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“Two choices in golf. Improve slowly or not at all”


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I came back to write that obviously tossing a basketball and swinging a golf club are not comparable in terms of technical complexity but I have since also learned that there is no such thing as muscle memory. My regular weekday golf group is four guys, more or less my age, and we have all done competitive sports at national or international level and are all still pretty fit and athletic. Most sports come easy to us but none of can figure out golf. And by figuring out I mean developing any kind of consistent scoring around 85 or so, par is well protected from us and will always remain so. No need for USGA intervention for that.

 

Maybe it is for the lack of really trying. As a kid I would toss a ball all the time. Doesn't matter if it's not even a basketball, just take any ball and toss it around. The number of repetitions must have been crazy high compared to the amount of work I have put in my golf swing. Therefore, the swing never became a thing that just happens automagically but remains something that needs a lot of thinking and setting up. I got myself to just below 12 HC and that was when I took time off from work and spent a lot of time on the range and played about three times a week. Even then the major advancement came from short game, not from a major swing improvement. And then the real world kicked in again and it's back to the struggle.

 

Oh well, it's a Monday, will be good winter weather and I have two rounds booked this week on my favorite courses (The Dunes on Tuesday and RACV Cape Schank on Thursday). And I have just spent a lot of $$ on new gear (putter and wedges). At least the economy will thank me for that.

 

The good news in all this, is that it just means that things got in your way, not that you are incapable. ;)

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I came back to write that obviously tossing a basketball and swinging a golf club are not comparable in terms of technical complexity but I have since also learned that there is no such thing as muscle memory. My regular weekday golf group is four guys, more or less my age, and we have all done competitive sports at national or international level and are all still pretty fit and athletic. Most sports come easy to us but none of can figure out golf. And by figuring out I mean developing any kind of consistent scoring around 85 or so, par is well protected from us and will always remain so. No need for USGA intervention for that.

 

Maybe it is for the lack of really trying. As a kid I would toss a ball all the time. Doesn't matter if it's not even a basketball, just take any ball and toss it around. The number of repetitions must have been crazy high compared to the amount of work I have put in my golf swing. Therefore, the swing never became a thing that just happens automagically but remains something that needs a lot of thinking and setting up. I got myself to just below 12 HC and that was when I took time off from work and spent a lot of time on the range and played about three times a week. Even then the major advancement came from short game, not from a major swing improvement. And then the real world kicked in again and it's back to the struggle.

 

Oh well, it's a Monday, will be good winter weather and I have two rounds booked this week on my favorite courses (The Dunes on Tuesday and RACV Cape Schank on Thursday). And I have just spent a lot of $$ on new gear (putter and wedges). At least the economy will thank me for that.

 

The good news in all this, is that it just means that things got in your way, not that you are incapable. ;)

This would be a horrible, horrible game if one ran out of excuses!

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I still think you can shorten the improvement time by practicing the short game more. But that won’t cure a bad full swing, that takes time.

 

You train your full swing through the short game.

 

I agree with pitching especially but chipping and putting can be taught without much work on full swing. Starting out in golf many of my friends and I started to learn feel by putting on kitchen carpet with a hole cut out of the center of paper towels. Chipping was down in our backyards with buckets. Some pitching was done as well but not much more than 10 to 20 yards. By the way the carpets were fast even faster than greens. They actually had breaks in our old houses we grew up in. My swing was terrible. Club open and body open with a sweeping fade on my best days but I could break 90 most of the time. Then I started to work when I was 30 years old on the full swing with a pro. It took another 8-10 strokes off my score. It took less than year but was single at that time. Played a lot and practiced a lot. That was about 30 years ago. But that a life time ago.

 

With all that said the chipping and putting was supplemented by reading putting articles by Nicklaus and chipping articles from Hubie Green and Trevino. Sand Play was never great.

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As to the "external" versus "internal" methodologies I have never come across an instructor that even acknowledged the existence of focusing externally. Everything is about positions of various body parts.

Never is a strong word. Every lesson I do has both.

