Quotes that make me cringe on the golf course-

I picked up my head – (It doesn’t happen)

You need to swing slow to hit the ball far (OK, then why does Tiger hit the ball farther than you – because he swings slower?)

The follow-through makes the ball go up in the air (What happens after the ball is gone doesn’t affect how you hit the golf ball)

I’m trying to lag this putt close (Why don’t you try to get it a foot past the hole so that it has a chance to go in)

You have to get worse before you get better (We’ve spoken about this before)

Which way is the grain going (The grass on the normal green is so short – grain has virutally zero affect on the golf ball)

These are the most inconsistent greens I’ve ever seen (It’s not the greens – it’s the Golfer putting the ball that’s inconsistent)

My problem is that I have a baseball swing (If you have a good baseball swing – you have a good golf swing also)

I need some time to get used to this new Driver (If you need time to get used to it – you bought the wrong Driver)

Are you a swinger or a hitter of the golf ball (Who cares? A good ballstriker is a good ballstriker)

I need to see myself swing on video (Video doesn’t improve scores it just improves the cash in the Instructors wallet that says you need to use video)

You need to sweep your fairway woods (Sweepers are Weepers.)

I’ve been working on my grip (Your grip is already alright. Leave it alone and work on impact)

This is the worst golf I’ve ever played (How many times can you play the worst you ever played?)

The Pro was trying to get me to come more from the inside (Don’t try to come from the inside, don’t try to come from the outside, don’t try to come straight down the line – just swing using everything together and good things will happen as opposed to trying to manipulate the club to the inside)

I’m going to try to slide this club under the ball to get it up quick (Backspin gets the ball up – if you try to slide the club under the ball, you’ll hit the ground first before the ball, the club will bounce off the ground and skull the ball on a line drive and go flying over the green)

This downhill putt is going to be fast (Downhill putts roll slower than uphill putts)

This uphill putt is going to be slow (Read above)

I signed up for Six 30-minute lessons (How much are you going to accomplish in 30 minutes?)

I need to rework my swing (Why? Improvement doesn’t mean you need to drastically change your swing)

I need to follow-through better (The ball’s gone. It’s out of your control at this point. The ball isn’t looking back to see if you followed through correctly)

I’m in between clubs on this shot, I have a choice – either a hard 7 iron or an easy 6 (Never change your Pace Of Swing – rely on controling your Length Of Swing)

I’d rather be 100 yards away from the green than 50 yards (So you’d rather try to hit a target from twice as far away?)

I don’t have time to walk off my putts (There’s plenty of time to walk off your putts. You just got to be focused on your PLAN and find the time)

The line on this putt is more important than the speed (Speed is everything!)

I need to make par (Anytime Par matters to you, you most likely will miss the putt. If you don’t know you’re putting for Par, you most likely will make it)

Women can’t play till after noon on weekends at our club (I know a lot of Women Golfers that play much faster than Men Golfers along with working just as many hours during the week as the Men do – let’s grow-up)

Play your short irons in the back of your stance, you mid irons in the middle and your long irons in the front (Jack Nicklaus said it over 20 years ago – the ball should be played in the same position regardless of iron. But what does Jack know?)

Your head must remain behind the ball at impact (Will someone tell me why this is so important?)

Position your shoulders parallel with the slope of the hill (If you’re standing balanced on an uphill slope – you’re shoulders will naturally position themselves. The more you think about it – the more you’re thinking too much. “Thinkers are Stinkers!”)

I’m very inconsistent – I shot 90, 88, 94, 91 and 96 (If the difference between your lowest score and highest score is only 8 strokes – you’re very consistent. The Pro’s on Tour regularly have 8 stroke swings over the 4 days of a tournament – 65, 68, 71, 73 happens often.)

I find your reference to less accomplished golfers as ‘Monkeys’ not funny and condescending. I think if you’re a good teacher you can do better. (The term Monkey has nothing to do with one’s ability level)

The Guy at the golf store told me – that my swing with the 5 iron was perfect, but that it was totally different from every swing I made with the Driver. He said he had never seen such a difference in anyone’s swings between their Driver and irons (Don’t rely on what others say. Rely on the results that you see. Never hit into a net or video screen when trying out clubs – you need to see the ball fly through the sky to know which club is correct for you.)

Always land the golf ball about a yard on the green (Always is a very strong word)

Monkeys believe what they believe because that’s what they’ve always have heard.

Players look for results!

Go ahead, Be a Player

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
Golf Made Simple!