It’s easy to forget what we’re trying to do. Oftentimes we think we need to hold the club in a specific way or swing the club in a certain way to get the result we want. This is not always the case. Sometimes golf technique isn’t so important.
Your objective should be to get the ball to your target in anyway you see fit. In fact, and I’m now convinced of this, you MUST do this YOUR way. Trying to conform to the norm or attempting to please your coach is a certain road to failure. You must trust your learning instincts to allow your objective to be achieved. Your way is the best and fastest way to golfing success and enjoyment.
Tony is a good golfer with his own unique style. And I was sure not to mess with his learning system or confuse him by adding too many variables. I encouraged him to dig deep and to let his true swing shine through…
With his full shots this meant opening up a little and playing with a left-to-right ball flight. There was no grip change or thoughts on the swing. Tony aimed to the left and let rip. I wasn’t at all surprised to see his first three driver swings send the ball long and true. He added some extra distance too which is a nice side benefit of swinging naturally.
When we hit the golf course he was on fire. Out of 14 drives he nailed 13 of them. It’s not a bad return on investment. He drove the ball perfectly and this then enabled him to maximise scoring potential (it’s really hard to shoot a good score when you’re chipping out of the trees).
Golf is hard because we tend to disrupt our learning ability and add to the complexity. With a little trust the process is simplified…
… look at your target and find a way to get the ball there.
Let your golf swing find you rather than trying to artificially create something. I know all the golf pros are well meaning and are trying to help, but in most cases your inner learning system knows best.
One final point: Sometimes “your” way doesn’t give you an instant result. This is the time to keep going, to trust in the process. It’s all too easy to give up and rely on others for feedback when early results are not desirable. But keep going. Keep trusting. Play the game. And the really funny part of all this is your golf technique will improve all by itself.