[mrodock]

How are you gonna play (or teach) golf well without knowing the answers of "My 10 Questions":

1. Why do beginners hit slices?
2. Why are the images of peoples' swings different from what they imagine?
3. Why can't people take their games to the golf course?
4. Why do people miss a 3(or even shorter)-footer?
5. Why can't people swing like Tiger, despite they watch his swing over and over and know exactly what it's like?
6. Why do people slip back to their old swings after taking lessons?
7. Why can't people hit it longer with a harder swing?
8. Why do people hit it into the hazards they try to avoid, but not the target they anticipate?
9. Why can't people repeat their best drives?
10. Why do people's practicing swing differ from their real swing?

1. Heaving the arms and shoulders at the ball feels like a powerful move to a beginner. The act of trying to hit the ball hard from the top of the backswing most often results in cutting across the ball and this swing path makes it more difficult to square up the face.

2. What people might imagine their swing to be is likely the consequence of seeing good players' swings that they admire and would like to copy. The player might get such a picture in their mind; however, they are still stuck with their motor program for the golf swing, or a slightly different version if the picture has had some effect. It takes reconditioning to affect one's motor program. Further, everyone has certain tendencies with a golf club and if someone wishes to change the plane of their swing for instance they might feel that they do not have any forearm rotation on the backswing. What they are really feeling is less forearm rotation than usual, maybe only slightly less. Slight changes can cause massively different feels at first because the motor program of a player's swing that has played for awhile is truly a part of that person, thus swing changes can be quite difficult.

3. Some people may be rather surprised that they really do not have much of a game to take to the course in the first place. If you hit balls with the goal of hitting it into the field you have not practiced golf--hitting to a specific target. If one is playing far below their potential there is great likelihood they are either too tight, too fearful, or lack confidence, or a combination of the aforementioned.

4. It can be psychological, not making a smooth stroke without nervous twitches or jerks. It also can be a bad putting stroke that is neither on-plane or with a consistent hinge action. My guess is bad mechanics usually lead to psychological problems and the cycle persists.

5. Truth is, they don't know EXACTLY what it is like. They might be able to recognize it without seeing Tiger's face but that does not mean that they know what it feels like. Further, without the same body structure, tissue length, strength, etc., one is incapable of making the exact same swing. Further, if a person does not work on things to directly recondition their motor program, (drills with a golf club) that motor program will, in large part, continue to run the golf swing. If the player reconditions a piece of Tiger's swing at a time, until that part is habit, and then moves onto the next piece in a period of several years it is possible they will have a swing that is reminiscent of the great Tiger Woods. Realistically, very few have this kind of discipline.

6. They don't spend the time to recondition the new movements and start tinkering and working on other things. A couple of bad shots is often all it takes for someone to start tinkering.

7. Swinging harder causes most players to reach their peak speed long before impact and thus lose any or all lag pressure.

8. Sometimes players are quite successful of avoiding a hazard. Instead of hitting it in the water left they hit it 75 yards to the right for instance. I believe many players do not set a target if there is trouble to avoid; realistically, their target is anywhere but the hazard. Further, is more attention is paid to the hazard than a target in the fairway for instance, the hazard becomes the target for the subconscious and the body makes the alterations necessary to get the ball to the target (provided the timing of the swing is correct). SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING AT THE TARGET. Glance at the hazard stare at the target.

9. Most players best drives are a consequence of all the compensations of their swings coming together nearly perfectly. No one can always compensate perfectly. The better the mechanics, the better the psychology, the more often one can replay their best drives or at least come close. Further, one's best drivers, particularly for a swinger, are the consequence of an effortless swing and it is common to try and control or MAKE a good drive happen instead of letting it happen.

10. Because there is a golf ball there and a consequence if the golf ball does not go to the target. Thus, nerves play a role. Further, one can have a well-planed golf swing away from a ball but it can be several inches from hitting a ball (if there was a ball there), thus, they will have a tendency to come over the top. Steering is another reason for differences.

Matt