Golf is in somewhat of a precarious position. Falling numbers in membership and participation is signalling a rocky future for the sport. Ever increasing costs and the huge amount of time required to participate means most people simply cannot accommodate a sport of this kind in their schedules – or their bank accounts.
The costs are a huge issue. Memberships are generally around £1000 for a decent course (although that’s a bargain compared to some of these courses: http://www.golfmagic.com/news/course-news/the-10-most-expensive-golf-club-memberships-in-the-world/14871.html). Then we have clubs, which is another £300-£1000 for a decent set. Finally, the tuition – £20-£40 for half an hour. Now the first couple are pretty fundamental (not being a member and just paying green fees is obviously a cheaper option for the casual golfer). But the final one, the tuition, brings me nicely onto my challenge. The Golf Project.
I took the game up around 18 months ago and have an unofficial handicap of 22. Nothing special, I know. My goal is to break 80 by the end of the summer. I have never had a lesson, so I will attempt to reach my goal without any tuition. No swing coach, not short game guru, no sports psychologist. Just me, my own analysis and a little bit of YouTube for guidance. Shooting 80 has been done before, so getting there on my own will feel a far greater achievement.
Now, why would you want to avoid the advice of an experienced professional for such a challenge?
Well, personally I feel too many athletes today are mindless machines who have been coached within an inch of their lives. As a result, when the chips are down, they choke, unable to deal with unexpected problems or the pressure of the 18th green on a Sunday. Coaching myself will allow me to develop my own style that I’m comfortable with, giving me a much greater understanding of my own game. Obviously this will lead to more trial and error, but learning from mistakes is an extremely effective method of education. In addition, when I have a problem, I will have to research it myself, hence I learn more than just the piece of advice I was looking for.
Finally there is the cost saving. On average, a 30 minute lesson is £30. If I had a lesson a week for the next 6 months, thats over £800!!
But don’t get me wrong, golf pros are very good. They have seen a club swung in a million different ways, right and wrong. They have the advantage of watching your swing in real time and have a wealth of knowledge to fix issues the they spot. If you have the disposable income and want a sure fire means of improving, a coach is 100% the way to go. This challenge is more of a journey of self-discovery, rather than one to prove a point.
With the Great British weather being what it is, course time is almost impossible until late March/early April. Nonetheless, I will aim to do regular driving range session and write a weekly update on my progression. Along the way I will use a free golf swing app to analyse the changes I need to make. I will also comment on my experiences and hopefully be able to provide some advice that will benefit your games too.
I decided to write this initial post after my first couple of ‘official’ Golf Project range sessions to assess the state of play. As I hacked away for an hour or so, I decided to split my range times into two areas; short game and long game (revolutionary, eh?). I will always start my sessions with my 7 iron. Reason being, this is the crossover between long and short iron. Therefore, any swing changes I want to implement are best initiated with the 7. From here, if is a long game session, I will work up my clubs to driver. For short game, I will work down towards my lob wedge. I personally like to only hit 50 to 75 ball in a session. This way I focus far more on each shot and take care to think about what changes I am making. It also allows me to treat each shot like I would on the course, without spending hours at the range. For me, this is far more effective than machine gunning 100 balls in 30 minutes and leaving drenched in sweat.
My first two sessions revealed weaknesses in long irons and short pitching. However, I am much stronger at driving and full wedges. In terms of my swing, only thinking about starting the downswing with my lead hip creates much better strike. From previous experience, I know I struggle with an over swing and early extension. So my focus for next week’s session will be on maintaining posture and rotating my hips.
I hope you continue to join me for the duration of this project. And hopefully it will have a happy ending!
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