The Truth about Good Golf

The Truth about Good Golf

By Dennis M Clark

“Why is there such a big gap between my intentions and my achievements?”
This is the main question every golfer should be asking themselves, which should be closely followed by. “Why has all the time, effort and money I’ve invested failed to reduce that gap significantly?”

Not only should you be asking these questions, you should be looking to find some serious answers. I mean, it’s not that you’re even settling for second best, if you’re honest you’re floundering around barely surviving and becoming more frustrated.

There are only three logical answers to these questions.

1. You have reached your potential and there’s no more room for improvement.
2. You are gaining the incorrect knowledge to allow progress.
3. You are practicing incorrectly.

Of these the first is very rarely true and so reason confirms that it must be one, or both, of the latter two.

So before you start looking for what will make an improvement you would be better to first consider, “What is it that continually prevents your improvement?”

It should be quite apparent that you keep making the same mistake over and over again.
Every time you try something new, which is about every week, you think you’re singing a different song. The truth is, you’re singing the same old song, and you’ve just changed the words slightly. Hence little if any real difference is made.

All golfers are continually in search of THE SECRET, and so I would like to share golf’s greatest secret with you in the hope this will end that fruitless search.

“There are no secrets, just truths that remain hidden until we’re ready to hear them”.

In your search you gather vast amounts of information but benefit little. Why? Because the information doesn’t hold the answers, the truth does. That is the magic that the very good golfers seem to have. But don’t worry it’s available to all.

First let’s define the difference between information and truth.

The information you receive about the golf swing and how to play the game will change as new techniques evolve. What was correct 20 years ago was not relevant 10 years ago, and what was relevant then seems incorrect now. But this is what we become obsessed with in our search for improvement. While I’m not criticizing any technique, and I’m not against technical improvements, the problem is that because of their continuous change and because of the many different techniques, they are transient.
Truth is constant. It always has been and always will be. Anything less is just ideas which aren’t necessarily correct and can change on a whim.

There are a few things in the golf swing which are constant and no matter what technique you choose they remain the same, have since the beginning of the game, and always will.
These are the Truths of the swing and are of most value. It is the understanding, awareness, and correct application of these Truths that allows you to achieve greater heights in your game. What’s more they are so very simple, have always been right in front of you, and can be developed successfully with some focused application.

No matter how much you practice, the technique you’re working on will never have full value without understanding of the Truths of golf. You believe that if you work hard enough on a certain piece of technique it will somehow make the magical difference to your game. The fact is it hasn’t so far and you’ve tried many different theories, so reason would suggest it never will and that therefore you’re on the wrong path.

You spend a lot of time and energy trying to fix problems, but when the Truths are realized the problems dissolve and are no longer an issue. An added bonus is that you no longer have to carry the excessive amount of baggage you have been, and so it becomes a more freeing experience.

You would be amazed at how little theory you need to actually need to carry, for as you develop these Truths your natural potential begins to manifest itself as many of the positions and movements you were working so hard, and often fruitlessly, to achieve occur with seemingly no effort.

Of course this doesn’t mean you will play perfect golf all the time, being human has its limits, but you will no longer be fighting yourself and the game, and you will develop much more control, achievement, and pleasure.

If you’re serious it’s time to take a look in a different direction. Seek that which will make the real difference

“The Truth shall set you free.”

Copyright Dennis M Clark 2007