Don’t Just Exercise…

By Jeff Fisher
December 23, 2014

12/23/2014

As a golf coach I watch hundreds of golfers hit balls in a given month. That may occur in a lesson or it may happen just as I am walking past a full driving range. The thought that occurs to me most often when watching people hit balls on the driving range is that they truly have no hope of getting better.

That may seem like a pretty harsh statement but the fact of the matter is that it is true. How do I know this? Because from watching them hit balls it is obvious they have no plan to get better. All they are doing is exercising. And by performing repetition after repetition with no plan to get better, they are actually getting worse because the bad habits that already exist are just becoming that much more ingrained.

So what do these golfers need to do to actually improve? First of all they need a goal and that goal cannot be vague in nature. The old standard,” I want to be more consistent” will not cut it! Something more specific like wanting to hit more fairways or make more putts is at least a good start. By being specific in your goals you and your coach can then be more specific in your diagnosis of why you aren’t currently at the level you want to be. Once you have a specific goal and a correct diagnosis you can set a plan to help you fix the issue.

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An effective practice plan could incorporate any number of things from exaggerated practice swings, drills or mirror work to help effect the change that you are working towards. Patience is an absolute virtue in this situation because rushing through any of these forms of practice will not give you the help that you need and in fact can make you worse.

By setting specific goals, mapping out a plan and following that plan you can reach the level of golf that you always dream of playing. All you have to remember is that a goal without a plan is just a dream!

 

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