“My golf swing is so inconsistent” said the Golfer. “I can hit a good shot, but then my next swing … although it feels exactly the same … is a totally different shot. Yet, I can’t tell you what I did differently in my swing.”
The problem that most Golfers have isn’t that they lack ability to hit a good shot … it’s the inability to easily repeat that good swing. As well as being able to make a correction so you don’t consistently repeat a bad swing over and over again.
As the old joke says – this game is called Golf because all the other 4 letter words were already taken. However, there is a 4 letter word that actually holds the key to you playing better, more consistent golf. And if there was ever a secret to playing better … this word is the secret!
What’s the word?
F-E-E-L
There isn’t anything more important to your golf swing than having the Feel to understand what is happening in your golf swing. Because if you lack Feel – you have no way to discern between what you did differently in a good swing versus what occurred in a bad swing.
Plus, without Feel, you basically have 0% chance of repeating a consistent swing. But close to a 100% chance of consistently making a bad swing. The better your Feel … the better the Golfer you are.
Who has more Feel in their golf swing – a PGA Tour Player or a 90’s Golfer? Yes, it’s an obvious answer, but it does give you a good picture of how important Feel is. Who has more Feel – a 90’s Golfer or an above 100 Golfer?
So if this is true … shouldn’t your main objective in trying to improve your game by practice or taking lessons be to improve the Feel of your swing?
Now how do you work to improve your Feel?
Most Golfers we see have little to no idea of what Feel is or how to understand it. As most of the golf instruction you read, watch or have been taught has very little to do with Feel … it’s more about grip, keeping your head still, left arm straight, swing inside to out, creating lag, or blah, blah, blah. You’re left with having more thoughts about the mechanics of the swing … rather than how these mechanics Feel while in motion.
Now, before you start your email to me that says “Marc, thank you for your article about Feel. However, it would have been more beneficial to me if you told me how to develop this Feel than to just tell me I need it.” I have to tell you that I am not smart enough to be able to write in words … how to develop Feel in your golf swing. You must excuse me … I’m just a Golf Professional and not a Professional Writer.
However, learning to be able to Feel your swing is based on understanding the true Strengths and Weaknesses of your swing. It’s about understanding that the golf swing is a series of Causes and Effects. It’s about understanding that how you start your backswing has more to do with how you follow-through than any other part of your swing.
The problem that you face is that close to 100% of all the Golf Instruction taught in lessons, golf magazines, Internet videos, etc … has little to do with Feel. Yet, if you ask the best Players in the world what the most important part of their swing is … they will use the word Feel somewhere in the first couple of sentences.
And although I’m not smart enough to be able to type how to develop the Feel of your swing on this blank white sheet of digital paper … I can tell you that if you continue to think about your golf swing based on turning your shoulders, hips, shifting your weight, head still, left arm straight, not coming over the top, and finishing with your belt buckle to the target … you’ll continue to see the results you have been seeing.
If those results have been good .. then continue doing so. But if you’re like the 80% that aren’t happy with their game … it might be more beneficial to start understanding the Feel of your golf swing based on your personal Strengths and Weaknesses.
The Monkey continues to work on all the traditional golf tips such as turning their shoulders, hips, head still, left arm straight, etc
The Player focuses all their practice on understanding and mastering the Feel of their golf swing
Who do you want to be?
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com
