“I hate this game! I hate it! Why do I play this stupid game? I quit - I’m never playing again!” Henry blasted himself.
I heard Henry as he was walking to his car and wondered why he was so down on himself. Henry is a hard worker, I see him at least once a week hitting balls on the practice range. I’ll be going to the first tee with a Golf Made Simple class to do our on-course Instruction and there will be Henry banging balls on the practice range - one after another – “looking for the magic”.
I approached Henry and asked -
“What is wrong? Why do you hate golf? The last time I saw you practicing on the range, you had a smile on your face and you gave me the thumbs up.” Henry says, “Marc, I'm so frustrated with this game. I put everything I got into trying to play better. And just when I think I got it, I go out on the course, like I did today. I...I…I…I go out and embarrass myself. I get so mad by the 7th or 8th hole that I can’t even bring myself to play the back 9 holes.”
“Henry those are the words of a frustrated golfer - or should I say - The words of a frustrated golfer that knows he could do better than he is doing. Do you really hate golf?
Or are your expectations too high for your present skill level? I find it extremely important to truly know what your skill level is and then understand – ‘OK, this is what I score, at this point if I get upset at myself for every little mistake I make, I will never allow myself to get better!”
Henry usually scores between 92 and 102 (except for the occasional ‘blow-up round’ where he scores around 107, but he also has rounds where his 1 mulligan a side allows him to stay in the high 90’s). Henry has a deep desire to break 90 for the first time. And on top of that, he has the desire to score in the low 80’s every time he plays. These are very admirable goals.
So I said -
“Henry, these are fantastic goals. And I know you'll achieve them. First, we need to outline what aspects of your game you need to improve to reach these goals. Too many times Golfers feel as though if they go to the driving range once a week to hit golf balls, they should expect to get better.”
“But Marc,” Henry said, “Isn’t hitting the ball better, the key to lower scores?” If I go to the range once a week, I should be able to hit one or two buckets and learn to hit the ball straight. This way I will soon be in the low 80’s.”
“Henry, how long have you been trying to score in the low 80’s?”
“For about 5 years”, Henry answered.
“Henry, how long have you had the routine of going to the range and trying to hit the ball straight?” I could tell Henry could see where I was going by the bashful smile on his face. “Well Marc, I've been doing this on and off for 2 or 3 years. Is this not enough? Do I need to go to the range more often?”
“Henry, before we say you need to go to the range more often, tell me what you do when you go to the range? What's your routine? What's your PLAN?” Henry looks at me and with a confused look in his eyes and says, “What do you mean by PLAN? I go out and hit golf balls and try to make them go straight down the middle. If I want to hit the ball better, I need to learn to hit the ball straight! If I can’t do that, I’ll never score in the low 80’s.”
“What I mean by PLAN is – what are you doing to learn to hit the ball straight? The key to playing better golf has many factors involved. And consistency is a factor.”
“Yes, that’s what I want – consistency! That's what I'm practicing – hitting the ball consistently straight. That’s why I go to the range!”, Henry interrupted.
“OK Henry, I understand. But, let’s look at a way we can put some consistency into your practice time. Many Golfers feel that if they pound ball after ball after ball, they will get it. I wish it were that easy. I’ve been around many great Players in my life and if there’s one thing they all have in common, it’s that they come to the practice range with a PLAN in their head on what they want to accomplish.
“See most Golfers expect to go out to the range and learn to hit the ball straight in that one session. The better Players know that isn’t going to happen. They go to work on one thing at a time. They go to the range with the thought of working on one small aspect of their swing only – and it isn’t just trying to hit the ball straight.”
I continued -
“And the most important part of this routine is they do not venture away from their PLAN for that day. Most regular Golfers will go out to work just on hitting the ball straight. They might magically find something that works for a few swings and softly say to themselves ‘I got it, I got it’, and then just as fast as it appeared, it disappears. Henry, what does this Golfer do next? He starts to tinker with other things to try and recapture those straight shots. Then after a half-hour of tinkering with diminishing results, he leaves the range in frustration hating the game.”
