Why can’t I get the ball in the air?

Many beginners follow their golfing friends to the golf course after watching TV or YouTube golfers with flawless swings hit the ball 300 yards. They boldly throw themselves into a full-fledged game with a minimal amount of instruction or preparation. Failing to get the ball to go in the air or in the right direction, the beginner doubles down and tries harder. Effort levels soon go off the Richter scale with most of the energy spent in gouging out chunks of grass and dirt, or stirring the air above the ball. At least once per game, by amazing coincidence, the beginner will make perfect contact and the ball will fly majestically down the fairway! The beginner is transformed into a golfer, at least in their imaginations.

Try not to be this type of beginner. This is like walking up to a cliff without knowing where exactly the precipice starts. Once you go over the edge there is no coming back! The 300+ yard golfers on TV have trained for years with the finest coaches that scholarship money can buy.

The golf ball is struck with a tiny blade made of steel attached to a ridiculously long metal or graphite shaft. As a beginner, you will find that it is almost impossible to make contact with the ball. This is normal. Relax and take a deep breath, and most importantly, back off. The amount of control needed to find the back of the ball with a dime-sized area on the blade, called the sweet spot, is not natural. A lot of training and practice is required to learn this skill. it takes a good teacher and many, many repetitions. Patience and a purposeful approach are essential.

As you progress, resist the urge to try harder, to make the ball go farther by brute force. According to published research, the gain in distance achieved by finding the club’s sweet spot is greater than the gain from a corresponding increase in swing speed. If you are not currently able to find the sweet spot then hold off the speed training until you can. (1)

Which game are you playing?

1) Golf is a game. Each game ends with one winner among the customary four players in a group. The winner is determined by the total number of times the ball is fairly hit with equipment conforming to the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, from prepared starting areas into small holes dug into the ground at the end of longish fields typically from 1 to 5 football fields in length. There are 18 such fields, also called “holes”, in a standard game. The collection of holes is called the golf course. After the game you sit with your fellow competitors and recount the heroic shots that you played, as well as the ones that got away and pay any wagers that were made on the outcome of the game.

or,

2) Golf is a walk in Nature. In the company of friends or like-minded players, the golfer spends 4 to 5 hours strolling over or through greenery, sharing stories and laughs, while hitting and then chasing down a small ball through tall grass, trees and the occasional stream or pond. You are the batter, the fielder, the hunter and the fisher. You are the master and the dog at the same time. Score is irrelevant as is ever getting the ball into the hole. After the game you share a beverage with your friends and chat about anything but the score.

You must know which version of golf you are enjoying and ensure that your playing companions have similar goals. A competitive player is frustrated by a social group as the RULES are not being followed. Similarly, a social player in a competitive group is frustrated because NATURE is ignored. A sharp focus on the game is essential at all times.

References

(1). Werner and Grieg, “How Golf Clubs Really Work And How to Optimize Their Designs”, Origin Inc., copyright 2000, p.23