Wouldn't it be great if you could learn a new swing change and never suffer any setbacks during the time of change? You would probable say yes, what's the secret? Wouldn't it be great if there were some magical position to make during the swing or a type of swing trainer that would groove the swing for you? Actually, the answer is no; and that's a good thing. It would be one of the worst things that could happen for you to grow up as a golfer, if you didn't have to go through the growing pains of improvement. Ask yourself if you would like to evolve as a golfer or would you like to stay right where you are.
As you go through tough spells while playing, try to recall the trials of simply growing up. Enduring through some of the world's tests are -- to a great degree -- the reason you are where you are and who you are today. You had to go through the tests and pains and will continue to do so until you can get beyond resisting the struggles. By that point you are probably enlightened in some way and on your way to learn a new life lesson.
When you try to make a swing change it is often the same thing; you may say to yourself something like "I shouldn't have to struggle this much or it can't be this hard to change". These thoughts and words are without a doubt the creation of more struggles. The realty is that you have to accept the struggle in order to overcome it.
If you look at this the wrong way, you're going to miss my point. To go out to the practice facility and just pound balls trying to make a change or create a swing, is like going thru life without a purpose, you would be going about life aimlessly. Doing something without being there is the problem.
I have been a great believer in staying in the moment, the here and now. Hitting thousands of balls every week is like whipping yourself, if your mind isn't there in the moment for each ball; staying consciously aware of the moment for each shot. Hitting a golf ball demands your attention in the moment. This is, in fact, the reason the miss-hit happens.
In so many ways a missed shot is a reflection of what occurs in life. They both have to do with your attention. I believe that I have hit better shots, with very little to do with making the perfect swing, simply because my awareness to the shot was absolutely grounded in the moment. I have also missed shots with good swings from not being there in the present of what was happening; I was stuck out in the future, the results of where I wanted the ball to go. I think they were good swings; perhaps the tension that floods into the body right before the club makes it back to the ball, only leaves the impression that it may have been a good swing. I can truly say that I wasn't present for the swing so I don't really know.
Forming a good golf swing is important, staying there for the shot is more important. It's kind of like that old quote by Woody Allen, "90% of life is just showing up". There is quite a bit of truth to that. I was recently in a conversation with a friend of Scott McCarron. He told my that at one point when Scott was playing well on TOUR a few years back, he stopped working on his swing because he felt he got it to where it worked well. All he did was work with mind coaches. I can see the significance to this. Once you have the swing form, let it be formless. I can't speculate as to where Scott's game has gone and if this had anything to do with why he is not at the top of leader boards these days. I do know that it worked for awhile for him. That he had a formless attention to hitting a ball. Go to 7mythsofgolf.com for the formless swing.
Bill Bondaruk is a PGA Class A member. After traveling the mini tours, Bondaruk taught for a few world-renowned golf schools, including John Jacobs, Jim McLean and Scott Sackett's Resort Golf. He was Director of Instruction at Arizona National and swing instructor for the University of Arizona men's and women's golf teams. He has worked with a list of tour professionals as well as collegiate stars.