“That’s me! That's me! Have you seen me at the range practicing and getting frustrated?” Henry asked. “Each time I go out to practice, I get ‘it’ - for a few swings. Then it disappears. I hate that!”
“Well Henry, this happens to everybody - even the best Players. Though, you know why it doesn’t happen to them as much? Because they come to the practice range with a PLAN and they don’t venture from that PLAN. They stick with it and they don’t expect miracles. They know if they get just a little better every time they practice, that after a few times to the practice range, they will be that much better. But the average Golfer goes to the practice range thinking and expecting to solve all their swing flaws within hitting a few buckets of balls. So they always leave frustrated.
How do the best Players leave each practice session? They leave like they accomplished something and can’t wait to practice again. They feel so much more satisfied with themselves than the regular Golfer. And that satisfaction turns into confidence on the golf course!”
“I want to practice like that! I want to feel like I am getting better every time I’m on the practice range! I want to become more consistent!” Henry said with so much hope and energy.
“Well Henry, first you’ll need to …….”
Look for the solution that will help Henry become more consistent in next week’s Golf Made Simple – Golf Improvement Weekly – as we outline what it takes to become more consistent and confident.
Though, what points were made in this Chapter of "Why Henry Hates Golf!"
Set realistic expectations - if you're scoring from 95 to 105 - it's great to want to break into the 80's, but first you need score a 93 before you can score an 89. If you put too much pressure on yourself to have to score 44 on the front 9, you'll end up with a 49. And when you see that 49, you'll put too much pressure on yourself to score a 40 on the back. And if you're trying to score 44 and end up with a 49 .... what will happen if you over-reach too much and try for a 40? Well, by the 15th hole when that 40 is out of reach.... you'll be happy to be walking off the 18th green with a 50-something for the back nine.
Strive for small improvements week after week - rather huge improvements everytime you play or practice.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
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Why is it that on the first tee you can always tell who's a Player and who's struggling with inconsistency. I mean even before this Golfer swings to hit the golf ball - you can tell how good a shot they're going to make. The Player just has this look about him/her - they reek of confidence that tells you that they're a Player that's going to hit a beautiful shot - to the point that even if you're not in this Player's group, you stop everything you're doing just to watch them swing. Can you picture that scenario? And I'm not talking about how they dress. It has nothing to do with their clothes - but more to do with their actions.
So what are the actions of a Player versus a Monkey?
There are so many, yet if you start on the process of making a PLAN to implement these actions yourself, you will become more consistent on the golf course without even physically trying to improve your swing - i.e. pounding balls for hours and hours. Is that possible? Yes it is! Can it really be done? Yes it can! We see it every day.
And yet a lot of what the Monkeys are doing is learned by watching and listening to other Monkeys. And in a way it's almost sad to think of it this way, but some Golfers are doing things exactly the way other Monkeys have told you to do it and it's not helping and actually it could be contributing to your inconsistency.
For example - I was at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando a couple of years ago to see all the new stuff that was coming out this year. Coincedentally that year they added an Indoor Hitting area that allowed you try out all the new equipment. The best way to describe it is - I could've stayed there and hit balls all day trying out all the new equipment we had to choose from and then came back the next day and do it again!
I'm standing in the Sonartec Golf Club tent waiting to take my turn to hit one of their clubs and there was a Pro that had just finished hitting some golf balls. He comes back to the tent and says "I don't care what anyone says, I like when the ball goes out on a line drive. The ball goes much farther when it goes out like that. That's the only way to get more distance, not hitting it high like they're telling us we should!"
Now to me that’s arrogance.
