What does f-e-e-l have to do with Golf?
I’ve always loved this clip from Bruce Lee’s ENTER THE DRAGON’ where he’s teaching his student ‘Not To Think…But F-E-E-L’. He then uses the example of pointing a finger at the moon; ie, if you “concentrate on the finger, you’ll miss all that heavenly glory”.
This principle is ‘So True’ when applying to hitting golf shots. Using this analogy, think of the finger as being your golf swing and don’t focus so much on your golf swing – but rather the ‘heavenly glory’ of the ball streaking towards the pin. Having played with and worked with hundreds of Great Players all my life, I’ve learned that the main difference between amateurs and pros is how they visualize and F-e-e-L their shots before they hit the ball. Pros play golf as if it were a chess game, ie plotting precisely where they want the ball to end up and then rehearsing their shots and swings to match the intended shot. On the other hand, the majority of high handicappers are usually playing ‘Swing’ rather than playing ’Shots’. (I also know a lot of high handicappers who don’t even aim!).
I think that the HARDEST THING TO DO IN GOLF IS TO TRUST YOUR SWING! And even when a high handicapper focuses their energy on ‘just the shot’ and the shot doesn’t come off as they had visualized it, they then try to figure out what went wrong in their swing. Instead of trying to ‘figure it out’ TRUST it and keep on putting your focused energy into the ball going to the target – No Matter What!
Over the years I have worked with many of the top golfers in the world and one thing that stood out with all of them was their ability to see things in a different way than the everyday golfer. I was also lucky enough to work with the great Bobby Foster who has put together a mental profile test that can help you best understand your strengths and weaknesses. I recommend everyone take this test to see where they stand. Click below to take yours today.
