Golf Swings

Having spent last week spotting at the Australian National Veteran Golfers Championships held here in Paradise (Cairns, Queensland if you need to ask!)I was struck by the wide variety of golf swings exhibited.

Some of these looked very ungainly, if not downright weird, but nevertheless were quite effective. On reflection it was obvious that many of those of my vintage or older had achieved those swings because they, like myself, had either not had access to professional coaching, or had not been able to afford lessons when they started playing. They had to observe existing players and try to put into practice what they deemed to be the most efficient strokes for the shot being played.

As video cameras were not available/affordable 50 years ago either, they had to rely on a mirror or feel to refine their swing. Naturally, there were some good ball players who achieved a 'natural' swing, but many made do with what worked for them, putting up with a fade/slice or draw/hook and playing for it. They usually made up for defects in their long game by becoming deadly around the green.

These days there is simply no excuse for beginners to go through this trial & error process which was, if we are honest, downright disheartening and frustrating at times. (This was graphically illustrated by some of the language overheard on the hole I was spotting on at the Vets Championships!) In fact many may have quit the game as a result, which is unfortunate. Many more keep struggling, trying this or that temporary remedy & using the excuse that 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' to avoid making a determined effort to get back to basics.

I've ever only had 3 lessons in my 52 years of playing. Two helped me temporarily. One completely threw me off my game for 6 months until I reverted to my old swing. None bothered to explain basic principles behind the swing or the role the big muscles were supposed to play in it. They only addressed my particular problem of the time, namely a slice.

From these experiences I came to the conclusion that before taking any lessons you really need to check out the professional you are intending to go to. He needs to:

- be prepared to actually LISTEN to you,
- be prepared to take you through the basics of why & how the swing works,
- not overload you by changing dozens of things at one time (particularly if you have been playing for years), and
- VIDEO you to demonstrate what you are doing compared with what you should be doing.

Believe me, a 2 minute video of your swing is better than an hour of instruction in that your mind doesn't really take in what you are told until your eyes actually see it.

However, if you can't afford a series of lessons, or can't find a decent instructor, or just plain prefer to do things in your own time at your own pace, there are dozens of golf instructional books, DVDs, tapes and sites out there.

One I discovered recently is by Don Trahan at http://www.peakperformancegolfswing.com.

I consider it the best because it explains things in simple terms, illustrates the swing and various variations, like bunker shot and lobs, and is based on scientific principles. Moreover, if you like what you see on Don's blog & decide to buy his course, he has a very fair refund policy if it doesn't work for you within a year. You can't say that of many courses.