Why arrogance? Because it's been proven by the club manufactors that the longer the ball can stay in the air, the farther it's traveling. Yet, this Golf Pro doesn't believe it - even though the results show it to be true - so guess what he's probably teaching Golfers that are coming to him for Golf Lessons? He's most likely teaching these eager Golfers how not to hit the golf ball as far as they have potential to hit it. To me that’s arrogance - meaning this Golf Pro believes he's smarter than what's been proven by all the Golf Club companies to be true - the longer the ball stays in the air, the farther it's going. That's why many of the PGA Tour Pros are putting away their 7 degree Drivers and replacing them with 9, 9.5 and 10 degree Drivers. But if you were friendly with this one Pro, you'd be going backwards!
I'm also disturbed because I just read an article that stated that you should never use your pitching wedge or sand wedge around the green. And that you need to get the ball on the ground and rolling as soon as you can. Again I find this to be disappointing because if this is true than Phil Mickelson and the other PGA and LPGA Tour Pro's that play tournament golf for a living must be doing it all wrong - because let me tell you - these Touring Pro’s aren't using their Sand Wedges and Lob Wedges just to get out of the sand.
Please, someone show me proof that everybody should get the ball on the ground as soon as possible. I know getting the ball on the ground ASAP is what everybody has heard they're entire golfing life and I'm not saying you shouldn't get the ball rolling if that's "Your Best Shot". But, there are many Golfers out there whose "Best Shot" is the High Shot. They can just picture the ball going up in the air and landing on the spot they pictured. And we’ve found many Golfers who have had better results with the Medium Shot. So to me, for this Pro to say that everybody should get the ball rolling as soon as possible - because this is the shot that this Pro plays when they're on the golf course - is arrogant. To assume that every Golfer should play the exact same style as this Golf Pro plays themselves is wrong.
Play your best shot on the golf course - not my best shot!
My best shot is my best shot - it might not be yours. Trust me, if I had a choice to play my best shot or your best shot - I'd play mine. And if you have a choice to play your best shot or my best shot - you'd be better off playing yours!
Don't include yourself in the My Way or the Highway School of Teaching Golf - it will only lead you down a path of inconsistency.
But, back to my point about being a Player.
It's so easy to tell who's going to hit the ball well before they hit it. The common theme I see with a Monkey that walks up to their golf ball to hit it off the first tee is that they tee the ball too low. Why, because they've probably popped up a few too many Drives and they were told by another Monkey that they need to tee the ball lower - and maybe they've also been told that they need to hit the ball on a line drive to get more distance? Then I see them stand next to the golf ball take a couple of Ornamental Practice Swings, take a step or two closer to the golf ball, stand over the ball for a couple seconds and then swing.
Ornamental Practice Swings? What's that? An Ornamental Practice swing is what most Golfers do before they hit the golf ball. What it means is that you're taking practice swings for show, for no other reason than that everybody else does it that way. So you start to think - if everybody else does it, it must be what I need to do - which is equivalent to filling out your application for initiation into the Monkey Club.
On the other hand, you can usually spot the Player because they do it almost entirely different. What does it look like? Just watch on TV when the best Players in the world are playing.
Most Players start behind the golf ball and PLAN on where they want to hit the golf ball. They then take a Rehearsal Swing or two. A Rehearsal Swing differs from an Ornamental Practice Swing because it has a purpose. It's used for the Player to say to himself or herself that this is what I need to feel on this swing. And the funny thing is that the Rehearsal Swings that the best Players in the world are doing before each shot are often not full swings and they're swung slowly as opposed to the Ornamental Practice Swings the Monkey uses that are Full Swings that are swung with as much power as they're going to use on their actual Drive.
Then the Player again looks at their target and walks to their ball while still looking at the their target so they know how to aim their club face for the shot. They then put their club on the ground behind the ball - take another look at their target, take a deep breath and swing. Now, this isn't to say that all Players do it exactly like this, because they don't. But 9 out of 10 Monkeys do it very similar to the Golfer with the Ornamental Practice Swing and 9 out of 10 Players do it very similar to the Player with the Rehearsal Swing.
So what should you be focused on?
Well, when you can watch the difference between these two different Golfers' - it's huge! The Monkey is more focused on the golf ball. The Player is more focused on preparing their PLAN to hit to a target.
