The Way Of The Golfer

The Golfing Journey Those who experience this mystical lure encounter a sense of fulfillment, belonging, and incommunicable happiness. Once experienced, there inevitably begins a search for the secret of mastering its execution. Furthermore, each player soon realizes it is because of this mystical connexion that he's attracted to the game in the first place. This is evident as we commonly experience the one shot per round that keeps us coming back. As the player sets forth on this journey, there is always a question of where, and how, to begin. If you're one of the many who's searching for the answer to this question, then you need to understand how your approach to learning has a direct effect on your performance. In other words, you must become aware of your total approach to the game. Your total approach consists of learning, performing, and maintaining the necessary skills and habits. Your learning depends on your skills of attention, awareness, and understanding. The quality of your performance depends on your powers of imagery, commitment, and trust. Your maintenance program involves routines for physical, mental, and inner conditioning. To play consistently, you must stay committed to your approach. It's an ongoing process, as long as you continue to play. The success rate of the average golfer remains extremely low. For one thing, most golfers fail to truly pay attention to what they are doing as they practice and play. Instead of paying attention, they think too much. The more they think, the more confused they become, and the harder it is to pay attention. The confusion lies in the fact that there are many different viable ways to play. That's because golfers come in many different shapes and sizes. So, you must develop an approach that accommodates your particular needs. You must find a way of performing the fundamentals naturally. Imagine this, as your body performs the fundamentals, it does so in your own unique way. As your body does so, your swing will take on a unique look. It will look unique because your body has unique features that are structurally different from all other golfers. Therefore, the way your body performs the fundamentals will have its own style. If your fundamentals are sound, then your technique will be sound. This is true despite how unique your swing looks. To me, all swings on tour are unique. Even the players that have the same technical styles look uniquely different from each other. So, spend more time paying attention to your fundamentals than you do worrying about how your swing looks. Notice that I said, “pay attention” to your fundamentals. This is because paying attention is more important than thinking. In many hours spent on the lesson tee, I've heard hundreds of students say, "I know what I am supposed to do, but I cannot do it." What they really mean is they know the concept of what they want to do, but are unaware of how to do it. The theories of physics or mechanics tell us what needs to happen, how we let it happen is another issue. Understanding the concept of what needs to happen involves thinking. Letting the action happen involves being aware. It involves paying attention to what is happening. When you think about it, all those “how to" books out there are really "what needs to happen" books. They assume we possess the basic skills necessary to perform the given tasks. For example, how to books on carpentry assume you know how to hammer, saw, or use any other tool you need to build something. They never teach you how to hammer a nail or drill a hole. They assume you’ve already learned the basic skills through trial and error. Finally, the essence of the game is simple, and the most simple view of the game is that you must become truly aware of your swing, the ball, and your target. If you do so, you will understand for yourself the best way of getting the ball in the hole. What I’m saying is that you learn through experience. And to learn through experience, you must pay attention to what you’re doing. The more you pay attention to what you’re doing, the more you’ll become aware of what works, and the more you’ll understand how to play great golf. Through this process of awareness you’ll become absorbed in the very lure that attracts you to the game. Fascinated with this entire process, you’ll find the courage to journey beyond the traditional barriers of the game, into a game with new horizons.