 

 

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I know. I chose it carefully. Any instructor I ever had always focused on the internal. I never considered the external before. I am not sure what that means as far as my golf swing goes, but at least it's something to think about.

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Some of you need to google "Motor pathways in the brain," and do some more research

 

Sure, but many newbies (and long time golfers) can improve immediately without requiring any new motor pathways with instruction for proper grip and setup. Haven't you seen players who have no chance at any kind of consistency because of terrible setups?

 

I'll also add, I think scores don't necessarily improve as fast as players would like because golf is several different skill sets:

 

Driving

Irons

Short game techniques

Putting

Course management

 

I don't think any of these have anything to do with the others except perhaps grip. I've seen decent players score horribly because of terrible club selection and strategy (e.g hit it as far as I can regardless of lie), and guys who can bomb it can't even get it on the green from 30 yards without a couple of attempts.

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I’ve seen the type that can pick up the game and be single digit in a year sans instruction.

Certain people for whatever reason grasp the feel of the swing motion easily and for them their unpolluted brain is a big advantage.

I am not that guy. Ive always been good at every sport or game I set out to get good at. Golf to me is a different game and I struggled mightily when in my mid thirties I began to seriously try to improve. Now, I was exposed to the game as a kid and played some here and there for fun but no instruction beyond grandpa showing me grip.

I went through I dunno 5-6 years like everyone does working on mechanics and studying them changing things.

I always felt that I needed to get to the point with my mechanics to where it became like other sports. I sought help from a pro and he absolutely helped me with one particular aspect I never would have considered. But we had a disagreement in another area where I refused to do what he wanted because I was going to injure myself if I did it so we parted ways.

So I am left at about an 11 cap at this point and started at high cap level. So that was maybe 7 years in.

I took a winter away to do other things and cleared my mind and came back to golf. I never began with any specific cap goal in mind, I just wanted to be good in particular with ballstriking.

I somehow ended up with Ernest Jones info interesting me.

I realized that through all my mechanics study practice etc I was not swinging the club. I was trying to hit the golf ball.

Fundamentally my concept was not helping me.

That was maybe I dunno 7 years ago?

At its lowest point I got down to high five. Now I don’t keep it and play 2-4 times a month or so. On a hot round I can still be decent. Thing is I am satisfied that I know what a swing is and can produce it. To me I’m happy. Golf wasted a lot of my time in life and of course love it but there’s other stuff also.

Bottom line my improvement took what a decade? I never SNIFFED low single digits.

If it wasn’t for EJ I would still be strung out like a research monkey trying to manufacture some things in the body that simply happen unconsciously by balance itself.

A golf swing is a signature that cannot be authentic if over manufactured via conscious intent.

Plus talent varies on top of everything. I can’t say the statement Monte posted is untrue in the reality that is golf.

Chaka guys and gals

 

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A golfwrx regular just posted this on my Facebook.

 

Genius in it’s simplicty.

What should one expect if the game was at a scratch level and now going thru a “dark” period of struggling to break 80?

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A golfwrx regular just posted this on my Facebook.

 

Genius in it’s simplicty.

What should one expect if the game was at a scratch level and now going thru a “dark” period of struggling to break 80?

 

Been there my friend.

 

I went from competent web.com player and needing to tighten up a few areas to get to the next level, to having trouble breaking 80 and losing 20+ mph of club speed.

 

The same applies. Find a good direction and be patient with your self.

All "tips" are welcome. Instruction not desired. 
 

 

The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.

BERTRAND RUSSELL

 

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I see a lot of commentary about focus vs change vs time... etc.

 

There is a difference between being able to perform an action one time, several times, and whenever you choose.

 

Each represents a different level of golf. Even at the highest level many golfers hit the ball one way (low, draw, fade, etc). Quite a few can call up a particular shot from their “bank”, but they have had to work to build their “bank” accounts. Realizing a limitation on a certain account may result in a desire to transfer funds to a different account with a greater potential.

 

Here is my point, to support Monte’s general statement. Ingrained change is physiological. The focus some of you refer to is not a magical energy, it is a physical sequence (neurons, nerves, muscles, etc.... all physical things).

