Making golf too difficult

IMHO, we often make golf too complicated and too difficult. Its really very simple once you know a few key moves coupled with the fundamentals.
I think one reason alot of people don't play or give it up is because many have made their living or their agenda is making it way too hard.
One reason the pro's make it look so easy, is because once you know a few things, it IS.
LOL

I agree there, some of these golf instructors make the basic fundamentals so complicated that the student has to return over and over. The best keep it simple and focused to the individual.

hi takinitdeep
i do think your right but i also feel that confidence has a lot to do with it to, a believe in yourself to play to a certain standard and play the percentage shots and not the one in a hundred shots,
i do believe i can play to my standard and play well but when i try to play above it i tend to play badly by trying shots that don't come off.
i do believe you must test yourself to get better but its a balance of what you can do on an a given day and trying new things when playing a game is a sure way to disaster, learn on the range and play with what you have on the course.
cheers
bill

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Golf like anything else has a learning curve. Some folks will grasp what is needed to play well quicker than others.

" Its really very simple once you know a few key moves coupled with the fundamentals."

That is a fine quote. Of course, the question that must be asked now is what are those "fundamentals", and more importantly what are the "key moves"?

For me, the key move was a more of a correct position at address. Once I learned to keep my left hand/arm near my left thigh, while keeping them in some what of a straight line with club shaft, and then reaching over with my right hand, is when I started to become a consistant golfer. That one position at address solved alot of swing problems for me. My swing's low point became consistant, my divots started showing up in front of the ball, and my distances with each club became consistant.

I like what Jack Nicklaus said;


"TROUBLE SHOTS; re: Jack Nicklaus, “Golf My Way”
>These types of shots are not the fault of the golf club, the golf ball, or the golf course. They are always caused by a golfer’s poor swing, a golfer’s poor course management, or just plain bad luck. The challenge of golf is to plan, and hit good shots. The other challenge is to recover skillfully from the golfer’s poor shot, poor course management, or the unlucky bounces that some shots may take<"

Perhaps he should have added poor fitted equipment to his list. GJS

Another agreement here. It's a universally applicable idea - solid fundamentals allow for more success at a greater level.

Having simplified my golf swing, I'm learning that there are only a few 'key things' involved in hitting decent shots.

Sadly, I only keyed into these things once my season was more or less over.

Now I just need to get some serious short game practice in (does 3sk cover chipping?) and I should be nicely set for next year.

At the end of the day all you are doing is hitting a ball, why does that have to be so hard?

Here are a few reasons:

The ball is still so you have plenty of time to let your brain fill with complex swing thoughts before hitting it.

The clubface is not an extension of your wrist like in other ball striking games, it is offset.

The small area of the clubface that needs to strike the ball is swinging on a 6 ft arc at around 100 MPH on the end of a set of complex hinged levers.

All our natural instincts to get a ball into the air and on target don't work with golf.

Trees, lakes, long grass, sand, mud, wind, rain, slopes, ditches and adrenaline.

Oh! and Sha**s and Yips

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Brian

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Simply because 95% of all the worlds's golfers have (for what ever reason) failed to learn how to swing the club, and hit the golf ball to their intended target. Some do not understand the golf swing. Some do not know how, and/or why a golf club does what it does to the golf ball. Some do not know how to use the clubface correctly, as the club manufacturer intended it to be used. Some don't want to take the time to practice to get better. Some will not stick with one method of instruction long enough to see it's advantages. Others will shop around, getting too many different kinds of instruction methods, and then try to use all these different methods in their own swing. Some won't pay for quality instruction even if they could afford it. Some just don't play enough to get better. Others do not have the physical coordination to be able to move their body parts in the right sequence to achieve a decent, consistant ball flight.

The reasons are endless, and varied. GJS

All posts very true BUT:
we must ask ourselves why some folks won't take the time to learn the fundamentals before jumping into swing mechanics and the finer nuances of the game?
They are part of the "instant gratification" group who want things fast and easy and convince themselves they are capable of advanced study when they fail to master the fundamentals.
Its different for everyone, different keys, different faults, and different swings yet most still stuggle to be like Jones, Hogan, Nicklaus, or some dream player they have no hope of copying. In the process of trying, they really f**k themselves up and lose all sense of who they are versus who they want to be.
The lessons of life translate into golf not the reverse; know who you are, be yourself, and put in the time to do well.
End of story.

But ultimately does it matter?

If some are content to be mediocre golfers then no harm has been done. Many play with little tuition or practice and are unhappy with their progress but are not prepared to change something. Some have a burning desire to become better and may or may not reach their potential for whatever reasons.

The original point was about people that make a living from keeping the fundamentals over complex and hard to pick up. There is no doubt that this happens, I have been fascinated by some of the confusing and over complicated claptrap posted on forums like this by supposed professional instructors. This does get offset by the better and more helpful types that exist to genuinely help people though and there are also many of them on forums like this.

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Brian

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Funny o'l game!

You seem to have "Hijacked" my thread for your own agenda. I in no way meant to infer that teachers make it too difficult, in fact, they are part of the solution. Its students who make it too difficult; Pro's are good, posts are at times suspect.

What did this mean then Tom? Please explain.

Edit:

And please read through my post again, particularly the last sentence.

While Brian's comments may have merit - that there are those out there that intentionally keep things confusing to "keep 'em coming back" I'll offer that hucksters like this exist in all fields, not just golf and golf instruction.

However, unlike an institution of higher learning, the onus is not solely on the student to decipher what the teacher offers - the teacher must be able to communicate his ideas clearly and consisely in a manner the student can grasp and comprehend otherwise the instruction is pointless.

I fall into the instant gratification category. I believe in my athletic ability enough to be able to grasp and repeat concepts. However, reading about them and watching them doesn't help me. Doing it does, and I understand WHAT I'm supposed to be doing once I understand WHY I'm supposed to be doing it. "Stick your elbows by your hips and carry a tray at the top" is great - but why am I doing this; to what end; and what does it facilitate? I am not a fan of 'hitting positions' due to my size and lack of flexibility. At 6'1" & 280lbs, having my 5'8" 150lb coach try to get me into positions he can hit doesn't help. Hell, emulating Craig Stadler doesn't help either - because he's more flexible than I.

The best teachers in any given field are the ones that can find out how the student learns, then deliver the material to them in that vein.

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A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Very good points LP. Tuition must be tailored to the individual and their limitations, just like any teaching or instruction.

You guys mis-understood what I was trying to say. What I was trying to imply was that you might as well not out think yourself when all you need to do is hit the ball.