[ad_1]
The Fix for All Golfers
Yesterday I overheard a golfer talking about a new coach they were taking lessons from. “We’ll see if this guy can fix me,” he said.
Every golfer thinks they are broken and in need of fixing. It’s a common ailment. What if this mindset is keeping everyone from improving as fast as they would like?
I recently had the privilege of spending two days with legendary golf coach and expert in learning Michael Hebron. One of his mantras was that we are not trying to do something “better,” we are actually trying to do something “different.”
Regardless of which swing philosophy or guru people ascribe to, if they are coming at it from a place of trying to fix something that is broken, they are making it harder than it needs to be. When golfers are trying to fix something that’s broken, their mind is filled with criticism, worry, and self-doubt.
Nothing is Broken
If people would like to improve as quickly as possible, they need to start by realizing that nothing is broken. Bad swings and bad days are to be expected. If a golfer can accept this, then their mind will be free to focus on things more helpful.
The Feel of the Swing
When you snap hooked that drive, did you do anything wrong? No, you actually made a perfect swing to produce that outcome. So don’t try to fix anything. Pay attention to how the swing that produced the snap hook felt. If you can stay in this mindset of awareness, eventually you will learn how to feel what type of swing produces a snap hook.
What’s your biggest miss? The shot you are most afraid of hitting. Do you know what the swing feels like that produces that miss? Or do you just know the feeling of anger and frustration that comes from hitting the shot?
If you can focus on doing things differently instead of always trying to get better and fix something that’s broken, your awareness will grow and so will your level of mastery in the game of golf. You’ll learn what the swing to produce a great shot feels like. This is different than testing out different swing thoughts each day and living or dying by if it happens to work.
Swing Changes
Often swing changes don’t work for people because they are trying to change something they aren’t even aware of. How could you change your current swing if you don’t really know what it feels like? It may sound crazy to say you don’t know what your swing feels like, but it’s true for so many people because their mind is on so many other things.
To make a change that actually lasts, before even spending time practicing it, you need to know two things: 1. What my current, natural swing feels like 2. The difference between my current swing and what I’m trying to do differently. People tend to jump to focusing only on a new feel or swing position, and they aren’t able to get the change to stick.
Practice
When you practice, instead of trying to hit a perfect shot over and over, try to produce some of your common misses on purpose. If you slice, first try slicing on purpose, then hook it, then go for a straight ball. If you can do this with a mindset of awareness and non-judgment, you will learn so much more about your own swing, and how to produce different shots.
Never Hit a Bad Shot Again
It will take practice, but if you can start to play golf with this mindset, you will never hit a bad shot again. The slice in the water was just a different outcome and swing than the drive right down the middle. If you can see your shots this way, you will have less fear, doubt, and frustration in your golf. And if you can play without fear, doubt, and frustration, imagine what a difference that could make.
Andy avoids preaching swing mechanics, and focuses on helping people develop greater awareness and understanding of their golf swing and what they need to do to improve. Andy is also the host of The Golf Practice Podcast, which features conversations on the parts of the game that go beyond the score.
[ad_2]
Source link