 

I recommend anyone who wants to learn more about why certain golfers can adapt quickly while others struggle, read a book called The Talent Code. It will explain many things from a scientific perspective, and maybe shed some light on this topic. Anyone wonder why a newborn horse can stand and run in a matter of hours after birth, but a newborn human cannot and takes several months to develop these abilities? Read the book, get smarter (grow more neurons and strengthen neural pathways).

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. It’s all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

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Faldo took 3 years and he did this stuff for a living.

 

You ask a tour player who practices 40-60 hours a week how long a change takes. 12-18 months before it's fully ingrained is the average answer you get.

 

I hear this every day.

 

"Monte I hit a bucket after our lesson and it still feels weird and im still fading the ball most times."

 

Getting better at golf is EXACTLY like losing weight.

 

You do what's right every day. You won't see any results this week, you'll likely have chronic relapses in diet and work out, when you reach your target weight you must still be diligent because old bad eating and workout habits die hard....

And if you're doing what's right, you won't get fatter before you lose weight.

 

...but if you're patient and diligent, you'll get results.

 

If you step on the scale on day 3 and you haven't lost any weight and say this doesn't work and look fo the next quick fix fad diet, you'll never lose weight.

 

Fad diets generally don't have long lasting results for most, whereas proper diet and steady exercise does.

 

Any of this sound familiar?

 

As someone working to lose weight. I understand this. I think the difference is I know how to lose weight, exercise to increase the number of calories I burn daily, then take in fewer calories than I burn. It works over time.

 

As a golfer. even though I'm taking lessons I'm never sure I:

 

understood what my instructor told me well enough. - I always have so many questions AFTER the lesson is long over.

Am actually doing what I was taught

Do it enough to ingrain it.

 

Then add in that we actually go play and would like to play "reasonably" well enough to have fun. It's not a lot of fun to spend a lot of time looking for your ball, or apologizing to your partner for that last skulled pitch that sailed into the woods etc.

 

 

 

It's freaking hard to do!

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I played with a guy yesterday, he was struggling and very discouraged then he mentioned that he just starting taking lessons from my club pro. I told him to be patient and results will come when the changes are ingrained.

 

One usually gets worse from initial lessons before seeing improvements.

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. It’s all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

 

Like I said, some of yall THINK WAYYYYYY too much. 2 out of millions who tried? Now you're talking about the exception here.

 

I literally just hit the required drill until one day my body decide that's enough and boom. The most recent drill took me since november of last year and 2 follow up lesson with dan. Maybe I'm just super dumb. I'm ok with it.

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. It’s all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

 

Like I said, some of yall THINK WAYYYYYY too much. 2 out of millions who tried? Now you're talking about the exception here.

 

I literally just hit the required drill until one day my body decide that's enough and boom. The most recent drill took me since november of last year and 2 follow up lesson with dan. Maybe I'm just super dumb. I'm ok with it.

 

yeah this is the exception to the rule and it's not just how strong ur mind is it is genetics/environment/what motivating factors the had external/internal.

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The plural of anecdote is not data.

 

Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

 

I'm one of those people who actually can take instruction and immediately apply it. When I feel frisky, I go to one of the most renowned instructors in our area (just happens to instruct at my club) - he generally says "I think you are never listening, then you do exactly what I told you to do on your first swing."

 

I also was bored a few weeks ago and bought Monte's "putt for dough" for giggles - watched the first few then put the "bump/dump/turn" in play two days later in a tournament.

 

But, I've always been able to pick stuff up quickly. I have a good athletic foundation to build from, and a decent swing that generally just needs minor tweaks, or I've ventured off the pathway, so to speak. I've seen people spend $1000s of dollars, time, and effort, and not be able to do anything with a golf club.

 

So yes, golf is difficult. One change will invariably impact the other changes, and your natural body changes day to day will impact what you are doing. So when someone like Monte, who has been through it himself, and instructs, tells you improvement takes time, maybe listen to him and empathize with others, instead of trying to say "you just aren't trying hard enough."

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Is there a such thing as thinking too much?

 

YES! and I was that guy my first year with Dan. God bless him.

