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The Feel of Good Golf
You’ve heard it said
dozens of times. Golf is a game of “feel”.
You just know instinctively when something’s
right or wrong for you.
It sounds a little
confusing, doesn’t it? Let’s try to take
that vague feeling and put it into words and
action.
First off, let’s
address the technique of swinging with all
your might. If you swing really hard, then
you can’t get the feel of a correctly hit
ball and your muscles don’t learn the feel
of correct balance. When players have the
feel of the shot, their muscles and sense of
touch are tuned in to the correct gauge and
balance and they just know they can hit the
ball.
When you want to lunge
at the ball, your power should be developed
by twisting your body. If you learn this,
it won’t take 3 or 4 years before you’re
hitting the ball a good distance. When you
keep failing with a certain shot, just stop
and think what you’re doing, what you’re
trying to accomplish. Don’t try any certain
method unless you have a definite purpose
for using it.
Always remember the
basics. Think in your mind how it feels to
prepare properly for a shot.
One important point is
that it’s not necessary to feel the power
during the stroke. You want to swing
easily. It’s the energy that’s transferred
to the ball that counts. Get rid of every
little detail that destroys your balance and
you’ll get on the right track. Cut out
everything that’s not comfortable. Your
ability to keep your balance and be
comfortable is the measure of the amount of
power you can use successfully. Many
players lift their heads at the last
instant. This doesn’t add power to the
stroke. It actually takes power away from
it.
It may sound tricky but
you really want to be as comfortable as
possible while playing a game and to do
things as easily, flexibly and fluidly as
possible. Much of this comfortability is
purely mental.
Make sure you keep your
eye on the ball while you’re moving. That’s
what counts. When you’re doing things
comfortably your strength is being properly
applied.
The second you brace
your muscles, you’re moving away from the
correct way of playing. If you want to see
if your method is right, check your
comfortability level. If you get better
results with your own method then follow
your own method and don’t try to imitate
someone else. If you want to learn from
someone, ask them why they’re swinging in a
certain way and if you can learn the reason
then you can apply the knowledge in your own
way. Just trying to imitate someone else’s
swing doesn’t benefit you.
Over time, you’ll
acquire the ability to know what shot feels
right, what club feels best, what decision
you should make. That’s the feel. The
instinct. The touch of greatness!
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