This may answer why the Monkey stands over the ball for what can seem like an eternity. This may answer why the Monkey is always battling tension while standing over the ball. This may answer why the Monkey has developed so much inconsistency. And this may be part of the answer why you can hit the ball so well on the practice range and so inconsistent on the golf course!
My question is - why does every lesson you take start with your grip and then move on to swing path or swing plane or this or that. My question is why does every lesson you take is based on hitting the golf ball better on the driving range. My question is why doesn’t all these Pro's focus on establishing a PLAN before you even approach the ball. Because the difference of how these 2 Golfers (The Player and The Monkey) approach the ball is 180 Degrees different. My belief is that if you think that you first need to be able to hit the golf ball better before you need to establish a PLAN for each shot - you're going to struggle with this game longer than you had hoped for. Sadly, many Golfer think they shouldn't emulate the Pros until you can hit it like them. And because this is the method the Monkey is always taught - this is the method that the Monkey always uses!
I believe that you'll never hit the ball like The Player if you don't learn to establish a PLAN for your game like they do for theirs. You'll be amazed how much simpler it is to learn to hit the golf ball better and most importantly take that ball striking from the Driving Range to the Golf Course, after you understand what having your PLAN is about.
Watch the Players and watch the Monkeys and you'll see a big difference even before they start their swing. You'll see an even bigger difference during their swings. And thus the biggest difference being how consistent they hit the golf ball!
The Monkey believes they need to hit the ball better before they need to establish a PLAN
The Player knows that they'll never hit the ball better is they don't first have their PLAN
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
Just click here and have your speakers on!
Just click here and have your speakers on!
Why is it that on the first tee you can always tell who's a Player and who's struggling with inconsistency. I mean even before this Golfer swings to hit the golf ball - you can tell how good a shot they're going to make. The Player just has this look about him/her - they reek of confidence that tells you that they're a Player that's going to hit a beautiful shot - to the point that even if you're not in this Player's group, you stop everything you're doing just to watch them swing. Can you picture that scenario? And I'm not talking about how they dress. It has nothing to do with their clothes - but more to do with their actions.
So what are the actions of a Player versus a Monkey?
There are so many, yet if you start on the process of making a PLAN to implement these actions yourself, you will become more consistent on the golf course without even physically trying to improve your swing - i.e. pounding balls for hours and hours. Is that possible? Yes it is! Can it really be done? Yes it can! We see it every day.
And yet a lot of what the Monkeys are doing is learned by watching and listening to other Monkeys. And in a way it's almost sad to think of it this way, but some Golfers are doing things exactly the way other Monkeys have told you to do it and it's not helping and actually it could be contributing to your inconsistency.
For example - I was at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando a couple of years ago to see all the new stuff that was coming out this year. Coincedentally that year they added an Indoor Hitting area that allowed you try out all the new equipment. The best way to describe it is - I could've stayed there and hit balls all day trying out all the new equipment we had to choose from and then came back the next day and do it again!
I'm standing in the Sonartec Golf Club tent waiting to take my turn to hit one of their clubs and there was a Pro that had just finished hitting some golf balls. He comes back to the tent and says "I don't care what anyone says, I like when the ball goes out on a line drive. The ball goes much farther when it goes out like that. That's the only way to get more distance, not hitting it high like they're telling us we should!"
Now to me that’s arrogance.
Why arrogance? Because it's been proven by the club manufactors that the longer the ball can stay in the air, the farther it's traveling. Yet, this Golf Pro doesn't believe it - even though the results show it to be true - so guess what he's probably teaching Golfers that are coming to him for Golf Lessons? He's most likely teaching these eager Golfers how not to hit the golf ball as far as they have potential to hit it. To me that’s arrogance - meaning this Golf Pro believes he's smarter than what's been proven by all the Golf Club companies to be true - the longer the ball stays in the air, the farther it's going. That's why many of the PGA Tour Pros are putting away their 7 degree Drivers and replacing them with 9, 9.5 and 10 degree Drivers. But if you were friendly with this one Pro, you'd be going backwards!