 

When you make a commitment with a teacher, the trust issues is probably the biggest hurdle. For those talented enough to do it on their own, you are the exception. But it's hard for you to understand those who can't and are still trying.

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I see a lot of commentary about focus vs change vs time... etc.

 

There is a difference between being able to perform an action one time, several times, and whenever you choose.

 

Each represents a different level of golf. Even at the highest level many golfers hit the ball one way (low, draw, fade, etc). Quite a few can call up a particular shot from their “bank”, but they have had to work to build their “bank” accounts. Realizing a limitation on a certain account may result in a desire to transfer funds to a different account with a greater potential.

 

Here is my point, to support Monte’s general statement. Ingrained change is physiological. The focus some of you refer to is not a magical energy, it is a physical sequence (neurons, nerves, muscles, etc.... all physical things).

 

I recommend anyone who wants to learn more about why certain golfers can adapt quickly while others struggle, read a book called The Talent Code. It will explain many things from a scientific perspective, and maybe shed some light on this topic. Anyone wonder why a newborn horse can stand and run in a matter of hours after birth, but a newborn human cannot and takes several months to develop these abilities? Read the book, get smarter (grow more neurons and strengthen neural pathways).

 

I was thinking about Talent Code as I thought about this thread. I was especially recalling a story about this music student of average talent who, one day, out of the blue, was utterly more focused and playing way above her normal level. Then next time she was back to regular performance.

 

It is one thing to have a peak performance. It is entirely another to make that peak performance become the baseline.

 

The other thing I thought was Talent Code talked about the cultural/environmental support that all led to the motivation behind all that focused practice. Part of the real challenge for most golfers is change is, indeed, hard, all those comments to contrary notwithstanding. The key is sustaining motivation and enthusiasm through the process so that you stick with it. That’s the critical element.

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of yall need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isnt flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. Its all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

 

As a guy who struggled with alcohol and who literally every single day for 5 years swore I wasn’t going to drink that day and then watched myself drink, I wholly and fundamentally disagree with you here.

 

Eventually the dam broke and I quit. I had been fully beaten into submission.

 

How long did those people who quit smoking long to quit and built up the willingness to change and tolerate the process?

 

Now I could say once the dam broke it was a matter of having a strong mind but that discounts the incredible effort it took over those 5 years where I failed.

 

The real issue is some things are easy for some but hard for others.

 

There is zero - let me repeat ZERO - support contradicting the general idea in Monte’s post for most golfers.

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To further illustrate this point.....

 

After each of Monte's clinics I tend to go out and play very well and stripe it within a month....sometimes even as little as the following weekend. Shortly thereafter, I go through a struggling period of a few months where I struggle for a couple weeks on the range then flush it on the range but hit it horribly on the course, then my driver fails.....then 3-5 months later it starts showing up on the course. I'll have 3 or 4 holes where every shot is hit really well....then 4 or 5 holes but my misses are way better ....then 9 holes, then eventually 18 which doesn't happen for about 10-12 months later. FWIW I can only practice on weekends and dedicate about 2-4 hours on the range both days with an hour and a half or so for short game at the end of the 2-4 hours.

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To further illustrate this point.....

 

After each of Monte's clinics I tend to go out and play very well and stripe it within a month....sometimes even as little as the following weekend. Shortly thereafter, I go through a struggling period of a few months where I struggle for a couple weeks on the range then flush it on the range but hit it horribly on the course, then my driver fails.....then 3-5 months later it starts showing up on the course. I'll have 3 or 4 holes where every shot is hit really well....then 4 or 5 holes but my misses are way better ....then 9 holes, then eventually 18 which doesn't happen for about 10-12 months later. FWIW I can only practice on weekends and dedicate about 2-4 hours on the range both days with an hour and a half or so for short game at the end of the 2-4 hours.

 

So basically Monte is a drug dealer selling that sweet sweet golf swing!

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. It’s all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

 

As a guy who struggled with alcohol and who literally every single day for 5 years swore I wasn’t going to drink that day and then watched myself drink, I wholly and fundamentally disagree with you here.

