Golfers are obsessed with mistakes; we search fruitlessly for the single critical element that's missing; the key that will unlock the vault to a perfect swing.
Traditional golf instruction is based on fault-finding and error-correction.
How often have you read magazine articles that focus on what not to do: "don't bend your left elbow", don't look up too soon", " don't use your wrists too much.
" You get the idea.
These phrases set up an endless search by your analytical mind to decipher the meaning.
The simple words, "don't" and "try" are two of the most insidious confidence killers in golf instruction.
Once a student has the fundamentals of sound mechanics, the instructor's job is to help elevate the student beyond mechanics and develop a sense of "feel".
How can you develop confidence when you are told to "try not to think too much"? I can't count the number of times I've heard that phrase on the practice range.
I wince every time I hear it.
For the vast majority of golfers, it is easier to think of mistakes.
We have been conditioned to think negatively.
What if you focused on the target and allowed your body to find the best way to swing the club? It's a scary proposition.
We look for a plausible explanation behind every poor shot.
The "kicker" is that we will never know the true cause.
Critical mistakes have to be addressed.
The best mental techniques can't compensate for a dysfunctional grip.
In most cases, however, it only takes one poor shot to set off a mental whirlpool of technical flaws.
You grasp one, hoping it will calm the storm.
What's the point of this article? First, you cannot consciously control your swing.
Technical mistakes will happen.
Sometimes they affect the shot, sometimes they don't.
You can make superficially identical swings and get totally different results.
Second, you can only control your state of mind and body.
Instead of searching for mechanical flaws, you want to discover a way to re-capture the feeling of a perfect shot.
Every golfer has hit one of those effortless shots that are the raison d'etre for playing the game.
Your swing is a by-product of the state of mind and body.
Imagine your swing as a link in an endless chain of events that begins when you park at the golf course.
Changing one link may change the subsequent results.
Awareness is the key.