I'm also disturbed because I just read an article that stated that you should never use your pitching wedge or sand wedge around the green. And that you need to get the ball on the ground and rolling as soon as you can. Again I find this to be disappointing because if this is true than Phil Mickelson and the other PGA and LPGA Tour Pro's that play tournament golf for a living must be doing it all wrong - because let me tell you - these Touring Pro’s aren't using their Sand Wedges and Lob Wedges just to get out of the sand.
Please, someone show me proof that everybody should get the ball on the ground as soon as possible. I know getting the ball on the ground ASAP is what everybody has heard they're entire golfing life and I'm not saying you shouldn't get the ball rolling if that's "Your Best Shot". But, there are many Golfers out there whose "Best Shot" is the High Shot. They can just picture the ball going up in the air and landing on the spot they pictured. And we’ve found many Golfers who have had better results with the Medium Shot. So to me, for this Pro to say that everybody should get the ball rolling as soon as possible - because this is the shot that this Pro plays when they're on the golf course - is arrogant. To assume that every Golfer should play the exact same style as this Golf Pro plays themselves is wrong.
Play your best shot on the golf course - not my best shot!
My best shot is my best shot - it might not be yours. Trust me, if I had a choice to play my best shot or your best shot - I'd play mine. And if you have a choice to play your best shot or my best shot - you'd be better off playing yours!
Don't include yourself in the My Way or the Highway School of Teaching Golf - it will only lead you down a path of inconsistency.
But, back to my point about being a Player.
It's so easy to tell who's going to hit the ball well before they hit it. The common theme I see with a Monkey that walks up to their golf ball to hit it off the first tee is that they tee the ball too low. Why, because they've probably popped up a few too many Drives and they were told by another Monkey that they need to tee the ball lower - and maybe they've also been told that they need to hit the ball on a line drive to get more distance? Then I see them stand next to the golf ball take a couple of Ornamental Practice Swings, take a step or two closer to the golf ball, stand over the ball for a couple seconds and then swing.
Ornamental Practice Swings? What's that? An Ornamental Practice swing is what most Golfers do before they hit the golf ball. What it means is that you're taking practice swings for show, for no other reason than that everybody else does it that way. So you start to think - if everybody else does it, it must be what I need to do - which is equivalent to filling out your application for initiation into the Monkey Club.
On the other hand, you can usually spot the Player because they do it almost entirely different. What does it look like? Just watch on TV when the best Players in the world are playing.
Most Players start behind the golf ball and PLAN on where they want to hit the golf ball. They then take a Rehearsal Swing or two. A Rehearsal Swing differs from an Ornamental Practice Swing because it has a purpose. It's used for the Player to say to himself or herself that this is what I need to feel on this swing. And the funny thing is that the Rehearsal Swings that the best Players in the world are doing before each shot are often not full swings and they're swung slowly as opposed to the Ornamental Practice Swings the Monkey uses that are Full Swings that are swung with as much power as they're going to use on their actual Drive.
Then the Player again looks at their target and walks to their ball while still looking at the their target so they know how to aim their club face for the shot. They then put their club on the ground behind the ball - take another look at their target, take a deep breath and swing. Now, this isn't to say that all Players do it exactly like this, because they don't. But 9 out of 10 Monkeys do it very similar to the Golfer with the Ornamental Practice Swing and 9 out of 10 Players do it very similar to the Player with the Rehearsal Swing.
So what should you be focused on?
Well, when you can watch the difference between these two different Golfers' - it's huge! The Monkey is more focused on the golf ball. The Player is more focused on preparing their PLAN to hit to a target.
This may answer why the Monkey stands over the ball for what can seem like an eternity. This may answer why the Monkey is always battling tension while standing over the ball. This may answer why the Monkey has developed so much inconsistency. And this may be part of the answer why you can hit the ball so well on the practice range and so inconsistent on the golf course!