 

Eventually the dam broke and I quit. I had been fully beaten into submission.

 

How long did those people who quit smoking long to quit and built up the willingness to change and tolerate the process?

 

Now I could say once the dam broke it was a matter of having a strong mind but that discounts the incredible effort it took over those 5 years where I failed.

 

The real issue is some things are easy for some but hard for others.

 

There is zero - let me repeat ZERO - support contradicting the general idea in Monte’s post for most golfers.

 

yes.. and all i said was "not everyone" which agrees with your last sentence... the one that says "General and most golfers"... Why does my brain see this opposite? lol... I see myself as the one railing against absolutes and its posted above as if im suggesting absolutes.. Im not at all..

 

 

edit- and id like to add that ive been a party to more substance abuse than you can shake a stick at ... And i have 2 brothers at opposite ends of the spectrum.. 1 . who drank heavily for 10-12 years and one weekend had a bad episode and quit.... I havent seen him drunk in 10 years.. 2 the other brother, is hooked to everything you can name .. no end in sight...

 

the 40 plus year cigarette story was my grand dad... i recall it vividly ... One saturday he was doing something around he barn with his cows and i was 7-8 years old trying to stay out of the way but watch what he was doing.. He wore shirts with 2 pockets , and had a pack of camels in each one. He stopped and had a caughing fit and threw up some green/brown stuff etc .... I heard him cuss when he got his breathe... and say " G** Damn these things...im done ... and threw the open pack into the trash... "... i knew i didnt see him smoke another that day ...But i knew he had the 2nd pack in his pocket... about 2 weeks later he had a bit of bad news come in and i think the stress caused him to want a drag... He went out on the back steps and fired up.. Immediately he began choking and then he got sick.. threw up his dinner... He gathered himself and came back in ( i was watching him out the window) ...threw that pack into the trash ... It was never mentioned for maybe 10 years.. somewhere in my teens he brought it up and said he carried that 2nd pack around until the day i saw him get sick .. He said he decided then and there if he wanted to live he had to quit... and he did.. I was raised by him, and tracked his every move.. so no way to have hid it .. He lived to be 91...

 

his patented saying was this " by the time i was 18 id been further around the world fighting Germans than most people have a tea cup looking for the handle...... If i lived through that and saw what i saw , then i figure theres not much i cant do or withstand." and hed finish it up with "cant never could and wont never will"...

 

Its not about perfection.. its about not being beaten..

 

i respect your story alot... I dont have much of a point to mine except to show it wasnt made up nonsense...

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Ask a smoker of 20 years to quit and he will tell you how long and hard the process was.

 

The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

Some of y’all need to become simpletons instead of asking and questioning why the world isn’t flat.

 

Lol. But I can show you 2 real people from differen instances who smoked for 30 plus and 40plus years who laid them down one day and never smoked again. It’s all in the mind. Question is how strong is your mind.

 

As a guy who struggled with alcohol and who literally every single day for 5 years swore I wasn’t going to drink that day and then watched myself drink, I wholly and fundamentally disagree with you here.

 

Eventually the dam broke and I quit. I had been fully beaten into submission.

 

How long did those people who quit smoking long to quit and built up the willingness to change and tolerate the process?

 

Now I could say once the dam broke it was a matter of having a strong mind but that discounts the incredible effort it took over those 5 years where I failed.

 

The real issue is some things are easy for some but hard for others.

 

There is zero - let me repeat ZERO - support contradicting the general idea in Monte’s post for most golfers.

 

yes.. and all i said was "not everyone" which agrees with your last sentence... the one that says "General and most golfers"... Why does my brain see this opposite? lol... I see myself as the one railing against absolutes and its posted above as if im suggesting absolutes.. Im not at all..

 

 

edit- and id like to add that ive been a party to more substance abuse than you can shake a stick at ... And i have 2 brothers at opposite ends of the spectrum.. 1 . who drank heavily for 10-12 years and one weekend had a bad episode and quit.... I havent seen him drunk in 10 years.. 2 the other brother, is hooked to everything you can name .. no end in sight...

