05 Jan Think Twice Before Asking for Advice!
Last week during a lesson with one of my students, I couldn’t help but overhear two other golfers practicing on the driving range.
In just FIVE minutes I heard the following banter. It was so unbelievable that I had to quickly go to my note pad and write down what I had just witnessed. Take a moment and reflect back to a time when maybe you either witnessed or actually took part in the following scenario.
From one golfer to another, here was just a sampling of the conversation: “Keep your head down. Swing easy. Watch how I do it. Keep your left arm straight. Swing through the ball and finish. You are rising up. Keep your feet still. You are swinging like a baseball bat, swing like this. You are topping the ball, stay down.”
Now don’t get me wrong, these guys were having a blast beating golf balls out in the range. And that was just what they were doing, beating balls. One guy was the leader/teacher helping his friend.
As I think about this, it may also be the advice you are given either from your playing partners, friends, spouse or even your teacher. You may even be partly to blame for all this advice.
How any times have you turned to the person next to you and asked, “What am I doing wrong?” One thing you can count on for sure, your golf friends don’t want to disappoint you so they will answer you with some of “their” swing thoughts which may or may not work for them.
Most of the time you are just reacting to the result of the golf shot you just hit. If you topped the ball, you hear keep your head down from your friends. If you fall off balance, you hear swing through the shot. And, if you swing the club like a baseball bat, you hear keep your feet still.
What I have learned from teaching and coaching students is that golfers always want to know everything that is going on with their golf swing/game. What I know for certain is that when I suggest a change, that one change will affect many more things in your golf swing. That is why I go to the “root” cause of any swing issues you may have. Thus you will leave the lesson tee with “one” swing thought.
Without the proper supervision, you are going to adjust to every swing you make. You are going to “try” and manipulate the golf club/swing to make the golf ball do what you want it to do. That is why with one swing you may top the ball and the next swing you may hit two inches behind the ball.
On the other hand, if you just rely on “one” swing thought or focus, you will begin to achieve the results you so desire.