These quotes make me cringe on the golf course because they might be holding you back from becoming more consistent –

“That was a bad shot because I picked up my head” (Trust me, the reason you hit the bad shot happened well before your head moved. The feeling you have that you picked up your head didn’t have anything to do with your bad shot. Unfortunately the more you rely on keeping your head perfectly still … the more inconsistent you will become. Yes, what I wrote might be a tough pill to swallow … however it’s the truth. The head of a PGA Tour Pro moves 3 to 5 inches on their backswing … how can you realistically expect for your head to stay still?)

“You need to swing slow to hit the golf ball far” (OK, if swinging slow makes the golf ball go farther … then why does Dustin Johnson hit the golf ball farther than you? He most certainly has a faster swing speed as he swings around 120 mph. The average male swings at 85 mph. It may appear as though the Tour Pro is swinging slow … however they are not. Their golf swing just appears slower because their body, arms and legs are more in sync and working together – thus, they hit more consistent golf shots)

“My follow-through determines the direction of the golf ball, as well as making it go up in the air” (What your golf swing does after the golf ball is gone doesn’t affect the golf ball one bit. The follow-through has no bearing what-so-ever on the golf swing. Again, this might be a tough fact for many Golfers to digest since you may have been working on it for a long time … however it has no bearing on what the golf ball does. If you’re depending on your follow-through for good shots – you’re most likely not seeing consistent golf)

“I’m not trying to make this putt, I’m just trying to lag this putt close to the hole” (You’ll see more success trying to putt the golf ball a foot past the hole so that it has a chance to go in … rather trying to stop it 3 feet short of the hole. Stopping the golf ball 1 foot past the hole is just as easy as stopping it 3 feet short of the hole … plus you have the benefit of actually having the golf ball go into the hole)

“You have to get worse before you get better” (This often believed statement is not true. If you’re not getting better right away … then the Instruction you’re taking isn’t correct for your golf swing)

“Which way is the grain going on this putt” (In the 21st Century, the grain has very little to do with your putt. Yes, back in the 1960’s (and earlier) when the grass on the greens were longer, you probably had a lot of grain to read on each putt. However nowadays the grass on the green is so short – grain has virtually zero affect on the golf ball)

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

“My problem with my golf swing is that it’s too much like a baseball swing” (Well, if your golf swing isn’t very good, yet it’s like your baseball swing … you probably had a bad baseball swing. The movements of your body in both swings are so similar that if you had a good baseball swing and used the same motion for playing golf … you’d most likely have a more consistent golf swing)

“I’m not consistent with this new Driver. I need more time to practice so that I can learn to hit it” (If you need time to get used to a new Driver you just bought – you most likely bought the wrong Driver. If it was the correct Driver for your golf swing – you’d be hitting it well without needing any additional time)

“I need to decide whether to use a one plane golf swing or a two plane golf swing” (You shouldn’t really care about how many planes you use … you should be more focused on how your body is positioned at impact. Someone in a good impact position is a good ballstriker whether he/she has 1, 2 or 3 swing planes)

“I need to see my golf swing on video” (There probably hasn’t been a phrase in golf that has contributed to a higher percentage of Golfers actually getting worse than that phrase. Analyzing your golf swing on video will do more worse than good as it takes you farther away from understanding the “feel” of your golf swing. A Golfer that can feel his/her clubhead during their swing will have a more consistent golf swing vs. a Golfer that can keep his/her head inside a circle on the monitor screen)

“You need to sweep your fairway woods” (Sweepers are Weepers – the golf club is swung the same way when the golf ball is on the ground whether you’re hitting an iron, a hybrid or a fairway wood. It just appears to be different after the shot because whether there is a divot or not is determined by the sole of the club … not because you changed your golf swing)

“I’ve been working on a new grip” (Usually the person that just told you that … has told you that before. Why is it that so many struggling Golfers are always in the midst of a grip change)

“This is the worst golf I’ve ever played” (Same as above … this person probably says the same phrase almost every time they play … often as early as the 3rd hole)

“This downhill putt is going to be fast” (Actually on downhill putts the golf ball will be rolling slower than on an uphill putt. Although that might be hard for most Golfers to understand … it is a true statement. Thus, not understanding this will affect your putting in a negative way)

“I signed up for six 30-minute golf lessons hoping to learn to become more consistent” (How much are you going to accomplish in 30 minutes? To improve you need to have longer sessions than 30 or 60 minutes. The Pro’s on Tour spend the entire day with their Instructors. If 30 or 60 minutes can’t help them … how can you expect it to help you)

“My golf swing is a mess. I need to start over and rework my swing” (It’s amazing how many Golfers have come to see us thinking they needed to totally rework their golf swing … yet went home with amazing improvement using simple adjustments. Superior Golf Instructors understand how simple adjustments can make significant improvements. Lesser Golf Instructors believe total golf swing reconstruction is necessary to see improvement. It would be wise to spend a few dollars more to see a Superior Golf Instructor as you make a 4 ½ hour time investment every time you step on the golf course to play 18 holes … don’t waste your time and money playing lesser golf)

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

“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 the golf ball should be played in the same position regardless of iron. But what does Jack know? You might as well continue listening to your buddies as they probably know more about the golf swing than Jack Nicklaus)

“When standing on a hill, I need to make sure to have my shoulders parallel to the hill” (If you’re standing balanced on a hill, you’re shoulders will naturally position themselves. The Golfers we see that are consciously trying to get their shoulders parallel usually do so … however, it’s done in an unnatural way that negatively affects their balance. Don’t worry about your shoulders … your number one thought on a slope should be maintaining balance throughout the golf swing)

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.)

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

Players don’t let “Monkey Talk” get in the way of improved results

Regards,

Marc Solomon
Your Instructor For Life