Happy New Year to everyone and a BIG THANKS to all of you who take the time to visit and read my blog.
Another festive season is over and the 2010 golf season is getting nearer. What are your plans for your golf this year, have you decided what improvements will be made, whether it is to take lessons, play more or less, practice more or just to lighten up and really enjoy your golf.
Whatever it is have you really decided?
Have you made a written commitment to yourself, in detail about what your plans are for this years golf?
The word decision comes from a Greek word which means to cut off, once you have made a true decision you have burnt your bridges, there is no going back. So, have you decided or is it just an idea, a notion that a change in behaviour would be good? If it is just a notion, please do not be disappointed if you find your self right back where you started in your "comfort zone", I know you do not want to take the step or steps back, the challenge is stepping out of your comfort zone and staying there, making continued progress forward, whether they are small steps or giant leaps does not matter, just keep moving.
Golf is a challenging game and when you begin to make changes they feel uncomfortable, change usually does, the feeling does not last though, you do get used to the change. Performance can sometimes go down, the shots you hit are not as good or consistent, remember that is why you wanted to change in the first place. Stay focused on what happens, the facts, the truths and learn to do something different. Explore what is possible, get used to change and variety and be curious about your golf game.
What I see on the driving ranges around the world are golfers hitting balls, looking for the elusive perfect swing. On a good day hitting between 5-10 good shots out of a bucket of 50 and then expecting to go and play well with a success rate of between 10-20%. Golf is game of misses not perfect shots. Nick Faldo was once quoted as saying that in a round of golf if he hit 5 or 6 shots just as he had planned that was a good day, if that is what Nick Faldo is looking for what about you?
It is not how good your good shots are, it is how good your bad shots are. If your bad shots find the fairway or the green, well done. If they do not they need improving. In one of the earlier posts on my blog I explained that if you are 1mm off centre at the point when you hit the ball at 150m you will be 6m off target. A dimple is 4mm, now at 150m you are 24m off target. Now, I am very good at what I do and I am sure you have talent, how do you feel a 4mm change in your downswing?
You have to decide what you want to happen on every shot. Exactly where do you want the ball to finish. You may aim for the fairway, if you hit the fairway after topping the ball 50m be happy, you hit the fairway. If you had decided you wanted the ball to finish on the left side of the fairway 200m from the tee and the ball flight was to be a slight draw and after the shot the ball finished 190m from the tee, flew in a straight line and in the middle of the fairway, you did a pretty good job. If you topped it 50m, you still have work to do!
Decide exactly what you want to happen and see how close you get to achieving it, that is the challenge. If your misses improve so will your golf, there is one thing guaranteed you will hit bad shots or you will hit shots that finish where you did not intend them to finish. Deal with it, move on and play the next one. Learn from it though, what happened? Which part of the ball did you hit and what position was the clubface in? At least then your unconscious mind can learn something and do something else the next time.
Have a great 2010, I intend to and I have decided!
Until next time Keep Smiling, Living and Learning!
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