USGolfer.net Golf Tip for October, 2001.

What did I do Wong?

This is the number one question asked in golf. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that question, I probably wouldn’t be working today. The fact is most golfers will spend their entire golfing life trying to figure out what they did wrong on every shot.

When one shot goes to the right they roll their hands on the next and hit it left. When the ball goes too far to the left they open the club face and the ball slices to the right. To correct the slice they move the ball position forward and the ball goes high and short and so on and so on. Yet, when they hit a good shot they don’t spend any time trying to figure out what they did right. When you think about it, does that make sense? Of course it doesn’t.

There is no other sport or activity that I know of, where people analyze their mistakes more than golf. As teachers, we are partly to blame because we have all taught some players in the manner. Quick fix lessons I call them, where a student just wants to change the result without really finding the root cause of the problem. Quick fixes can stimulate the student to concentrate and improve temporarily but will really last more that a few days of weeks. This is perhaps the reason that although score at the professional level continue to go lower, the average golfer still plays golf to an 18 to 20 handicap.

Professional and top amateur players know what they are doing correctly and spend their time perfecting it. They don’t dwell on their last bad shot or change their method to correct every mistake. As golfer and human beings, we all make mistakes. Good players accept bad shots as simple mistakes and continue concentrating on making a proper swing on the next shot.

To improve your game and handicap, get away from the "what did I do wrong" approach to playing and learning golf. Spend time on making sure your fundamentals are correct and you concept of the swing if sound.

Be precise with your alignment, your grip and posture. Then swing the club freely making an athletic motion away from your target and then back toward your target. Your arms should be free of tension while holding the club with only enough pressure to control the length of it and the speed that you intend to swing. The object is to swing your arms from your shoulders while holding the club with your hands. Like baseball and tennis, golf is about controlling the object in your hands, not the one on the ground. The better you get at swinging the club, the better the call will fly and the better your results will be.

In your next round or practice session, keep your head up and focus on "what to do right". Stay positive and optimistic about your next swing and remember, "The most important show in golf is your next one!"
If you would like instruction from Bill Mory, you can learn more about him and his course by visiting meridiansun.usgolfer.net

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