The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

It will be very unlikely I will be adding any new courses to the list the rest of the golfing season which is getting extended by some nice late November and early December weather.  I am going to write about the first of what I call the four true facts about trying to hit the golf ball reasonalbly well. The swing is not the thing. There has been as much written about the golf swing as any subject known to man. There are different methods, different instructor philosophies and many ideas on the best way to learn this tough frustrating game.  If you have read only 1% of all books that have been written on the subject and then turn on your TV set to watch the greatest players in the world play this game you have to wonder, did any of these guys even take a lesson. Yes, there are some classic swings out there like Ernie Els, Luke Donald, and Adam Scott. But for everyone of them there are 10 Paul Goydoses, John Daleys, Jim Furyks and Lee Trevinos, just to name a few. What I like about all the TV commentators is they always talk about what all these guys are doing right. I think the golfing public would be better served if they showed what all these players are doing technically wrong. Just looking at the four players just mentioned here are some of the things you could list. They stand too close to the ball, they aim left, they overswing, they get shut faced at the top, they take the club back outside the line, they get real loose at the top of the swing, their clubhead points right of the target at the top of the swing, and their clubhead points left of the target at the top of the swing.  I am not being critical of these players. They are all great players that have had great careers through hard work and dedication. The point is, if these same players had 5 handicaps and came to you for a lesson you would probably change at least 3 or 4 things that they are doing from an instruction standpoint. If you look at the top 100 money winners on all 3 tours and I am willing to bet that you could find at least 4 technical flaws in at least 85% of those players. So what can the rest of us take from all of this. If you handicap is 15 or less don’t worry about your swing. Don’t worry if you get shut faced at the top, or your right knee is giving in, or you swing is too long or too short. The great players of past and present have gotten along quite fine with their swing flaws. One of the things you always hear is that one of the reasons professionals are able to get away with those swing flaws is how much time they spend on their games. That may be true but every pro spends a lot of time and effort on their swing. If there was one technically superior way to swing that golf club then that pro would be dominating the tour like no ever has before. So from Nicklaus’s flying right elbow to Palmer’s twisting finish the swing is not the thing.