Peter,
I can see the comparisons here to spirituality...but I see "being liberated" much closer to being given choices... aka options.
I think the best golf courses give you choices in the form of play conservative and perhaps incur a more difficult approach, or take on some risk and have a much more doable approach shot for bird.
However, thru the eyes of a high capper, these choices are different. My game can be summed as...the closer I get to the hole, the better I get. Off the tee, hands down the worst part of my game, putting with the flat-stick...the best. So for me, when I stand on the tee its more about pick my poison.
- Try to hit my driver far enough and straight enough, so I can have a reasonable chance at par, but incur more risk due to a wild/wayward drive....
- Or hit my 3w, avoid the big trouble, and give myself a much better chance to avoid any worse than single-bogey, and perhaps squeak out a few pars along the way.