Golf Instruction
“Clearing the Mechanism” and Focusing on Your Target
I once had a golf instructor (we’ll call him Elmer) that basically—alright ACTUALLY—called me an idiot in front of a class of eager students. This gentleman obviously had other personality issues as well, including that wonderful day when he smashed another student’s 7-iron in half when the student had the audacity to top a shot down the range.
“HIT THE GROUND! HIT THE [EXPLETIVE] GROUND!”
The words are seared into my brain as I see him beating the innocent iron into the driving range mat.
So what was my egregious error that turned Elmer’s wrath on to my innocent person? Did I besmirch the good name of Harry “Light Horse” Cooper? Did I cross his putting line in 3-inch metal spikes?
No. My error that beautiful afternoon was I dared to suggest the mind-blowing thought that “Golf was a mind game…”
Let the fireworks begin. Shoot off the cannons. Let the pigeons loose. Elmer went up one side of me and down the other about how golf is all about mechanics and that it doesn’t matter what you’re thinking as long as your mechanics are correct every single time.
So here’s my rebuttal to Elmer’s rant. I’m no swing expert—I’m a high-80’s/low 90’s player who goes out and has fun playing the greatest game on Earth. But I know what’s in my head and I know how it can ruin a wonderful round.
Let’s take for instance my thoughts while I go to hit a random 7-iron (one that is not smashed in half by Elmer) into a large undulating green. Assume here that I’ve already gauged the distance to the center of the green, looked for any bunkers to stay well clear of, and made sure that any and all life forms (both animal and human) are clear of my target zone:
“Grip…left hand first…bend thumb slightly up the club…that’s it…now the right hand…thumb up slightly…grip not too tight…don’t choke the bird, just hold it so the mama bird will respect you…feet shoulder width apart…ball spaced back from my left foot in line over the logo on my shirt…just a little closer to the ball maybe…wrists a little bit forward…all looks good…look at target…visualize the ball flight.look down at the front of the ball, not the back, but any dimple on the front…time to swing…keep it slow…easy…right shoulder push back two inches…did the club go too far back?…Ok, here we goooo…swing is happening…EYES DOWN IDIOT!……..Why would the ball go THERE?”
I put into this one swing thirteen “tips” that I’ve picked up over the years. Did I get a good golf shot out of it? Maybe, maybe not. It’s completely random as to which of those thirteen tips completely screwed up this shot, but I can almost guarantee that while I may have hit the ball fairly well, it was a mentally taxing effort that took a lot of the love of the game right out of me.
Hmmm. “For The Love of the Game”. Bingo. If you haven’t seen this baseball movie, it stars Kevin Costner as a washed up pitcher taking the mound one last time. Before every pitch Costner looks squarely at the catcher and mentally utters the phrase “Clear the mechanism…” Suddenly everything and everyone goes away, goes quiet, and all he is left with is the catcher’s mitt to focus on. All other potential distractions don’t matter. He doesn’t think about his arm position, his stride, his hand location as it pertains to the ball and club—it’s all about the target.
Let’s take this to the golf course. When I go to the driving range, I can almost guarantee that my very first shot of the day is the straightest and longest shot I will hit with that particular club during that session. Why? Because I get in the “tweaking” habit (as opposed to the “twerking” habit—which you definitely do not want to see on the golf course) that naturally occurs on the driving range. Each and every shot I make a little adjustment that I think will help the NEXT shot to be made. And you know what? It doesn’t help. My best shot is the shot when I’m not thinking about anything but the target and haven’t had time to cloud my mind with the fog of years of reading golf web sites and golf magazines.
So the next time you’re out on the course, try “clearing the mechanism” before every shot. Let everything fade away and just focus on the target and swing. You’ll find that not only do you hit the ball better, but you will definitely enjoy the round more.
As for me, I’m heading off to deliver a copy of “For the Love of the Game” to a good friend. I’ll give your best wishes to Elmer and let you know if he smashes the DVD into a million pieces.
Cover Photo by Neville Wootton on Flickr
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