There comes a time in every persons golf career...I use career loosely, but you know what I mean! Some people begin playing this game as young as 3 or 4 years old and others (like myself) pick it up a little later (17) and some wait until they are in their 40's. We all have that time we come to when we wonder if.....we are EVER going to get better. This is the struggle I am dealing with now. My game has never been very good, but when I played alot (like when I was an Assistant Pro and I played 18 holes everyday and 54 holes on my day off) I could scrape it around and little feel like I was playing golf.
Now I play very little, practice almost NEVER...I am less flexible now than I could have ever imagined (wow that snuck up on me fast)...I have the best equipment designed to help me hit it further with less effort, my driver has been custom fit, my irons are custom fit, some dude named TRAC MAN helped me figure out my distances, my ball has been fit to my exact specs, I wear only the best Foot Joy shoes, I play PRoV 1's with my initials on them, I have a golf bag that is so big that I could actually live in it for a few weeks, I even have a freaking GPS application on my phone.....yet I still have to chip in three times in a round to break 80!!!
I love this game so much...and the opportunities it has provided me with, but when you are standing over your ball and just hoping that you don't WHIFF it...you start wondering if it wouldn't be more fun hitting yourself in the head with a hammer for four hours.
I can get still get geared up to go and play and if the weather is nice and the sun is shining the course practically begs or challenges me to come out, but deep inside I wonder if I have the courage to tee it up and finish the round. Let me tell you from experience there is nothing worse than having to borrow balls off your amateur playing partners so you can finish your round, That is tough!
So I decided to head to the range the other day around 4:00 p.m to hit a few rocks and see if out of nowhere my swing had become smooth and loose and I didn't have to think about 29 different things in order to make impact. I started off rough and hit a couple sand wedges so thick that it hurt my wrist, then I manged to hit some seven irons that actually looked like a golf shot should and I was feeling pretty good. I decided to pull the driver and try to smooth a few out just to see if I could make decent contact. I set up to the ball, yanked the club back like it was a race, but I quickly realized I needed to shorten the swing a little bit because I am out of position, so to offset that flaw I decided to slide my hips as quick as possible. Now I can feel the club closing at the top of my swing, so in the blink of an eye and with a shoulder dip Charles Barkley would be proud of I felt myself back on plane. However the plane I was on was headed for a crash landing and I hit a snap hook that almost took my left shin out and I found myself yelling "Fore" during a practice session on the range(which sadly...wasn't the first time that happened). The ball looked like it was thrown from one of those "TRAC BALL" rackets I had as a kid that would make it curve like a wounded bat.
I have thrown a few clubs in my life, but NEVER during a practice session, but if that club was a living breathing creature the head would have been as blue as the 200 yard plate from me squeezing it so hard. Luckily for me, our Teaching Pro, Gary Bos was at the end watching and asked if I wanted to see my swing on video. If you can believe it I said yes, because I figured I could diagnose my own problem and that it would be an easy fix. Was I wrong!! The good news is that I am back on track...I hope..Gary pointed out some things that will make an immediate impact and help me at least get the ball airborne.
It is amazing the bad habits you can develop and yet your body has no idea what you are doing, it just compensates on your behalf. If you aren't flexible anymore--your body stops turning. Can't use the legs the way you used to...not to worry the arms and shoulders can swing harder than ever to compensate. No power...buy a bigger driver. Before you know it you are a shadow of your former self and only technology is allowing you to move the thing forwards.
If you are struggling....fight through it...take some lessons...figure it out! Keep the game simple and you will enjoy it more and more! I now have a new passion for the game!!!
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