My question is - why does every lesson you take start with your grip and then move on to swing path or swing plane or this or that. My question is why does every lesson you take is based on hitting the golf ball better on the driving range. My question is why doesn’t all these Pro's focus on establishing a PLAN before you even approach the ball. Because the difference of how these 2 Golfers (The Player and The Monkey) approach the ball is 180 Degrees different. My belief is that if you think that you first need to be able to hit the golf ball better before you need to establish a PLAN for each shot - you're going to struggle with this game longer than you had hoped for. Sadly, many Golfer think they shouldn't emulate the Pros until you can hit it like them. And because this is the method the Monkey is always taught - this is the method that the Monkey always uses!
I believe that you'll never hit the ball like The Player if you don't learn to establish a PLAN for your game like they do for theirs. You'll be amazed how much simpler it is to learn to hit the golf ball better and most importantly take that ball striking from the Driving Range to the Golf Course, after you understand what having your PLAN is about.
Watch the Players and watch the Monkeys and you'll see a big difference even before they start their swing. You'll see an even bigger difference during their swings. And thus the biggest difference being how consistent they hit the golf ball!
The Monkey believes they need to hit the ball better before they need to establish a PLAN
The Player knows that they'll never hit the ball better is they don't first have their PLAN
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
Just click here and have your speakers on!
Monday, December 04, 2006
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
Just click here and have your speakers on!
I overheard a conversation the other day at the golf course where two Golfers were debating the importance of either a One Plane Golf Swing or a Two Plane Golf Swing. So when I hear Golf Conversations like this - I enjoy listening (at least for a couple minutes) to Golfers talk about such important matters.
It sounded as if one Golfer was very much in favor of the One Plane Golf Swing and the other was more in favor of the Two Plane Golf Swing. And as is often the case when one side is deeply enamored with their own opinions - neither side was listening to the other side's thoughts. Kind of like politics here in the States!
As the argument started to get heated - the two Golfers must've at the same time come to conclusion that they were getting nowhere fast. They both looked around to recruit someone that they could add to their side of the argument.
And as I was the "lucky one" to be standing closest to them (even though I was watching the football game) - I was invited into the conversation with both parties trying their best to sway me to their side of the argument.
As far as I could make out
The One Plane Swing Monkey was arguing that - The spine angle should be more bent over at address allowing your shoulders to rotate on a steep plane. This will allow the club to swing up. This Golfer also advocated that your hands need to be under your chin when you set-up to the golf ball.
This Monkey continued by saying that your arms will swing up to a position where they are on plane with your shoulders at the top of your swing. And that your left arm never should leave your chest to swing up on a steeper plane. Because the swing is more "around" than "up", the body should stay more to the left with less lateral shift to the right. The key in the one plane swing is swinging your arms around behind your body rather than lifting your arms in front of your body.
If that isn't enough information to make your head explode....
The Two Plane Swing Monkey was arguing that - Your spine angle tends to be more upright at address allowing your shoulders to rotate on a flat plane. Your arms will tend to hang a bit more vertically where your arms will be further from your body and you'll stand closer to the ball.
Also your arms will swing on a more upright plane than your shoulders and your club will swing well above the plane and to the outside of the turn. In order to do this, your left arm must disconnect from your left chest muscle and then reconnect on the downswing. Also, there is a more pronounced shift of the body to the right creating the need for a greater lateral move back to the target during the transition. This shift creates width in the backswing which is necessary because of the tendency of the two plane swing to be too narrow with the arms swinging more up than around.
Kabooom!
So after explaining this to me, they both looked at me and said - "Well, which one is the correct way to swing a club?"
And so I answered them by saying -
My belief is that I want you to move into impact in the most consistent manner possible! My belief is if you can move all the parts of your body together using a consistent movement - you'll strike the ball more consistently.
