Written by Coach David
I’ve said this first line before that GOLF is a game of confidence. It’s also a game of competence. I am not about to tell anyone that a player who lacks physical skills can transform overnight into a winner by changing his thinking. If you trust a bad swing, it’s still going to produce bad shots. However, it will produce fewer of them than if you don’t trust it. You have to attain a level of physical competence to play well. That’s the importance of proper fundamentals. One universal truth about learning the game is knowing you’re going to be uncomfortable for a moment. We A’s people do not like or should I say do not trust uncomfortability. (I believe I just made up a word).
Having said that, I believe in golf and life it’s impossible to overestimate the importance of the mind in golf. I was taught that there is no such thing as “muscle memory.” If you’ve ever taken a lesson from me, you’d never hear that come from my mouth. Your muscles have no capacity to remember anything. Memory resides between your ears. Now continue reading because I didn’t say nor am I implying not to practice and all you have to do is think about hitting good shots! Therefore, no matter how many balls on the range you sweat out, and how beautiful you your golf swing is, your muscles alone can’t remember it and execute it when the need arises on the golf course. It’s literally impossible. Your muscles and the rest of your body are controlled by your mind. If your mind isn’t functioning well when you play golf your muscles will be worthless during a round of golf. Just remember, If your head is filled with bad thoughts, your scorecard is going to be full of bad strokes.
I’m sure you’ve all heard, “the power of mind” or “your brain is the strongest muscle in your body”. Having control of your mind and using it properly can separate you from the competition, whether it’s at the Caribbean Championship or on the PGA Tour. I made a statement in good faith not long ago that wasn’t received well by its reader. It was simply, “ show these kids how to play golf”. If you’ve never walked my path, that may be taken out of context. I believe all golfers have the potential to be much better than he or she is. Don’t be confused, I am not saying all golfers have the potential to be scratch, I’m simply saying that using the mind is one essential way to improve. You will never know if you have the ability to be the best player in the world, or the best player in your club, unless you commit yourself to developing both your physical and mental skills. This is even more important than hitting golf balls.
I’ve literally seen golfers at the range 4-5 times a week sweating and grinding only to tee off Saturday morning and shoot the Arizona summer temperatures. They are on the course struggling and saying to themselves, “this is a waste of time or what is going on, I hit balls everyday” or worse. It’s that inability to let your mind do the work and let your muscles follow.
Got questions? I have answers!
Contact or to book a lesson:
David Harris, PGA
242.818.0653
dkharrisgolf@gmail.com
Dkharris@pga.com