 

the 40 plus year cigarette story was my grand dad... i recall it vividly ... One saturday he was doing something around he barn with his cows and i was 7-8 years old trying to stay out of the way but watch what he was doing.. He wore shirts with 2 pockets , and had a pack of camels in each one. He stopped and had a caughing fit and threw up some green/brown stuff etc .... I heard him cuss when he got his breathe... and say " G** Damn these things...im done ... and threw the open pack into the trash... "... i knew i didnt see him smoke another that day ...But i knew he had the 2nd pack in his pocket... about 2 weeks later he had a bit of bad news come in and i think the stress caused him to want a drag... He went out on the back steps and fired up.. Immediately he began choking and then he got sick.. threw up his dinner... He gathered himself and came back in ( i was watching him out the window) ...threw that pack into the trash ... It was never mentioned for maybe 10 years.. somewhere in my teens he brought it up and said he carried that 2nd pack around until the day i saw him get sick .. He said he decided then and there if he wanted to live he had to quit... and he did.. I was raised by him, and tracked his every move.. so no way to have hid it .. He lived to be 91...

 

his patented saying was this " by the time i was 18 id been further around the world fighting Germans than most people have a tea cup looking for the handle...... If i lived through that and saw what i saw , then i figure theres not much i cant do or withstand." and hed finish it up with "cant never could and wont never will"...

 

Its not about perfection.. its about not being beaten..

 

i respect your story alot... I dont have much of a point to mine except to show it wasnt made up nonsense...

 

Fair enough!

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Some of you need to google "Motor pathways in the brain," and do some more research

 

What would you have them do with it? Many people still think there is a such thing as muscle memory...

 

Right and understanding how learning takes place can be even more important than what you’re learning.

 

When I had knee surgery last year, the PT’s told me my method of walking was terrible.

 

When they showed me how I should be walking, I could do it immediately. Took me months of effort before I did it without thinking and it became my default movement. A year later I will still fall back into old habits, especially when I’m tired.

 

Changing golf swing works exactly the same way.

 

I had my right hip replaced about 18 months ago, and can attest to pretty much the same thing. I was having knee pain about a month after the surgery when I started walking more, and they eventually told me I was walking stupid and incorrectly as well. There are still times when I consciously am thinking about my gait because it doesn't feel right or toward the end of walking 18 I'm starting to feel a bit sore in my right knee.

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I see a lot of commentary about focus vs change vs time... etc.

 

There is a difference between being able to perform an action one time, several times, and whenever you choose.

 

Each represents a different level of golf. Even at the highest level many golfers hit the ball one way (low, draw, fade, etc). Quite a few can call up a particular shot from their “bank”, but they have had to work to build their “bank” accounts. Realizing a limitation on a certain account may result in a desire to transfer funds to a different account with a greater potential.

 

Here is my point, to support Monte’s general statement. Ingrained change is physiological. The focus some of you refer to is not a magical energy, it is a physical sequence (neurons, nerves, muscles, etc.... all physical things).

 

I recommend anyone who wants to learn more about why certain golfers can adapt quickly while others struggle, read a book called The Talent Code. It will explain many things from a scientific perspective, and maybe shed some light on this topic. Anyone wonder why a newborn horse can stand and run in a matter of hours after birth, but a newborn human cannot and takes several months to develop these abilities? Read the book, get smarter (grow more neurons and strengthen neural pathways).

 

I was thinking about Talent Code as I thought about this thread. I was especially recalling a story about this music student of average talent who, one day, out of the blue, was utterly more focused and playing way above her normal level. Then next time she was back to regular performance.

 

It is one thing to have a peak performance. It is entirely another to make that peak performance become the baseline.

 

The other thing I thought was Talent Code talked about the cultural/environmental support that all led to the motivation behind all that focused practice. Part of the real challenge for most golfers is change is, indeed, hard, all those comments to contrary notwithstanding. The key is sustaining motivation and enthusiasm through the process so that you stick with it. That’s the critical element.

 

That particular paragraph was speaking to the fact that we can figure anything out with common sense. She figured out notes on her own. 2 years worth of practice.

