Struggles

There are a lot of promises made by unscrupulous and dishonest golf teachers and club manufacturers. If you were to believe the hype, you could find yourself very disappointed by the fact that the new club didn't have you hitting it thirty yards farther off the tee, or dead straight every time; or buying that video didn't make you capable of never slicing. Golf isn't like that. If it sounds too good to be true, it's because it is.

Bobby Jones was the greatest player of his generation--and perhaps of all time. And he had some really valuable observations and advice for all golfers. He saw no virtue in trying to develop the mythical repeating golf swing because he knew it didn't exist. He didn't believe in golfers trying to break the golf swing down, or trying to swing the club according to Hoyle because he knew the secret was in the strike--not the swing.

Bobby Jones understood that golf was a game of struggles. He understood that champions were champions because of their ability to deal with the inevitable struggles that every round brought. He believed in being determined, and resourceful, in dealing with troubles, and said he won championships because he tried harder and was wiling to take more punishment than his opponents--not because he had managed to groove the perfect swing.

Bobby finally learned, still as a young man, that perfection simply wasn't attainable in golf. You simply will never hit it dead solid perfect every time no matter what equipment you buy, or how long you labour on the practice tee. He said that he played his best no more than six times a year; and in those best rounds he would hit no more than six shots--other than putts--exactly as planned. And he was the greatest player of his time. 

If we believe Bobby Jones--and we should--we should accept and be prepared for trouble in every round; and we should not be disappointed on the days when we have more trouble than normal. With that mindset, coupled with the resolve to never give up, we can be the best golfer we can be. Or, we can buy the latest club, or video, that promises us the world. It's really up to us.

Dead Aim

I haven't been writing for some time now because my game has been in the doldrums. When you can't score, you tend to feel like you're in no position to suggest to others what they should be doing on the golf course, even if the advice you're giving comes from golf's greatest players.

But recently Steve and I rediscovered the one thing every golfer must do to play their best golf. Harvey Penick had perhaps the best advice you can give to any golfer. He said we must "take dead aim." Golf is a target game. And the best golfers are able to choose, and then commit to hitting, a specific target. That target may not necessarily be the pin, or the exact centre of the fairway, but it is a specific target.

Too many golfers stand on the tee and just try to hit the fairway. The fact is that a thirty yard fairway is simply not a specific enough target to enable you to take dead aim and for your mind body to perform at its best. It would be like playing darts and just trying to hit the board instead of the bullseye. Your target needs to be something small, like the white 150 yard marker in the middle of the fairway. When hitting into the green, the target might not necessarily be the flagstick. But it can't be vague enough to be just hitting the green.

Of course, taking dead aim means identifying your target, properly aiming your clubface at that target and then making a swing with direct intention of hitting the ball to that target. And while that may sound obvious, it is amazing how often we don't do it. When I think of taking dead aim, I can't think of a better example than Jack Nicklaus and the obvious care he took to aim at his target. Jack said that most shots were missed before the club was even taken back, emphasizing the need for setting up to hit your target and having the correct mental attitude.

After another frustrating round today, I realized that I had been caught up in thinking about my golf swing instead of taking dead aim. When I mentioned it to Steve, who was also struggling, he realized he was doing the same thing. We played the last few holes telling eachother what our target was. We didn't always hit it. But we both played better. In fact, I finished with back to back birdies.

The time to think about your swing is on the practice range. When you hit the links, it's time to take dead aim. That's the way to play golf.