Golf Swing Perspectives, First From the Game’s Non-Athletes . . .

Golf indeed allows players to participate in the game who would figuratively be eaten alive in most any other sport.  Among numerous factors for this truth is that raw, physical strength and conditioning demands are not as great in order to excel at golf.  This can be a favorable aspect as we all begin to age and would like to remain active and competitive, and is surely one basis for the expression that golf is “the game for a lifetime” (I do not know who gets the credit for that expression, but it is not me).

Based upon the same requisites, however, there is also another true, albeit unflattering, expression that can absolutely be applied to some players of golf.  Beginning with but not limited to those portrayed in my last post, it is also said that “golfers are not really athletes” (I do not know who gets the credit for that one either).  Just due to the nature of the game, there are many, many golfers who have never experienced multiple other matters of athletic performance.  It shows rather obviously.  They may not know how much plain old physical practice ought be expected to build sufficient strength, coordination, and habit, how much variance there can be in styles while still being able to achieve very high success, how important the physical motion is relative to smarts in achieving that very high success, and how and why equipment alterations may change one’s performance basis along with how important that particular factor is.  Other missing experience might include not knowing how much legal and expected trickery, cunning and deceit are utilized while engaged in even the normal playing, performing, and true spirit of most athletic competitions in order to emerge victorious, on both physical and psychological levels.  Concerning team sports, when involved in an intense competition for more playing time or perhaps for a team record as examples, one might even become suspicious of one’s own teammates, let alone the opposing team or someone on the outside trying to solicit you to take playing lessons or use other teaching aids.

This is not a reflection on the overall intelligence of golfers residing in the “non-athletic” division of players.  I am exactly the same regarding any field that I have a limited amount of experience at.  But for reasons including that the “sport” (and I use the term very loosely in this instance) of golf does not commonly entail the same kind of sporting exposure as in most other athletic endeavors, many in this group (not excluding untold instructors and others) can be extremely naïve concerning golf swing difficulty.  It can be somewhat easy to take advantage of these unsuspecting victims if desired.  One noted example is in the regularly spread notion that lesser-skilled players have golf swing “faults” rather than the greater truth that they simply have golf swings that are not as highly “developed” as professionals.  Many touring players earn millions with the same swing “faults” that you may have.