Each week this summer, Citizen editor Neil Godbout will share his experience learning to golf at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. Want to get in a free round with Neil? Just drop him a line at [email protected]
Week 10
The sports and the musical world are both divided on the balance between individual practice and group play.
Many golfer and musicians argue that solitary practice only goes so far and that the real learning and improvement happens through the knowledge acquired when playing with others.
I haven’t actually played a round at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club for over a week now, focussing on practice in my backyard and down the street in the school field.
I’ve been really zeroing in on my swing and I’ve developed a mental checklist of things that need to be done before the club face meets the ball.
The superior and more experienced golfers I’ve golfed with this summer (everybody, in other words) think far less about golfing than a novice like me. It’s like riding a bike for them.
They have the muscle memory of how to stand, how to hold the club, how to aim and how to swing in their back pocket, so their only consideration when they step up to their ball is the target and how close they can get it there. Experienced golfers (and athletes and musicians) joke about how thinking about technique gets in the way of performance.
For me and for all novices, we are forced to think about everything.
Every action is a conscious decision. I’ve learned that I need to do all the thinking and planning in advance.
I’ve made the mistake far too many times of continuing to think and plan stepping up to the ball. It has never worked out well.
So now I start with one or two good practice swings to remind myself of what I want to happen, which is not to make a good shot but to make a good swing.
If I get the swing right, the shot will take care of itself.
During the practice swing, I’m conscious of everything, from my grip of the club and where my feet are to the pretend target in the grass and the turn of my torso, before pulling the club back, then down to the ground and then up and across, my chest turning to face my target, my back foot coming up.
When I step up to the ball, I try to forget about the mechanics. Now my only thought is to simply replicate the smooth practice swing from a few seconds ago but with the ball in front of my club.
I used to stare at the ball in my swing but that’s not precise enough.
I now zero in on the back of the ball because that’s the only part of the ball that matters.
My greatest challenge is to remember to not try to hit the ball or even consider the force of the contact.
Choosing the right club and sorting out whether it’s a full swing or a gentle chip (stay on the front foot, flat follow through, hands and feet quiet, relying on the smooth pendulum of my torso and arms to control the swing) are tasks to be completed before even looking at the ball.
In other words, I try to arrange all the details before stepping up to the ball, so that I’m merely trying to replicate my practice swing.
When I hit it well, which is happening with slowly increasing frequency, I’m still amazed and surprised at how the apparent lack of effort and being smooth and relaxed translates into the best results.
