as for a Major champion — because the pressure of a scorecard is the same for all of us.
Par 18 variations
Advanced Par 18. If you shoot lower than 20 with one ball, play again with two balls and take your worst score. It forces you to back up good shots, not just hit one.
On-Course Par 18. Play nine holes on the course. When you reach each green, drop an extra ball just short of the putting surface in chipping range and play it from wherever it lies as a par 2. Go through everything you would in competition, and aim for three easy, three medium and three difficult shots. You're now training in the course's real, varied conditions.
Just 9 (putting). The putting-green companion to Par 18. One ball: three short putts (around 6ft), three medium (6–20ft) and three long (20ft+). Play them in a random order — never the short ones first — because golf is a random game, and your practice should be too. Record your score.
As Karl says, you're only limited by your imagination — as long as you keep the key ideas: one ball, one unique location, one chance, score it.
Make it count: record every score
On every hole of every round, you take a card out of your back pocket and write down how many times you hit the ball. Yet in practice, we almost never record anything. Karl believes a notebook is one of the best golfing investments you can make, because recording your scores completes the sense of consequence.
The Par 18 Scorecard in the Mind Caddie app does exactly this. Log each session, track your personal best and watch your average come down over time — so you always know, rather than hope, that your short game is improving.
One small change, a better quality of practice: you may find you practise less in terms of time, but the quality of what you do goes to another level.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the Par 18 golf game?
Par 18 was created by golf performance coach Karl Morris, who has worked with six Major champions. He has used it with tour players for more than a decade, including US Open Champion Graeme McDowell.
How long does Par 18 take?
Around 15 minutes. It's a short, high-quality session that fits easily before or after a round.
Why can you only play Par 18 once a day?
Because on the course you only get one chance. Allowing yourself repeat attempts removes the consequence that makes the game valuable.
What ball should I use for Par 18?
The ball you play with in competition. You want to train with the same ball you'll play with.
What is a good Par 18 score?
Par is 18 — an up and down on every hole. Under 20 is an advanced level. But the most useful number is your own personal best, and whether your scores are trending down over time.
Is Par 18 suitable for high handicappers?
Yes. Your score simply reflects your current short-game ability. The aim is to beat your own personal best, so it works at any level.
Can I play Par 18 on the golf course?
Yes. On-Course Par 18 has you drop a ball just short of each green over nine holes and play it as a par 2 from wherever it lies.
How does Par 18 help with pressure?
By adding a score, it recreates the four conditions of real golf — one ball, one location, one chance, a score. Your brain experiences a small dose of real pressure in practice, so the pressure on the course feels familiar rather than threatening.
