What a waste! I played on a perfect day yesterday. The course was pristine and the weather ideal. I’ve also been in pretty good form so I was looking forward to the game. It was also great to get out of the office early and get some fresh air. But I stuffed up. And I’m annoyed about it.
I read a golf instruction book early in the week. It was a good book, one of the best I’ve read (I will talk more about it in another post) and it wasn’t overly complicated. But…
I got distracted. Thinking about technique caused me to make mistakes. I four putted one green. I stopped hitting my shot. I tried to do things I knew I couldn’t do. I stopped actually playing golf and was hatching.
By the 9th hole I was tired. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I thought I could get away with it. Two terrible bogeys on 12 and 13 got me frustrated. I then had five shots from twenty metres on the 16th. I was throwing shots away and by then I was powerless to stop it.
This post is a warning. No matter how good your game becomes you can never consciously control your swing. It’s not possible – no matter how good you think you are. This was an important wake up call for me.
The most annoying thing is I wasted a potentially great day. I walked off the course tired. It wasn’t overly enjoyable and I was left frustrated by all the shots I threw away. I took for granted my automatic game and let Pesky take control. He was thrilled. He got to try new shots and was more than happy to remind me that I only need a bit more practice and I’d master the technique. He told me to keep going, not to be discouraged and that all would be fine. I was stupid enough to listen.
And don’t think I’m saying technique is not important. It is. But there is a time and a place for everything. And I’m fairly sure that the golf course on competition day is not the right time. I let a remarkable golf opportunity slip by. I won’t get that day back again but at least I’ve learned a valuable lesson for my next hit.