It is a common understanding that when we invest time, money or emotions in small portions with the overall goal of improvement over time, results get better in small doses. Then the explosion happens! We begin gaining greater results with similar or the same the efforts applied in the first place; this would be called compounding over time. The knowledge and experiences we gain, present and future, build depth. The more we apply information, effort or interest our ability grows faster, stronger and better. It is like giving a player the power to perform at a higher level before he/she does but because a player has not learned how to apply the knowledge to their game, it may go unnoticed. An example of this would be going through a growth spurt. It happens constantly but most people never notice until the growth spurt slows down or stops, then it is like, wow my clothes don’t fit or you begin getting comments of how much you have grown or changed!
So, what does this mean for your golf game? It means be patient, strive to improve in small increments, follow a consistent path, be curious to learn and not be fixed. Golf is a simple game that unfortunately due to so much conflicting information has gotten to be complicated for golfers of all skill levels. Think about it like this, if you enrolled in school for the 3rd grade, when you completed that year it’s not expected for you to go straight to the 12th grade, or at least not in my school anyway! Instead it is a slow steady process that takes years of knowledge to accumulate, therefore compounding knowledge and improving one’s ability to perform well in testing environments or make better decisions later in life. Learning golf should be a similar progression of incremental learning, compounding knowledge and experiences to improve one’s ability to perform. Unfortunately, for many golfers learning the game can be frustrating because often much of the time is spent on fixing the swing or being taught about how to become like a great golfer vs learning how to use the equipment and what their ultimate goal is for learning the game in the first place.
What ever your reason for wanting to be better at golf, a recreational player to a highly competitive player, it is important to know trying to improve your swing to play better golf does not work under the premise of fixing your swing or I took a lesson so I am fixed. Playing better golf takes time, it takes lots of knowledge of the game and situations that you may or may not have ever had. Golf is a repetitive sport, but we never have the same shot twice! So, take the time to learn small pieces, even though you think it may be taking forever, it will quickly take shape and combining your experiences, knowledge and learned skills your scores will come sooner and better than you can imagine! Be patient!
As always,
Enjoy Your Journey!
