We have found that to improve your golf swing – Golfers need to improve their swing mechanics … as well as the ‘intangibles’.
Yes, swing mechanics are tangible as they can be seen on every swing. Yet, I’ve seen 1000’s of Golfers that have good swing mechanics … that do not break 90 on the course. Meaning their swing looks good .. but they don’t hit the ball consistently.
Often times it’s the intangibles that separate the good Players from the inconsistent Golfers. These ‘intangibles’ are the little things that the best Players consistently use … while regular Golfers often ignore. Now this may not be your fault as these ‘intangibles’ may have never been brought to your attention.
However, the best Players wouldn’t have been able to be as consistent with their swing mechanics if they didn’t also work on the ‘intangibles.’ And thus, this is one reason some Golfers never get better even though they are constantly working on their golf swing.
So what are the top 2 ‘Intangibles’ you should be aware of?
One – Stop Fiddling with your golf swing. Fiddling? What’s Fiddling? It means that you’re frequently trying something new in your swing when you go to practice or play on the golf course. All it takes for some Golfers is two or three bad shots and they abandon what has worked in the past for some new swing tip they saw on the Golf Channel last night.
As opposed to staying with what has helped you hit good shots before. Everybody’s going to make a bad golf swing and everybody will hit two or three bad shots in a row – hopefully not often, but it’ll happen. When it does happen, it’s not the end of the world. It doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your golf swing. It doesn’t mean that the swing that helped you hit great drives on holes 3, 4 and 5 is lost because you hit a bad drive on hole 6.
Yes, you should always strive to get better. You should always crave improvement in your golf swing. Though, there’s no truth to the saying – “The more you Fiddle, the better you get.”
Stick with what has given you Results in the past – even after two or three bad shots.
Two – You need to breathe on the golf course. “Breathe? I always breathe!” Well, there’s a difference between the breathing that a flustered Golfer has in a stressful situation and the breathing that keeps the Player focused.
As many Golfers unconsciously raise their stress while on the golf course – especially if you have high expectations for yourself – this is something to be aware of.
When’s the last time you noticed yourself taking a long, deep, cleansing breath throughout the round or before hitting a shot?
Are you running around the golf course like a chicken with his head cut-off? Just going to your ball and hitting and going to your ball and hitting, etc, etc. Or, are you breathing in between shots … making sure you keep your stress level intact?
You may think the PGA Tour Player looks calm when they’re playing on TV. Though, in reality … they’re super stressed. They just have worked really hard on keeping themselves cool and not getting too high or too low.
One method they use to stay focused on making sure they swing smooth … is to work on their breathing. And if these amazing Golfers need to work on their breathing — you probably also need to do so.
As you’re walking towards your ball … breathe. Take smooth, slow breaths. Then when you set-up to the golf ball, take a cleansing breath to clear out all the tension that your swing thoughts are causing. When you exhale, feel as if you’re pushing it all out as your body relaxes before you swing.
Commit to becoming a Player that has a PLAN using an approach of working on the intangibles just as hard as working on your swing mechanics. Yes, we spend most of our time working on swing mechnics with our Golfers. However, we make sure to incorporate these intangibles at the same time.
The Monkey looks at these ideas on improving their game and goes back to doing what they’ve been doing
The Player will say to him/herself that they need to put as much work into the ‘intangibles’ as they have been putting into the ‘tangibles’
Go ahead, learn your game and become a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com