If you want to call that a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing, you can - it makes very little difference to me. Whether you call a swing a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing - to me, that's just Monkey Talk. And I believe that most Golfers that get confused and frustrated with their games are doing so because they're more worried about if they're swinging using a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing; or if they have a flat swing or an upright swing; or if they're a hitter or a swinger; or blah, blah, blah or blah, blah, blah.
The Monkey Golfer is more worried if they're swinging with the latest gimmick tip rather than just learning what their swing should feel like. And because of all this jumping from hot swing tip to hot swing tip - you never get set on one swing!
If you're into gimmicks like One Plane or Two Plane - you're probably wasting your time on foolishness rather than learning to work on controlling your clubhead. If you're into the belief that there's a "Secret Move" that will solve your problems - then you're wasting your time by jumping from "Secret Move" to "Secret Move".
I believe it would be more beneficial for you to understand how to strike the ball more consistently based on your body and what it can do; more beneficial for you to be able to stand on the tee without 101 swing thoughts running through your head; more beneficial for you to understand why you hit bad shots so that you can correct yourself before your next swing; more beneficial for you to know your game so that you have a PLAN on the golf course instead of just aiming down the middle and at the flag every shot; and more beneficial for you to stop changing your entire swing every year to just to fit a label (One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing).
I can just see you both standing on the driving range hitting ball after ball. Hitting 20 shots with a One Plane Swing then "Fiddling" with your swing to hit 20 shots with a Two Plane Swing to see which one will hit the best shot. I can see both of you getting more and more frustrated with your lack of positive results because you're switching swings constantly. And I can see you possibly staying away from the golf course because of the fear of the unknown. The unknown being - are you going to be able to hit the ball on the golf course and not embarrass yourself in front of other Golfers.
Yes, I know about the One Plane Swing and the Two Plane Swing - but, I'd rather focus on getting all the parts of your body moving together to produce a smooth, consistent golf swing - and if that produces a One Plane Swing or a Two Plane Swing or a Ten Plane Swing - I don't care and you shouldn't either if what you're doing is producing better results!
And doing it the way I do it - the only thing that happens is that 1000's of Golfers from around the world that come to see us, improve their golf games, send us emails about how well they're playing and how thankful they are that they're not worried about using the "Hot Tip Of The Month" anymore.
As I finished my answer to them, it was like I'd never even spoken. They just looked at me with pity as to say - "Why'd we even ask this guy. He obviously isn't into the intracasies and mechanics of the swing like us. All he's talking about is hitting the golf ball better. We're talking about more important stuff like Swing Plane - who cares about impact?"
The Monkey gets caught up in useless knowledge and then tries to transform their swing using this useless knowledge even though their swing might be getting worse and worse
The Player blocks out Monkey Talk and just works on impact and their PLAN
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
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I overheard a conversation the other day at the golf course where two Golfers were debating the importance of either a One Plane Golf Swing or a Two Plane Golf Swing. So when I hear Golf Conversations like this - I enjoy listening (at least for a couple minutes) to Golfers talk about such important matters.
It sounded as if one Golfer was very much in favor of the One Plane Golf Swing and the other was more in favor of the Two Plane Golf Swing. And as is often the case when one side is deeply enamored with their own opinions - neither side was listening to the other side's thoughts. Kind of like politics here in the States!
As the argument started to get heated - the two Golfers must've at the same time come to conclusion that they were getting nowhere fast. They both looked around to recruit someone that they could add to their side of the argument.
And as I was the "lucky one" to be standing closest to them (even though I was watching the football game) - I was invited into the conversation with both parties trying their best to sway me to their side of the argument.
As far as I could make out
The One Plane Swing Monkey was arguing that - The spine angle should be more bent over at address allowing your shoulders to rotate on a steep plane. This will allow the club to swing up. This Golfer also advocated that your hands need to be under your chin when you set-up to the golf ball.
This Monkey continued by saying that your arms will swing up to a position where they are on plane with your shoulders at the top of your swing. And that your left arm never should leave your chest to swing up on a steeper plane. Because the swing is more "around" than "up", the body should stay more to the left with less lateral shift to the right. The key in the one plane swing is swinging your arms around behind your body rather than lifting your arms in front of your body.
