MOST GOLFER’S PLACE TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON THEIR SWING – TO THEIR OWN DETRIMENT
If you have ever spent any time on a golf course, you have likely heard numerous golfers complaining about their golf swing. Often if they are not complaining about it, they are busy over-analyzing it and focusing on what they need to do to fix it. The fact is, most golfers would achieve better scores with a solid mental approach and a horrible swing, than a great swing and a horrible mental game.
Professional golfers such as Jim Furyk, Raymond Floyd, Miller Barber and Nancy Lopez have all had very successful golf careers, with what most people would consider far from textbook swings. Reggie Miller, who was one of the best long range shooters in the history of the NBA, had a weird looking shot. Successful NFL quarterback Billy Kilmer threw such ugly passes that Washington Redskin fans adopted the slogan, “Wobble us a win” during his tenure there.
Can you imagine how long Reggie Miller and Billy Kilmer would have lasted in their pro leagues if they were consumed with the need to change their shooting motion and passing form respectively? Fortunately, they were both focused upon working on all the other things that made a difference in their games. Ironically, they both attended college at UCLA where legendary coach John Wooden was fond of saying, “Don’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you can do.” Unfortunately, far too many golfers waste a lot of time and money on things that may not make much difference in their game, instead of working on the things that might make a big difference.
Gary Player (who has won nine majors), has been playing practice rounds with Ernie Els prior to the Masters for years. Player stated this week that, “On three of those occasions, he was swinging so well that I said to him: ‘You’re going to win,’ and he missed the cut all three times.” A good golf swing is like having a lot of money. It’s nice to have, but not guaranteed to solve your problems.
There are examples in almost every sport of players with unorthodox styles thriving at the highest levels. So how can this be? I always say when you work on the inside it shows on the outside. It’s not easy to develop the mental and physical routines that lead to consistency. Consistent performance is what separates the men from the boys, and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. It is much easier, and more fun, to go to the range and hit buckets of balls while working on your swing, than it is to do the more regimented work necessary to improve your mental game.
The bottom line is that while a good swing is certainly desirable, it is not a panacea. If you want to improve your golf game, you need to get out of your comfort zone and have the self-discipline to work on the things that are not as immediately gratifying as hitting that little ball a long ways.
