Abundance

 I giggle every time I hear someone say, "I better save those birdies for the golf course" or "you might wanna save those drives for the tournament".  Where did we ever come up with a fear of not having enough when we perform and that we will have a shortage of pars or birdies or good swings when we want them the most? I have had students tell me that they do not take practice swings on the course because they are afraid they will use all of their good swings up as practice swings.

What if I told you, you could create a good golf shot whenever you wanted to, regardless of the savings you have in your golf piggy bank? Hitting good golf shots does not require a perfect swing or the perfect conditions.  Hitting great golf shots requires that you pick the best golf shot for you. This requires an understanding of where your golf ball impacts the club face and understanding how you play your best golf.  

None of us have perfect golf swings.  Our body (and mind) is constantly changing, and hopefully, evolving. And in the same respect, golf research and technology has taught us that our golf swing only varies a very small percentage. So how can some shots be so awful and others perfect if the golf swing only varies by 2 to 3 percent? The answer lies in where your ball makes contact with the club face.

A centered strike with maximum efficiency (smash factor) is going to produce your most prized golf shots.  A golf ball that is struck off center and is more of a glancing blow will produce some of your least promising shots.  But remember, your swing didn't vary much from the one before it; only your contact changed. And your swing doesn't have to be perfect, or even pretty, to find the center of the club face.

The second piece to this puzzle is knowing how you play your best golf.  Larry will admit that he used to strike the golf ball pretty high, but then he moved to Naples.  After a short time in Naples, he learned that a high ball flight in Florida isn't the best way to play golf.  He didn't change his golf swing, he just understood how to hit the golf ball at a lower trajectory so he could score against the Florida conditions.  He also realized that he played his best golf when he was scrambling, when he had to be creative to get his golf ball where he wanted it to go. This isn't a function of a perfect golf swing (don't tell him that). This is a function of a creative imagination and an understanding of where to hit the golf ball on the club face.  He also knew that he could access this creative well whenever he wanted, therefore, an abundance of great golf shots were his. And this fueled him to win and travel all over the world to play professional golf.

The abundance is yours if you choose to stop playing your golf swing and instead focus on where you want your golf ball to go. When you play golf on the course, play to learn so that you will eventually learn to score.  

Many Birdies,

Melissa