So you say you want to be a great golfer, what does this mean today? Let me point out that today’s game is quickly becoming about who is smarter, faster and better. Let me rephrase, it has always been about who is smarter, faster and better. The mistake that coaches, parents and players are making when it comes to how to be successful or standout in the game is assuming that if you have a good golf swing and play golf a lot at your local or private club, you are destined to be great. Having a good golf swing can help but it is not the end all be all, but 90% of golfers and coaches spent on having a good-looking golf swing.
Being smarter about the lead factors to being a competitive, competent golfer with an upside to be a great golfer is and has always been the rule. At an early age, Jack, Tiger, Arnie, Annika all learned this golden rule. In competitions, regardless of what it is, these athletes had the most knowledge of themselves, their sport specific skills, mental skills, physical abilities and game knowledge. Arnold Palmer has been on record talking about how it would practice for hours on hitting a variety of shots from all types of lies to learn how the ball may react, so when he was faced with a similar situation in a tournament, he didn’t fear the outcome, he had an idea, he could focus on hitting it with his explosive swing.
As you see, with all levels of play these days golf is a game of speed. With more devices created to measure ball speed and clubhead speed, more tools designed to help the golf athlete swing faster. If you are an athlete that knows how to create speed, it is likely you will be at the top of the game. Speed is one of the primary fundamentals. “Having the ability to control speed is a super feature as a golfer, controlling the golf ball with one’s ability to control body speed is the key to becoming a major champion in our sport”, Tiger Woods.
Golfers today are clearly wholistically better. The depth of golf has never been stronger, from the PGA Tour to the NBIII Championship. We currently have more junior golfers qualifying for US Opens, PGA Tour or Korn Ferry events than ever before. Recently Blades Brown a 17 year old setting Korn Ferry scoring records, Nick Dunlap and Akshay Bhatia winning on the Korn Ferry and PGA Tour as 20- and 19-year-old.
If you aspire to be better at the game or anything else, start with understanding your strengths and weaknesses, have more knowledge about what is important to you not someone else. Find a place like The Golf Performance Center that can help you measure every aspect of your game, body, mind and equipment ( the 5 Elements of Success btw), I promise you will be better, faster, stronger and longer!
Enjoy your Journey!
