The Secret of Golf Revealed
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:11 pm
I took up golf when I was 50 years old, mainly because my son quit playing competitive sports and I ended up with a lot of free time in the Summers.
When I start something like this I do it seriously. I took lessons, practiced, videotaped myself, read books and magazines, looked for tips everywhere I could - most recently on YouTube (which is a fantastic source).
But golf is a perverse sport. It's the only thing I've ever done (at least that I can think of) in which practice can actually make you worse. The geometry of a "proper golf swing" is so complex that I don't think it can be learned as an adult. You have to control every square and cubic inch of your body just to get the swing right, and that doesn't even consider the fact that you have to hit the ball squarely while executing this impossibly complex motion. I have written here before that golf MUST be learned as a child, and some have taken violent exception to the principle of "muscle memory" on which I base my belief, but the facts speak for themselves. Look among the touring PGA pro's, and even in the college ranks. Essentially all the top golfers were hitting balls by the time they were 5 years old. By the time they were 15, they were no longer concerned with their swing, and thus they could concentrate on where they want the ball to go - this transition being essential to playing good golf.
Most golfers stink. Fewer than 50% of American golfers break 100 regularly (without cheating) - and that is pretty terrible. And as a result, there is a major industry in the U.S. (and probably in other golf-friendly countries) of people selling "systems," gadgets, training aids, videos, books, and specialized clubs, all with the promise (fraudulently, as it turns out) of making you a better golfer. I regret to say that I've bought a lot of this stuff over the years. I could have a garage sale with JUST my obsolete, un-used, worthless golf stuff - all "guaranteed" to make one a better golfer.
A couple years ago I basically gave up on ever being a "good" golfer. I decided that I would pursue improvement by hitting the golf ball in the way that feels most natural to me, then trying to adjust that swing as little as possible for the best possible results. The theory is that if my swing is "natural" to me, then I can forget about it, and concentrate on where I want the ball to go. I assume that my new swing looks "terrible," although I haven't taken the time to do a video of myself and really don't care. It's certainly nothing like the the image of Tiger Woods that most golf instructors put up on their videoscreens as an example to those who aspire to improve their games.
And after trying a number of different strategies to optimize my results, I did two new things this year. First, I bought a used set of irons (Ping G2's, if you must know) that have an almost vertical "lie angle." That means that if I swing those irons "like a Ferris wheel," the face of the club is perfectly aligned down range, and the ball invariably goes straight. Second, I discovered the benefits of a "short" backswing. I don't allow my left arm to go beyond the point where it is parallel to the ground on the backswing, but on the "other side," I extend my follow through as long as I can. Incredibly, the shortened backswing greatly improves my "ball striking," but does not compromise my distance at all. In fact, I am hitting the ball slightly farther now than I was with a "full" backswing.
A typical round for me now (9 holes) is one or two strokes over par. The only holes that give me trouble are the par 4's that are significantly more than 400 yards, simply because I have a hard time going that far in two strokes (I'm 63 now).
I wonder if I could sell this.
When I start something like this I do it seriously. I took lessons, practiced, videotaped myself, read books and magazines, looked for tips everywhere I could - most recently on YouTube (which is a fantastic source).
But golf is a perverse sport. It's the only thing I've ever done (at least that I can think of) in which practice can actually make you worse. The geometry of a "proper golf swing" is so complex that I don't think it can be learned as an adult. You have to control every square and cubic inch of your body just to get the swing right, and that doesn't even consider the fact that you have to hit the ball squarely while executing this impossibly complex motion. I have written here before that golf MUST be learned as a child, and some have taken violent exception to the principle of "muscle memory" on which I base my belief, but the facts speak for themselves. Look among the touring PGA pro's, and even in the college ranks. Essentially all the top golfers were hitting balls by the time they were 5 years old. By the time they were 15, they were no longer concerned with their swing, and thus they could concentrate on where they want the ball to go - this transition being essential to playing good golf.
Most golfers stink. Fewer than 50% of American golfers break 100 regularly (without cheating) - and that is pretty terrible. And as a result, there is a major industry in the U.S. (and probably in other golf-friendly countries) of people selling "systems," gadgets, training aids, videos, books, and specialized clubs, all with the promise (fraudulently, as it turns out) of making you a better golfer. I regret to say that I've bought a lot of this stuff over the years. I could have a garage sale with JUST my obsolete, un-used, worthless golf stuff - all "guaranteed" to make one a better golfer.
A couple years ago I basically gave up on ever being a "good" golfer. I decided that I would pursue improvement by hitting the golf ball in the way that feels most natural to me, then trying to adjust that swing as little as possible for the best possible results. The theory is that if my swing is "natural" to me, then I can forget about it, and concentrate on where I want the ball to go. I assume that my new swing looks "terrible," although I haven't taken the time to do a video of myself and really don't care. It's certainly nothing like the the image of Tiger Woods that most golf instructors put up on their videoscreens as an example to those who aspire to improve their games.
And after trying a number of different strategies to optimize my results, I did two new things this year. First, I bought a used set of irons (Ping G2's, if you must know) that have an almost vertical "lie angle." That means that if I swing those irons "like a Ferris wheel," the face of the club is perfectly aligned down range, and the ball invariably goes straight. Second, I discovered the benefits of a "short" backswing. I don't allow my left arm to go beyond the point where it is parallel to the ground on the backswing, but on the "other side," I extend my follow through as long as I can. Incredibly, the shortened backswing greatly improves my "ball striking," but does not compromise my distance at all. In fact, I am hitting the ball slightly farther now than I was with a "full" backswing.
A typical round for me now (9 holes) is one or two strokes over par. The only holes that give me trouble are the par 4's that are significantly more than 400 yards, simply because I have a hard time going that far in two strokes (I'm 63 now).
I wonder if I could sell this.