Can I Share a Secret ?
It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but it’s worth considering if you are struggling to make the progress you want to with your game. To become the golfer you think you should be. Even when at the level of the intellect, you really want to.
I know I wanted to get good pretty badly.
You have these dreams about finally getting your handicap down, or maybe fixing that one bad shot or part of that game that lets you down.
But somehow, you don’t seem to be able to commit to doing what you know you need to do to make it happen. You make excuses and find endless ways of sabotaging your progress.
Maybe you book a course of lessons, but life gets busy and you only manage to take the first one or two.
Or if you are taking lessons, you don’t find time to practice in between them. Or you get on the golf course and don’t consistently do what you know you need to do in order to hit a good golf shot.
It’s easy to drop back into old, comfortable patterns, even if you know they don’t work that well.
So, you’re playing badly.
Maybe you know that your grip isn’t right. You have been told by playing partners and your pro that you need to sort it if you want to play better
But you still keep playing with the same grip. Or the same bad alignment. Or bad ball position.
You keep hitting the same poor shots. But somehow, you never get round to really understanding the ball flight laws and then addressing the cause.
The Shelf of Shame
Anyway, back to my little secret.
In my office at home, I’ve got a shelf with close to 20 books on it that I’ve never read. Some of these books are brand new. Some I’ve been given, some I’ve bought myself.
I’ve got a whole library containing a load of useful knowledge and information about stuff I’m interested in, but somehow I just haven’t got round to doing anything with it.
So, I get it. Somehow the things we really want to do get pushed aside by the stuff we feel we need to do.
It’s really interesting that so many of us have these good intentions at the level of intellect. But we sometimes never get around to taking the action to implement, or to use the information, to apply the knowledge that we acquire.
Now I’ve known about this tendency of mine for a few years now. But even with that knowledge, I still occasionally buy a book and don’t read it.
It’s why I don’t get upset or take it personally when golfers come for lessons, but then don’t practice.
Or buy my books and don’t read them.
How can I be annoyed or critical, when it’s something I know I’m capable of myself ?
Give Yourself a Break
So, what should we do about it?
Do we need to do something? Well, I guess that depends on how much you want to. Now just might not be the right time for you.
But when you are ready, it’s really important to understand that this isn’t a golf problem.
This is about understanding the human experience.
If you’re one of these people that collects golf books. Or signs up for online courses to learn more about the golf swing. Or takes lessons, but then doesn’t practice in between, please don’t be hard on yourself.
This isn’t about judgement or criticism. It’s just about understanding what’s going on. Because if you understand what’s going on, then you’ve got a chance of doing something about it.
So, this is why I say to most people who get in touch about improving their golf,
“It’s really important that we help you understand how your mind works first. You need to learn how the human experience is created before we start talking about what to do with your golf swing.”
Because if you don’t understand how your mind works, more information about the golf swing won’t make any difference to you because you’ll do what you’ve always done.
You’ll go away, you’ll try to apply it.
Perhaps intermittently, perhaps sporadically. Or perhaps you’ll park it, like books on a shelf, thinking you’ll apply at some point in the future.
The Intellect Loves Ticking Boxes
As I know from experience, we’re very good at wanting something, or seeing a problem and thinking
‘I need to solve that.’
We take the first step. We buy a book or arrange a golf lesson.
Our mind plays a trick on us at this point. It’s kind of like we’ve ticked it off the to-do list.
The intellect loves completion. It always wants to mark something down as ‘done’ so it can get onto the next thing.
In the eyes of the intellect, you’re addressing the problem, so it marks it down as ‘solved’.
So, if you’re struggling with your game, or if you have got these intentions of getting your handicap down next year but don’t know where to start.
Or maybe you have some sort of goal with your golf but you’ve maybe had the same goal for the last four or five years and you haven’t managed to do anything about it?
Well, now might be a good time to get in touch.
Time for a New Approach?
I’ve seen people who have made huge changes in their golf after this one realisation about how their mind works.
What’s really interesting is the now familiar scenario of someone who gets in touch because they want to improve their golf, but who sees the biggest transformation in habits or patterns of behaviour in other parts of their lives.
So, maybe the the fact you are reading this article means you’re ready for a new approach?
I remember the moment of realisation I had about 10 years ago. I had been struggling for some time. It was the big turning point for me in terms of finding my swing and rediscovering my love for the game.
It’s had massive implications in other parts of my life.
I’ve written two books. I’m now sharing this understanding with other athletes in different sports. I’ve worked with professional players and coaches in football, rugby and cricket.
It’s important to recognise that the key insight wasn’t an intellectual concept. It’s not more information or more knowledge.
It’s a deeper realisation, a deeper understanding of who we really are and how our minds work. It’s what comes before the intellect.
The intellect is known by it.
It’s the foundation stone of every theology, religion and spiritual tradition, and underpins every aspect of the human experience.
I know. It sounds like a funny direction to head off in when all we are trying to do is get better at a silly old ball and stick game.
But I promise, it’s the quickest and easiest way to get back on track when the silly old ball and stick game starts driving you crazy.
So, if that sounds like a conversation you’d be interested in having, please get in touch.