Swing Away!

Well after three years of playing golf I took my first lesson today. It was a video lesson, hitting only into a practice net, and suggested a couple of interesting things about why the game is so fascinating. Bottom line is that golf is a game of diametric opposites.

While writing this, BTW, I was listening to Hello, Goodbye from the album "Anthology" by The Beatles.

Golf is a game that requires a lot of thinking but also none at all. That is, one must analyze the swing, conditions and course challenges, but then eliminate all or almost all thought during the swing itself. It is that clearing of the mind and elimination of thought -- like the complementary challenge of patience and relaxation -- that provide the satisfaction from a good golf shot. On the other hand, most of the mechanics involved in golf itself are counter-intuitive. So what I learned today in my first lesson was that by focusing on avoiding a slice I had created swing mechanics that reduced power and actually led to increased spin and the dreaded "power fade." So over the next few weeks I will focus on clearing the hips before impact, allowing the club head to accelerate open and see where she flies!.

 Posted by glenn