What is consistency in your golf swing? If you hit 7 out of 10 shots well … would that be good enough? Or would you need to hit 10 out of 10 shots in order to call yourself consistent?
Though, before you can determine whether your shot was up to your standards … you first need need to decide what you consider to be a good shot. Because a Golfer that scores above 90 can’t hold him/herself to the standards of a low 80’s Golfer.
Meaning we see Golfers that score above 90 and 100 hit shots that are similar to the average shot taken by a low 80’s Golfer … tell me the shot wasn’t good enough.
So what’s often “acceptable” by the low 80’s Golfer isn’t consistent enough for a 90+ Golfer. The above “not good enough” runs rampant through many Golfers that hold their golf swing with too high a standard.
What is considered Consistency for you? Until you can determine what it is … you won’t be able to find it.
And although people will always tell us that they know they’ll never be on the PGA Tour … they still use that Player’s skill at hitting great shot after great shot as a measuring stick for their own game.
However, this will do you more harm than good. As you’ll be in a consistent state of disappointment because you’ll never be as consistent as these Golfers that spend over 50 hours a week working on their game, strength and flexibility.
How consistent is the PGA Tour Player?
The average Tour Player hits the fairway using their Driver 60% of the time. That means that they miss the fairway 5 or 6 times each round. Would you consider yourself consistent or inconsistent with your Driver if you hit “only” 8 fairways and missed 6?
The vast majority of Golfers we see would proudly declare how inconsistent they were if they only hit 60% of the fairways. Yet everyone of them would take the “inconsistent” swing of some familiar Players that hit less than 6 out of 10 fairways: Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson.
All of whom are “inconsistent” with their Driver and hit less than 60% of their fairways.
Before you can become consistent … you must determine what’s consistent for your skill level. And what’s consistent for the skill level you hope to achieve. Because you might be the person that will never allow yourself to improve as your expectations of what consistency is … are too high.
A 95 Golfer can’t compare themselves to a 6 handicap. The 6 is a 6 most likely because he/she has more time to practice, is more physically gifted, has been playing for a far longer time, and/or has learned from superior Instructors. Thus, a 95 Golfer that doesn’t have the above traits … can’t expect to be as consistent.
It’s like going to the gym to lift weights. If you go to workout once a week and another person has gone 5 times a week for 15 years … will you be able to bench press as much as them?
If you try to lift the same amount of weight as they are … you’re going to physically hurt yourself. Kind of like how you might be mentally hurting yourself on the golf course expecting to have the consistency of the 6 handicap.
The Player understands that ok shots are sometimes good enough
The Monkey needs to understand what level of consistency is acceptable before they can improve
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life