CONCEPTS NEEDED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR

POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVEMENT AND ENJOYMENT

Golf is an interesting game. It is parallel to life. It can tune you up or knock you down. Golf is easy. It gives you exactly what you ask for, every time, without any argument. Did you want anger or joy? Pleasure or pain? High blood pressure or heart health? No problem. You got it. Golf is the most difficult sport on the planet to play at the highest level. It is the easiest sport to play at the level of enjoyment. You should do everything you can to have fun. When you have fun, you are improving. As you get better, you have more fun. Over the years, I have been able to gather the information that I believe is needed to maximize its potential for enjoyment. I would never claim to be able to help you with your swing. What I know is how to help you have more fun.

THE THREE NOBLE TRUTHS

TRUTH # 1

You need a repeatable procedure to locate a reliable swing. I once heard Jack Nicholas say that one of the main reasons he went out into the practice area before a round was to see what kind of swing he was going to have that day. You need to be able to locate YOUR SWING every time you go out to practice or play! There is a way to do that. The basis for this is to eliminate all the variables in your warm-up routine.

1. Always start your warm-up with a seven iron. Its length is right in the middle of the set. Start with your hands locked to the end of the stick. The less club you have in hand, the more control you have over the club.

2. Begin your warm-up by trying to find the power of pure impact with the smallest, slowest, and smoothest swing you can make. Try to see how small the swing you can do, try to see how slow you can do it, try to see how smoothly you can hit the ball. This will help your mind focus on the impact zone of the swing. By the way, when I talk about slow swings, I don’t mean tempo, I mean clubhead speed. Try not to accelerate the head of any club. DO NOT watch the flight of the ball for any of the first ten to twenty swings (if you can). Concentrate on the swing itself, and don’t bother with the outcome of the swing.

Once you are hitting them purely with a three “S” swing, begin to slowly build the swing, until you reach a point in swing size where you can no longer rely on the result. That is the size of your swing for that day. If you strive to maintain that swing, you will maximize your potential for fun.

TRUTH # 2

YOU MUST BE DEDICATED TO THE CONCEPT OF MAXIMIZING YOUR POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS AND MINIMIZING YOUR CHANCE OF FAILURE! The basis of this truth is knowing what you can and cannot do. You can maximize your potential for success by only attempting the shots that you are confident you can make. Take this concept to the extreme … minimize your opinion of your ability and play from that point of view. That way, you will be satisfied with their performance more often. Here are some more ideas you can use to increase your level of enjoyment …

1. Keep score only in every fifth round. Play the other 4 rounds with the goal of hitting as many good shots in a row as you can. During those 4 rounds, don’t look for any shots on the O’BYSS. Drop the ball in the middle of the fairway, in a perfect position, where you imagine it would have landed if it had been hit well.

2. Add a stroke to par for each hole to decrease the pressure associated with having to hit a big shot. Did you know that a stroke added to each hole is a 90? This idea will allow you …

3. Forget the greens in regulation.

4. Take to the field, only those clubs that you can hit with extreme confidence.

5. Try shooting “ghost” golf from the bow tees, before returning to the next set of tees. Strive to increase the difficulty levels slowly.

6. On all approach shots, take the club that has TWO more clubs than you think you need so that your mind allows you to swing a swing that you can control.

7. Always take your medicine! Forget about hero shots. Always, strategy with an emphasis on conservatism.

Remember, a 600-yard par five is a hole that must be within 4 strokes of the putt. You have a 150 yard shot in your bag, right? Approaching golf from this angle will allow you to increase your potential for success.

TRUTH # 3

THE ASPECT OF RESPECT

1. GAME

2. GOLFER

3. GOLF COURSE

Truth # 3 involves knowing a little about the majesty of golf. Golf is the ultimate game elevated above “stupid nonsense.” It is a game of silent jubilation. A game of tactics, skill, integrity and GOOD behavior. Let’s tackle the aspect (s) of respect backwards.

RESPECT FOR THE GOLF COURSE

Damage caused by the golfer. You’re going to hurt the golf course. REPAIR YOUR DAMAGE! Consider repairing other damages as well. When you take a divot off the street, replace it. Most divots come out in one piece and only fly a few meters away at most. How difficult is it to walk to the divot, pick it up, and return it to the excavation site? Are you really trying to avoid so much exercise? Did you know that a cleft that remains like an open wound will take between one and three months to partially repair? A chop full of sand will take a month to repair down the road. A chop with the herb returned to the gouge and rammed begins its repair process in a week. If you actually hit the green with your approach shots, (yes, sure) you will notice dents created by the impact of the golf ball. You’ve seen them, haven’t you? Some golfers call them ball brands, good golfers call them infuriating. Have you ever walked over or through one? The greens need to be smooth, you know, so you can play them. Learn how to properly repair these teeth, repair them, and repair any others you may find while you wait to get them pulled. Golf cart damage. Be aware of where you are driving. Dispersion of cars in different access points. Don’t drive through the middle. Do not park on the green or on the tee. Cars do more damage than anything else. Except maybe the “bulldozer” principle. Or the golfer who cares about nothing but himself. Although I have only played golf with very few women, I have never seen one that did not repair her damage. Not one. FOLLOWING ………..

RESPECT FOR GOLF

Golf is a game of Quiet Jubilation (and silent despair) Shut up! It’s not that a golfer can’t hit a golf ball while people are yelling, it’s that golf is a decent game where everyone just SHUTS UP! Once you realize how much this game can help you learn to focus, you will appreciate the solitude that your golf partners provide. Maintaining solitude allows introspection and harmony. Sun Tsu “For the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders” But this is only the second most important part of this portion of respect. The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of respect in this category is the PACE OF PLAY. Nobody really has 6 hours to commit to an activity that they don’t even enjoy. That’s the only thing about golf: a round takes a long time to play. And that’s if you play at a fast pace! If the whole course is bogged down by a couple of clumsy, self-indulgent idiot quatrains, it could take all day to finish. And you won’t be happy or calm at the end of the round. In other words, you’ve defeated the whole reason you went out to play golf. In addition to being calm during the game, you need to keep an eye out for other golfers playing so that you can play “ready” golf safely and allow each player’s best potential. Here are more things you can do to show your respect for other golfers (but by no means are these all things you can do)! Stay out of the line of all the putts of any player. 2. Stay out of the line of sight of all players during any hit. 3. If you are a beginner, pick up after a double bogey in the hole, no matter where that happens in the hole. Be extremely aware of the pace of play. You can make a lot of shots without stopping anyone. General awareness of good behavior is important. This is just the beginning. It is up to you to collect the rest. FINALLY ………….

RESPECT FOR THE GAME

I know you are tired, so I will be brief. I talked about all of this during this article. Golf is a game of dignity, respect, and quiet joy. Appreciate the opportunity you have to communicate with your friends or your spouse. Enjoy the majesty of nature for a few hours. Let me take the stress out of you. See how many good changes in a row you can make. Try to allow yourself to enjoy the moment.

Forget about the last one and think about the next one. Encourage yourself and others. Seek pleasure in golf. Make it easier to find.

Good luck and have fun now ……..

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