If that isn't enough information to make your head explode....
The Two Plane Swing Monkey was arguing that - Your spine angle tends to be more upright at address allowing your shoulders to rotate on a flat plane. Your arms will tend to hang a bit more vertically where your arms will be further from your body and you'll stand closer to the ball.
Also your arms will swing on a more upright plane than your shoulders and your club will swing well above the plane and to the outside of the turn. In order to do this, your left arm must disconnect from your left chest muscle and then reconnect on the downswing. Also, there is a more pronounced shift of the body to the right creating the need for a greater lateral move back to the target during the transition. This shift creates width in the backswing which is necessary because of the tendency of the two plane swing to be too narrow with the arms swinging more up than around.
Kabooom!
So after explaining this to me, they both looked at me and said - "Well, which one is the correct way to swing a club?"
And so I answered them by saying -
My belief is that I want you to move into impact in the most consistent manner possible! My belief is if you can move all the parts of your body together using a consistent movement - you'll strike the ball more consistently.
If you want to call that a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing, you can - it makes very little difference to me. Whether you call a swing a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing - to me, that's just Monkey Talk. And I believe that most Golfers that get confused and frustrated with their games are doing so because they're more worried about if they're swinging using a One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing; or if they have a flat swing or an upright swing; or if they're a hitter or a swinger; or blah, blah, blah or blah, blah, blah.
The Monkey Golfer is more worried if they're swinging with the latest gimmick tip rather than just learning what their swing should feel like. And because of all this jumping from hot swing tip to hot swing tip - you never get set on one swing!
If you're into gimmicks like One Plane or Two Plane - you're probably wasting your time on foolishness rather than learning to work on controlling your clubhead. If you're into the belief that there's a "Secret Move" that will solve your problems - then you're wasting your time by jumping from "Secret Move" to "Secret Move".
I believe it would be more beneficial for you to understand how to strike the ball more consistently based on your body and what it can do; more beneficial for you to be able to stand on the tee without 101 swing thoughts running through your head; more beneficial for you to understand why you hit bad shots so that you can correct yourself before your next swing; more beneficial for you to know your game so that you have a PLAN on the golf course instead of just aiming down the middle and at the flag every shot; and more beneficial for you to stop changing your entire swing every year to just to fit a label (One Plane Swing or Two Plane Swing).
I can just see you both standing on the driving range hitting ball after ball. Hitting 20 shots with a One Plane Swing then "Fiddling" with your swing to hit 20 shots with a Two Plane Swing to see which one will hit the best shot. I can see both of you getting more and more frustrated with your lack of positive results because you're switching swings constantly. And I can see you possibly staying away from the golf course because of the fear of the unknown. The unknown being - are you going to be able to hit the ball on the golf course and not embarrass yourself in front of other Golfers.
Yes, I know about the One Plane Swing and the Two Plane Swing - but, I'd rather focus on getting all the parts of your body moving together to produce a smooth, consistent golf swing - and if that produces a One Plane Swing or a Two Plane Swing or a Ten Plane Swing - I don't care and you shouldn't either if what you're doing is producing better results!
And doing it the way I do it - the only thing that happens is that 1000's of Golfers from around the world that come to see us, improve their golf games, send us emails about how well they're playing and how thankful they are that they're not worried about using the "Hot Tip Of The Month" anymore.
As I finished my answer to them, it was like I'd never even spoken. They just looked at me with pity as to say - "Why'd we even ask this guy. He obviously isn't into the intracasies and mechanics of the swing like us. All he's talking about is hitting the golf ball better. We're talking about more important stuff like Swing Plane - who cares about impact?"
The Monkey gets caught up in useless knowledge and then tries to transform their swing using this useless knowledge even though their swing might be getting worse and worse
The Player blocks out Monkey Talk and just works on impact and their PLAN
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!
Just click here and have your speakers on!
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