and why changing your golf swing is a lot like losing weight
I had set myself the target of trying to get to a handicap of 5.5 by 55, then to try to do it whilst I was 55 - and it is looking very unlikely this is going to happen by August 23rd - unless I have a number of crazy low rounds (and we go back to the old handicap system !)
What I have come to realise is that changing your golf swing , is a journey that is very similar to weight loss. There are loads of quick fixes out there that guarantee you can, drop a dress size or hit it 250m straight. But the vast majority of them are unsustainable and with both golf swing and weight loss, they are only quick fixes and do not address the fundamental root cause.
What changing a golf swing and weight loss have in common, is that both of these are about changing habits that have been ingrained for a long time ( often years) and so to change this pattern takes time in order to make it something that can stick and be maintained.
I was very lucky to have had an introduction to a Swing Coach , who used to teach on tour, and has a wealth of experience - he also has an incredible understanding of the body and a way of teaching that is not super technical. Slowly over the last 2 years , the fundamentals of my swing are changing. At times I have wanted to go for that “quick fix” as I get frustrated with not seeing the changes that I want to , but my trusting the process and sticking with it the changes are now starting to come and my “new” swing appears a lot more frequently. After all if Tiger in his prime took 2 years to change his swing how on earth we think we can do it in less time is really a bit crazy ! In golf the mind plays such a part in the game, a lot of the time without us realising it , so old patterns can appear when we are tense, or tired , the body reverts to its familiar pattern, so these new patterns and fundamental new patterns take time to root and to grow.
I also realised with the changes that are being made, that is also the same when it comes to nutrition and wellbeing , that it is all about getting the basics and the fundamentals right. These are the hardest to change, as these are normally the drivers of the other bad habits.
If we take our nutrition, when we do not get enough sleep , and are constantly tired then there is a very good chance that we will eat food that is more sugary, or just eat more than we should as we feel we need it for the energy. When we have slept well, and feel full of energy then we are more likely to make those good choices to eat healthier and in doing so this will also help us to sleep better , so the process will follow an upward spiral, as opposed to one of feeling tired, leading to bad food choices, contributing to poor sleep which spirals downwards .
For 2 years I have pretty much been working on the lower half of my body, surprisingly, considering my swing used to be the love child of John Daly & Jim Furyk, there has been hardly any work done on the length of my swing or position of wrists / arms . The focus is all on how my feet connect with the ground, staying in my hips, rotating around my hips correctly, and working on the correct weight shift. Allowing my upper body not to be the driver of the swing but to stay connected and move because of what goes on below.
The other thing I have come to realise with both , is that it is a continual journey. We can not just change the habits and then that is it they stay. We need to check in on the fundamentals and basics to make sure that we stay on track - after all if Scottie Scheffler usings a grip trainer to check his grip every time he practices , that just goes to show just how important the basics are.
One other realisation I have had is how golf has so many analogies and takeaways for life. (Changing your swing and weight loss being one).
In golf mindset is absolute key, learning to stay in the moment, to accept the outcomes, to stay resilient as it can have as many ups as downs , but most importantly to enjoy the process.
Golf as life is not about the destination it is about the journey and enjoying every step of the way, and to be able to enjoy the journey we need to keep our vehicle correctly fueled, allow it the time to rest , to sleep and keep it moving so that it can continue the journey with us.
So whilst I have “failed” at my target of getting to 5.5 - I am very grateful of the journey the challenge has set me, and I will continue to see where I can get it to go , and one day have a handicap the same as my age - so lets see if we can get to 5.6 by next August !!
Comentarios