In the movie “A League of Their Own” there is a fantastic interaction that sums up playing any sport at the highest level very nicely:
“It just got too hard”, Geena Davis as Dotti Hinson describing why she is quitting baseball.
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great”, Tom Hanks as Jimmy Duggan.
I love this line. To me this sums up the game of golf. It is a difficult game to play well. If it was easy everyone would be playing on the PGA Tour for a million dollars every week. But they are not. And when we play well, knowing how hard it is, it is a very special feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Because it is difficult most people will not do what is required to play the game well. They will look for tips and magic solutions believing that somewhere out there is a swing thought or simple move that will transform their game and they will play like they have always dreamed of playing. I’m sorry to have to be the one to break it you, but these solutions to golf’s puzzles simply do not exist.
Listen to any Tour player when they talk about their history in the game and you will hear stories of years of hard work, of long days of practice and struggle. Listen carefully and you will hear the process they went through to become a world class player.
There is a way to become great at this game, and it’s not that complicated:
Step1 – Assess your current game
Step 2 – Set goals for where you want to go
Step 3 – Design your plan for how you will get there
Step 4 – Execute the plan and track progress
It is not easy, but it is simple. It requires a commitment on your part to put in the time and quality of work to reach your goals and it is a commitment that most players are not willing to make.
So it is up to you.
Do you want to wallow in mediocrity for the rest of your golfing career?
Or do you want to play your best golf possible?
To do so you need to be willing to do what most players are not. You need to be willing to follow the path of the best players in the world, the path less travelled, and the one that will be filled with hard work. Will you commit to the four step process I outlined above and become the best golfer you can possibly be?
The choice is yours. What are you going to do?
I hope you enjoyed this post. As always comments are welcome and encouraged.
Good Golfing, Derek Hooper.
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