It’s as if Zelda gets to Gaidens lair in the first 5 minutes. You would not know how you got there or how to win the game. But you are playing at a very high level.

 

Moral of the story: you have everything a pro does already. Believe in yourself

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The same with a bad habit or understanding of the swing. The deconstruction is part of the learning and that too can take time.

 

 

I agree with this completely. I've been on a 20+ year learning curve. To me it's more evolution to improvement. The true measure only shows under tournament conditions. It doesn't matter if it's your weekly money game or something much bigger. Put yourself in a pressure situation (whatever scale it is for you) and you will know whether or not your swing is improving.

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I see a lot of commentary about focus vs change vs time... etc.

 

There is a difference between being able to perform an action one time, several times, and whenever you choose.

 

Each represents a different level of golf. Even at the highest level many golfers hit the ball one way (low, draw, fade, etc). Quite a few can call up a particular shot from their “bank”, but they have had to work to build their “bank” accounts. Realizing a limitation on a certain account may result in a desire to transfer funds to a different account with a greater potential.

 

Here is my point, to support Monte’s general statement. Ingrained change is physiological. The focus some of you refer to is not a magical energy, it is a physical sequence (neurons, nerves, muscles, etc.... all physical things).

 

I recommend anyone who wants to learn more about why certain golfers can adapt quickly while others struggle, read a book called The Talent Code. It will explain many things from a scientific perspective, and maybe shed some light on this topic. Anyone wonder why a newborn horse can stand and run in a matter of hours after birth, but a newborn human cannot and takes several months to develop these abilities? Read the book, get smarter (grow more neurons and strengthen neural pathways).

 

I was thinking about Talent Code as I thought about this thread. I was especially recalling a story about this music student of average talent who, one day, out of the blue, was utterly more focused and playing way above her normal level. Then next time she was back to regular performance.

 

It is one thing to have a peak performance. It is entirely another to make that peak performance become the baseline.

 

The other thing I thought was Talent Code talked about the cultural/environmental support that all led to the motivation behind all that focused practice. Part of the real challenge for most golfers is change is, indeed, hard, all those comments to contrary notwithstanding. The key is sustaining motivation and enthusiasm through the process so that you stick with it. That’s the critical element.

 

That particular paragraph was speaking to the fact that we can figure anything out with common sense. She figured out notes on her own. 2 years worth of practice.

It’s as if Zelda gets to Gaidens lair in the first 5 minutes. You would not know how you got there or how to win the game. But you are playing at a very high level.

 

 

 

Moral of the story: you have everything a pro does already. Believe in yourself

 

I recall that section differently from you. What I recall is the idea that suddenly she could focus much more keenly on the moment in its entirety but then that level of engagement was temporary and not available to her next lesson. The moral that I recall is deep focus creates excellence but deep focus is not assured even by temporary success.

 

Nor do I believe I have what talented and skilled golfers (eg most teaching pros or at least many). That inner map of a great swing is forming but not yet formed.

 

And, as a matter of fact, I do believe in myself and am highly confident, optimistic and self-reliant and have been successful in the most important areas of life to me. This is largely in part because I am not afraid of facing weaknesses and difficulties head-on and because I recognize these I grow and nurture optimism and self belief.

 

 

Titlest Tsi2, 10*, GD ADDI 5
Titleist TSi2 16.5 GD ADDI 5

Callaway X-hot pro 3, 4 h
TM P790 5-W, DG 105 R
Vokey SM7 48, 52, 56
Cameron Futura 5W


 
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I've gotten to the point where I've completely lost my game. It's maddening. I have no earthly idea how to get it back. I can't even grasp the concept of simple things like the takeaway anymore. If I try and watch a video on the takeaway or any other part of the swing, I can't grasp the concepts. I can't realistically afford lessons right now (I have two kids under the age of 2 and $75,000 in student loans).

 

I played last weekend and shot 87 with 4 triples and 4 fairways hit. The entire time i'm trying to fix myself. I've over complicated it to the point that I've completely lost it and have been contemplating giving the game up. ( A game I've been in love with since I was 2, when my late-grandpa taught it too me).

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