There are a few characteristics of a consistent Player that all Golfers should be striving to achieve. For if you don’t know what it takes to be consistent … how will you ever make it there? As most Golfers just go out and do the same things over and over again, repeating the same mistakes in their approach to becoming consistent – they’re often left wondering why they never improve.
Now this doesn’t mean that the inconsistent Golfer is just trying to make the same swing over and over. No, it’s quite the opposite!
As the frustrated Golfer is usually trying new swing tips they read each month in one of those golf magazines that have as much credibility and substance as the National Enquirer. These Golfers are consistently trying different things in their golf swing – so it’s no wonder they stay inconsistent. These various tips you’re trying to implement are usually a hodge podge of contradicting techniques that are just making your golf swing more confusing.
So another way of trying to say this is: you’re consistently adding inconsistent habits to your golf swing … thus, making you frustrated. And that frustration is making you attempt to implement even more contradicting techniques that are causing you to move even farther away from consistency. It’s a downward spiral as the more frustrated you become with your inconsistency – the more techniques you attempt to implement into your golf swing.
This maybe the most consistent habit of the inconsistent Golfer.
“Ok, ok, enough doom and gloom, Marc. Can we talk about how to become consistent?”
Consistency is a relative word … meaning: what constitutes consistency depends on your skill level.
As a Golfer that usually scores over 100 (a 30 handicap) would consider a round of golf that he/she scored a 93 as perhaps “the most consistent round of golf I have ever played!’ The Golfer that usually scores around 78 (a 6 handicap) would consider that same score as “possibly the most inconsistent round of golf I have ever played!”
The same score – the same amount of shots taken – the same amount of skill showcased on each shot … yet one Golfer is buying drinks for everyone at the bar and calling all his/her friends on their cell phone telling them of this amazing feat. While the other Golfer is in the corner of the room muttering to himself about how his game has completely fallen apart and is certainly not telling anyone of his “gulp” 93?!?!
So consistency isn’t a standard universal measurement like measuring inches, yards or meters. Yes, 36 inches equal a yard. Yes, 1,000 meters equal 1 kilometer. But you can not measure consistency until you determine the skill level of the Golfer that is playing.
And the sooner the frustrated Golfer starts believing that statement – the sooner you’ll allow yourself to become more consistent.
A Golfer that scores above 90 isn’t usually satisfied if they hit 3 or 4 bad tee shots in a round. “Oowww, I’m so inconsistent off the tee. I need to find a new golf swing. I need to get my swing video analyzed to find out what is going wrong.” Yet, 3 or 4 bad swings out of the 14 Driver shots you take isn’t that bad. Really, it isn’t. As a 6 handicap is going to hit 3 or 4 bad tee shots in a round.
But, the 6 handicap isn’t going to do something stupid such as try to completely change their golf swing because of it. They’ll look at it and know that they hit 10 or 11 good drives – so they must be doing something well in their golf swing. They know that if they try to change their golf swing – there’s a very good chance things will reverse as they might start hitting only 4 good shots and 10 bad tee shots each round.
The 6 handicap will instead go out and use their Practice PLAN which might be similar to the PLAN we wrote about in last week’s Golf Improvement Weekly … which you can find on our Classic Golf Improvement Weekly Page on the GMS website – www.default/pastissues.html
Many above 90 Golfers take the opposite approach and feel they need to try something new with their golf swing in order to become consistent. Hence the instant popularity and then even more rapid decline of fads such as the “One Plane vs. Two Plane Swing” – the “Stack and Tilt” – the “Golfing Machine” – the “Square to Square method” – “Natural Golf” – the Atkins Diet – late night house flipping infomercials – and everything else that takes advantage of people looking to find miracles, quick fixes and the easy way.
And I wholeheartedly disagree with that approach, though I did think about trying the Atkins … until I heard that beer is considered a carbohydrate.
If in golf, you hit more good shots than bad shots … that means you’re closer to consistency than you think. Remember, what is inconsistent for a 6 handicap could very well be consistent for an above 90 Golfer.
And there could be some debate that a 6 handicap hitting 4 bad tee shots is actually more inconsistent than an above 90 Golfer hitting 4 bad tee shots. Think about it … shouldn’t a Golfer that shoots around 78 be hitting less bad drives than a Golfer that scores more than 12 strokes higher per round? So actually, in this scenario, the above 90 Golfer is in fact more consistent with their Driver (compared to the rest of their game) than the 6 handicap.
Understanding what your present skill level is of the utmost importance if you want to get to a higher skill level. Because if you’re continually trying new things in your golf swing in your search for consistency … in reality, you’re actually practicing inconsistent habits. Thus, how the heck can you expect to become consistent?
As virtually every successful business has a PLAN to improve profits. As every successful coach has a PLAN for their team to win. And as every person that wants to drive to a new destination in the shortest amount time has a map or gps giving them directions – i.e. having a PLAN. Every Golfer that wants to see success needs a consistent PLAN that they consistently follow.
Remember – there is no such thing as a PLAN that you follow every-once-in-a-while. That type of PLAN isn’t a PLAN … that’s inconsistency.
If you want to be a consistent Player, then you need a PLAN that is based on your current skill level. Just as a 6 handicap shouldn’t follow the PLAN of an above 90 Golfer – the above 90 Golfer shouldn’t have the PLAN of a 6 handicap. If they do … they will never get there. The only address that Golfer will have is … 2 Frustration Ave.
Many Golfers consistently do inconsistent things to their golf swing
The Player consistently has a PLAN
Go ahead, Be A Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon
