I take no pleasure in presenting this perspective regarding educators of the game (of which I am one) and swing aids. But my first-hand view is what it is when I am wearing my athlete’s hat and only my athlete’s hat, and it may help enlighten anyone wanting to play golf better. The plain, unimposing fact is
As I prepare to move on to a different subject for a while, I may perhaps leave you with more questions than answers about a golf swing, but they are questions that if asked and answered honestly will set one on the path to developing and making the best golf swing he or she is capable of achieving at any given moment in time. Few good players and teachers will argue that taking a proper grip on a golf club is the foundation of a good golf swing. Though I still fundamentally believe in this assertion more often than not, recently I have been pondering if maybe I am wrong about this whole thing. I find today that I am only able to stand behind this premise probably about
Do you ever feel intimidated or down about your golf swing because so many players are readily able to distinguish between as little as two grams (about one fourteenth of an ounce) of change in golf club headweight? Perhaps you have seen component catalogs where, with all else being equal, the difference in weight between golf shaft models varies by approximately the weight of a dime. Are you able to notice a variance in grip size that differs in diameter by just one sixty-forth of an inch? These statements are a bit oversimplified, but a large percentage of golfers can indeed tell the difference between such amounts when attending to their swings. Wow! That certainly indicates how difficult it is to swing a golf club well and portrays formidability, does it not? Well, think again.
I really get a kick out of many of the commercials or infomercials for swing aids. In the background of the setting may sit at least one golf club and some golf balls to give the appearance of a more “professional” look, and the advertisement is often filmed or taped at a nice outdoor driving range to boot. There in the center of the frame is someone performing something with a swing aid that might perhaps help one’s swing to look prettier or more traditional, yet
I cannot say that I am commonly a fan of golf swinging aids. I admit I really do not know much of what is out there for the purpose, as I pay virtually no attention to such things. My reasons for such an attitude will become clearer in a moment. As someone who is in the profession, I would think if anything were around that worked to any useful degree to help players develop their golf swings, I would be aware of it. But I see nothing. Like so much of my approach, a good deal of my experience comes from
Most great golfers in history have recorded how they developed and applied their golf swings, documentation that can be studied if desired. Despite this fact, I can understand why so many players might prefer a more personalized approach and interaction in the course of formulating and maintaining their golf swings. Given my experience of how comparatively simple a golf swing is to master, am I therefore insinuating that all golf teachers who believe a golf swing is difficult are lying?
I can feel here that many are thinking it is pompous to say a golf swing is not hard when the preacher is able to hit the ball well. When I say that a golf swing is relatively easy however,
Perhaps here I should briefly break down the word “easy” into physical and psychological components as it pertains to swinging a golf club. When I have not swung a golf club in a while and then get back to practicing or playing, I am physically every bit as stiff, sore, and fatigued in the days following as I ever was when resuming work after a layoff at baseball or any other sport I used to play. While enduring this discomfort, at least I am encouraged that
My recent posts have been directed at stating how much easier it is to hit a golf ball compared to so many other activities in life. I will dissect this a little more here. Making a golf swing at a driving range can be analogously likened to
As one who has spent the first half of his life playing predominantly baseball (along with several other sports also), and the second half working at golf, I can tell you from firsthand experience how easy, comparatively speaking, it is to develop a swing and whack at an object that is just sitting still as opposed to swinging at and hitting something that is in motion. To gain a better perspective,