My biggest fear

I have an occasional daymare (that’s a daydream nightmare scenario) that I am not practicing the most efficient way.

I know that the only thing you can do is put in the time and keep working on your weaknesses, but at times I wonder if how I am going about it is the best way possible.  I would hate to think that I am working 30+ hours a week for 6 years just to realize that a lot of that time was spent back-peddling. There is nothing better than those moments when you realize that you are truly improving, but they don’t happen all of the time, it’s just the nature of the learning-curve beast.  For every two steps forward you are bound to have one in reverse along the way.

I don’t mind this, it’s just the way it is, but during those back-stepping days there is that voice from deep down questioning the angle of attack. With so many countless golf “learning tools” who’s to say what works and what does not?  My coach is a believer in teaching me how to coach myself and become an independent golfer.  That is important because out on the course you can’t have a coach, or training aids, with you and if something starts going wrong you have to be able to fix it through proprioception and context clues (as in, what the ball is doing and why).  I appreciate this point of view and am in fact learning, albeit slowly, how to self correct for swing and putting flaws.  Still, what if this was more like a Rocky IV scenario and I was Drago, surrounded by the most advanced tools and technology around.

Hmm, I guess if that was the case some self-taught roughneck would come along and pounce me, perhaps it’s better that I’m the self-taught roughneck!  There we go!

I quite enjoy practicing 6 days a week.  I love the grind of trying to push myself a little further, and of learning something new every day about the game and about myself.  At times, though, I have a case of the “what ifs.”  I should  never think this way, but in our society of training tips and quick fixes it inevitably brings up the question of “what if.”

However, after talking with my coach at great length yesterday, I am certain we are on the right path and the only way to find my way out of this thicket of beginner golf is to believe in my route.  There are so many wrong turns along the way, and everyone (for the most part with good intentions) wants to offer advice or training tools, but listening to them just creates confusion.  This past week, I started looking up swing info online and asked a few people around the course for advice on a swing flaw that was bothering me and ended up in a complete state of confusion to the point where I actually gave up hitting balls yesterday morning.  The good news is that I had a lesson scheduled in the afternoon so didn’t miss much time.  Christopher had me straightened out in five minutes and after the hour lesson I now have new homework and a new course set for the coming week.

Long story short, find a good coach and listen to that person for as long as you are getting better.  And, give it time.  Improvement is not, usually, instantaneous or overnight, give your instructor an adequate amount of time to improve.  If you level off for long periods of time, then it is time to start looking for a new coach.  That is, as long as you are grinding away on your own time too. You have to have faith in your course.   Do not let those eyes fall from the pole star, for it can be a dark night out there. To close, here’s a picture of my pitching wedge in it’s current state.  As you can see, I’ve spent a bit of time away from the sweet spot  Guess that is inevitable when it’s the club that you learn to hit the ball with.

This club is now six months old.