Of course I will play my game! Who’s would I play? Playing your own game sounds easy but it can be hard to do. We all get wrapped up in playing someone else’s game without even knowing it and the fact is, it’s not your fault! That’s right – it is not your fault!
First, there’s a plethora of golf information out there. If you are someone who wants to jump right in and be good at something you listen, watch and do everything you can to learn. Second, understand that not every person who speaks on the behalf of golf has the same knowledge base to give tips to help you get better. Their teaching is based on their own games or what a tour player may be doing. Finally, golfers are suckers for the quick fix. We want instant gratification! So don’t feel bad about your game, most likely it’s not “your” game!
How do you fix this? Well, it’s not as simple as clicking on an Instagram page and strapping a box on your hip, or signing up for a website claiming to lower your scores by 5 shots in 10 minutes. Nor is it as easy as watching the Golf Fix or School of Golf on the Golf Channel. The fact is you need to know more about your game in order to know how to improve it for the long haul! What tour pros do and what golf instructors tell you are not always the answer for what ails you. I promise you, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Rory Mcilroy are not watching each other’s swing or how each other play and saying to themselves, “I need to play like him!” They may like something about each other’s approach to a shot, course or swing mechanic but they will not try to swing or play like the other person. What’s dangerous is when amateurs see swings on YouTube, Golf Channel, Golf Digest or when an instructor is comparing you to a tour player. I am here to tell you, you are not those players!
If you want to play your best golf, I suggest that you get to know your game, swing and mental approach inside and out! Find a coach that understands development, go through a comprehensive evaluation or assessment of your game like our 5 Elements of Success Evaluation or PDI Player Development Assessment to find out what your real Index is! Set a plan and stick to it! I promise, if you know your game, you will find out what the lead factors are to your good and bad outcomes, helping you to build a plan to create more predictable scores more often while enjoying the process of improvement. When you are trying to obtain someone’s game or swing, it will set you up for great disappointment because you will not be able to do the same thing as someone else. Just in case you are wondering, it is ok to idolize some of the swings of the best players, see what they do to play their best game, but to keep the game in perspective and expectations to real life, you will always be better off following a plan specifically designed for you, not someone else.
In conclusion, we all need to putt, chip, pitch and control full shots, so there are commonalities to practicing and how anatomically we move, but every player does have his or her unique movement patterns thus creating different swing characteristics. So the next time you are working on your game, pay attention to your characteristics and tendencies because trying to swing or play like someone else will only lead you to confusion, unrealistic expectations and frustration. The golf season is here! So get a handle on your game! Play your game, be you, unless you suck. Then come see me to get better!
Enjoy Your Journey!
