Honestly if we consider it, golf is a simple game, but we make it so hard for ourselves with a myriad of confusing thoughts and expectations that are serving only to create problems

I know this may sound a little weird but it is true, so hear me out.

The act of hitting a golf ball with a club is in itself SIMPLE, I mean give a child with no experience a golf club and ask them to hit a ball with it and they will, it may take a few attempts but they will achieve it in a very short space of time.

Bring this forward to the adult golfer, or even the junior golfer that has had a few lessons and experienced the joy and pain of playing the game and we can see why golf has seemingly become difficult.

Let me put it this way:

You have hit at least one “perfect” shot in your life, which is arguably your potential. But you rarely reproduce the shot.

We are aware of your potential but why can you not reach that potential on a more regular basis?

The reasons are numerous;

• Searching for the picture perfect golf swing
• Trying to recreate a shot
• Living off a memory (negative)
• Pressure

I could go on, but the single biggest reason for golfers not hitting their potential more often is EXPECTATION.

Golfers expect to be able to hit a ball to the target with consummate ease, but when things don´t turn out the way they want they curse and bemoan their inability to do so.

It is this internal chit-chat and belittling of oneself that is the cause for the bad shot, that appears with far greater regularity than the expected good shot.

If you are wanting to improve your golf, you need to expect only one thing and that is to give 100% to each and every single shot, regardless of the perceived difficulty of the shot.

Perfect in this game simply does not exist and I am pretty sure it never will, because perfection would be a hole in one every single hole every single round

Yes, basically as a golf coach I am telling you to stop searching for the perfect golf swing and instead focus on the ability you already have and how you can bring that stored potential into your game on a weekly basis.

The mental approach you take is one of the biggest steps.

As a professional, both coach and player, it may surprise you to hear that I actually don´t practice, yet I am still able to consistently shoot level par or better when I do go out and play.

This is because I accept, and I know that I won´t always hit the shot the way I had envisioned, but it doesn´t really matter. As long as I give 100% to each shot I cannot and should not be disappointed.

Club golfers should take this to heart, after all you are playing for the enjoyment of the game, rather than trying to make a living.

Your swing as it is, is more than capable of sending the ball down the fairway to the desired target, instead of trying to change it, give it a good polish and change your approach to the game from a mental perspective.