by: B. J. Hathaway
It’s unfortunate but most golfers are never given any instruction on how to make contact (the proper way) with a golf ball. And so from the moment they first begin to play golf their swings become infected with poor habits and compensations which are made worse by the band-aid fix golf world that we live in. All of this frustration and confusion leads to a lack of confidence and enjoyment of the game and it’s no wonder so many people quit the game every year.
If this sounds familiar, you need to know it’s really not your fault. Consider that it’s probably not a lack of talent or coordination but in truth the real problem is misinformation or lack of the correct information. Not to say that a certain amount of talent and/or skill is irrelevant because it’s certainly helpful, but even talent and skill can be built with good information.
“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.“
Plato
The things we tend to be good at are those that we generally understand. Here’s a great example. A homeowner wants to replace floor tile in their kitchen but has no knowledge or experience of the proper steps, the sequence of what work to perform or the proper tools. They could easily make a huge mess, waste a lot of time and money and end up with an ugly mess. But, for the experienced tile worker the project would seem simple, logical and could be done fairly quickly. The difference? Knowledge and experience, it’s not like the tile guy was born with “tile genetics”, he just knows more.
So thinking about golf and solid contact, it’s highly likely your problems could be similar to the homeowner. You jumped into the project with little or incorrect knowledge, no understanding of the sequence of operation and tools that are not fit for the job. You then struggle and end up frustrated, confused and realize just how much time you actually lost by not learning the right way in the first place.
When a new student comes for lessons one of the first things we discuss is how to actually make contact with a golf ball. I show them 3-4 incorrect but logical variations and then they are shown how Ben Hogan made contact with a golf ball and usually the “light bulb” goes off. They realize that the right way was always available but went unnoticed only because they didn’t know where to look or how to see it.
Today knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement.
Peter Drucker
