The Golf Swing

It is a perfect Memorial Day here in Colorado. The sun is up, the skies are clear and we have a tee time today. Sunday mornings are important to me. I enjoy a good cup of coffee and the quiet of the neighborhood while Luke gets his early morning walk. I tend to believe most of us have some sort of ritual in the mornings and Sunday is probably the most adhered to. For me its a time for quiet and most Sunday's, a bit of reflection. The golf swing can also be thought of as a ritual. Its something golfer's do on a regular basis with varying degrees of attention, reflection and most importantly quietness.

There have been forests worth of paper used to detail the "proper" mechanics of the golf swing (I suspect there will be several more too). Golf academies, vacations built around lessons, the golf channel and on it goes. I doubt there is one sport that has so many methods and or media channels to "help" the average golfer improve. The industry itself must be in the billions of dollars and yet I doubt most golfers can break 100.

This to me is fascinating. When you couple the help that is out there in the form of teaching and the improvement in golf club technology, how can we not improve?

Personally, I think the advances in golf club technology are great. There is nothing better than upgrading your tools. I recently purchased a few new clubs on ebay and unabashedly admit to being exactly like I was at 7 years old waiting on Santa to deliver the new bike. I would check the tracking numbers daily (sometimes hourly) to follow their course to my new bag. Its been Christmas here for about two weeks and it has been a blast.

Christmas not withstanding, these new clubs will not improve my game one bit without something else and that would be a fundamentally sound and repeatable golf swing. This is ultimately where the rubber meets the road in golf. If your swing does not square the face of the club at impact, there is no club known to man that will help you break 80 or 90 for that matter.

The advances in swing training are equally astounding to the revolutionary improvement in tool technology. Video, software programs for both the full swing and putting, year around high tech training programs all are but a part of this explosion in swing technology. Thousands of golfers are involved in one way or another with this new technology. Thousands more read books, blogs and magazines, all in search of that one magic teacher, swing thought or tip.

I am also very much in favor of the advances in training methodology. This June Cyndy and I are taking a little 5 day holiday to visit one of my dearest friends. Matt also happens to be the head professional of a very nice golf club. Over the past 30 years, Matt has become an excellent golfer and teacher. His club is top notch and so is the training they provide. Computer and video analysis, top of the line club fitting and tremendous facilities. A golfer's dream really. One of my best friends is going to work with me using all of the available technology on a dream golf course in a dream location. I am blessed.

The interesting part of this trip for me is not so much the training Matt's team will provide. Nor is it the professional fitting and the new irons I will purchase. What has captured my attention is the amount of self awareness I will require to make positive use of what is being offered.

One definition of ritual is any customary observance or practice. The ritual of prayer comes to mind as well as the marriage ceremony or the Memorial Day holiday. When one observes Monday as a day off from work and I am sure we all gladly do, they are practicing a long standing ritual. The golf swing can also be viewed as a ritual. On the tee box, I scan the hole to determine my target. I then approach the ball and set up to swing all the while focusing on my target line. A few waggles and some dancing feet precede the initiation of my swing. My swing follows a nice path back and from the top, I fire towards the ball. I then normally cuss a lot as I watch my ball flight. This is a ritual if there ever was one. I try to do the same thing or practice this same ritual each and every time its my turn to play minus the expletives.

Just because I claim to have this ritual does not mean its of any value to me or my golf game. Ritual by rote is if anything, worse than not having a ritual at all. By giving the appearance of strict adherence to this ritual, I am signifying to my playing partners that I am serious about my game and my score. I also think that if I happen to be having a good day on the course, it further serves to show my passion and commitment to practicing this ritual well. All for show perhaps?

As with anything else, practicing a ritual well is the key to its success. By merely following a pre-set ritual without awareness, reflection or self discipline I simply am going through the motions and my net gain is zero. This I think is the crux of the problem for all golfers. While I buy the best equipment, seek out the best swing tip or training program and practice a pre-swing routine, it ultimately matters very little if I am not self aware.

I am sure you see it at the range time and time again. The average golfer is intently hitting golf balls over and over again. The ball leaves the club head only to start the all too familiar arc of the slice. A slam of the club, a muttered expletive or a complete look of disgust follows. The interesting thing is this same shot is hit for the entire bucket of balls and the very same behavior happens post shot. If you have not noticed this in yourself, next time you are at the range, stop and observe any average golfer.

I have come to the conclusion that to truly improve my swing and ultimately my golf scores, I have to pay attention to the details of my swing. To really pay attention, I must be fully present at that moment when I am setting up to make a pass and keep it throughout the swing to follow through and beyond. This awareness enables me to feel which part of the clubface the ball was hit with. By watching the flight of the ball I can determine my swing path, correct or not and by looking at my divot I can further confirm the error or success of my swing.

Self awareness comes ultimately from self discipline. True self discipline comes from self love. Yes, I said it. If one loves themselves warts and all, discipline follows and then begets awareness. Golf is all about being aware throughout the swing ritual not just for that one shot in particular but for every single shot hit afterwards. So what does a repeatable and fundamentally sound swing require? Love.

Have a great holiday!