The Year Of Patience
By Paul Wilson
2010 has me going into my 17th year teaching
golf. From day one, I thought that if I could come up with a
technique that was fast and easy to learn I would be a pretty
popular guy. Well, I did ... and I am. So what is fast and easy?
Does it mean that if you take one lesson with me I can get you
to shoot 72? Well ... if I could get you to shoot 72 in 1 lesson
I would charge $10,000 per lesson and the line up to see me
would be down the street. I do get lucky sometimes but for the
most part, it usually takes me a little longer.
Typically, I say that I can give you a pretty good swing in 5
lessons, a great swing in 10 and a phenomenal swing in 15.
That's 1 lesson per week for that length of time with practice
in between lessons. Considering it took me over 10 years to
develop a swing I was happy with, it seems like such a small
price to pay. Unfortunately, many people won't wait that long.
It's not because they don't have time it's just that they want
results immediately.
The funny thing, is that people don't bat an eye at the length
of time it takes to learn how to play a musical instrument. They
know before they even start that it takes years to be able to
play a song half decently. How about learning a new job?
Training is going to take you up to 6 months. How about other
sports? Other sports take a while to get good at but you're OK
with it. So what's so different about golf? Well ... there are
many reasons. Maybe you want to impress your friends. Maybe you
want to take some money off of your friends on the weekend.
Maybe you hit that one brilliant shot and you think you should
be able to do it all of the time. Maybe you just think golf
looks like a simple sport. Whatever the reason, creating a great
golf swing takes some time.
If you've played golf for 15 years and you still shoot in the
mid to high 80's or 90's the first thing you have to realize
that the golf swing you are using doesn't work. If you played a
guitar for 15 years wouldn't you be able to give guitar legend,
Eddie Van Halen, a run for his money? Now, I'm not saying you
should shoot 72 every time you go out but after playing for 15
years shouldn't you be able to shoot in the 70's regularly?
Knowing that you have a golf swing that doesn't work is the
first step to playing the best golf of your life.
The second step to playing the best golf of your life, is
knowing that if you decide to change your swing, it will be like
starting all over again (but this time it won't take you that
long). Initially, changes to your game will cause you to hit
some very poor shots. This is because you're learning a totally
different way to swing. You are un-learning years of bad habits.
It is this critical moment in time that you must decide to press
on. No matter how bad your game gets ... the future is bright.
The third thing you must do is practice. You have to ingrain
your new movements until they are second nature. The best way to
make changes is to do consecutive repetitions. What I mean is
you have to do the same new movement time and time again. If you
do consecutive repetitions of the new movement you will master
it faster than if you do old swings in between. In the early
stages it's all about making the changes. The faster you can
change the faster you will get better.
The fourth thing you have
to do is work with a qualified instructor. This does not mean
taking 1 lesson. You have to find a teacher that teaches a
method and stick to it. I, myself, have a vision of what I want
the students swing to look like before we even start. There are
certain steps that must be followed to get to this end goal so
no matter what it takes, see it through. Some people learn
faster than others but with a few weeks you will get used to the
changes and you will see some amazing shots. This is the sign of
things to come in the future. Keep at it and keep practicing and
you will soon reach your goal.
The final thing you have to do (if you haven't figured it out
yet) is have patience. It takes time to change you swing. Work
hard in 2005 and pretty soon you'll be breaking 80.
Paul Wilson
Creator - Swing Machine Golf
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