I recently gave lessons to two brothers. The elder was 17 and the younger 12 years old. I have been helping people better understand the golf swing for over 30 years, but it had been a while since I had met two people as excited about golf as these two.
Gold Mountain’s PGA Professional, Mark Knowles
Our lesson time was fairly ordinary. By fairly ordinary I mean that they would seem to understand our discussions, the drills and the techniques and would show modest improvement in the hour we worked together. However, magic would happen at some point during the week, because when I saw them the following Tuesday night they had it! Heck, they not only had it…they owned it.
Learning to play golf takes time. All skill sports require time, focus and passion to learn to develop a repeating motion. With golf, the motion is complex and the margin for error is minimal. These two boys left their lesson on Tuesday, and they spent every waking hour for the next seven days walking, talking, practicing, and watching golf. It was summer vacation and what else are you going to do as a kid besides hit golf balls into your neighbor’s house and watch the Golf Channel non-stop?
There are a few things that come to mind as I reflect on the magic of learning golf. First of all, it helps to have your summers off! But more importantly, keep golf fun. No matter your age, learn through the eyes of a child. Have every day be a new day. Enjoy the opportunity to play golf! Celebrate your successes and forget the miss-hits! Swing the club in balance and go see your favorite PGA Professional for a little direction.
Making the turn,
Mark