The title of this post is one of the oldest sayings in golf! The score is all that matters. No column on the scorecard describes how the score was made or what the golfer’s swing looked like. The only way to shoot a low score is to hit the ball where you are looking, chip and pitch well, and make putts. How you look doing those things is irrelevant. We all have a certain amount of ego and worry about how we look on the golf course. It’s human nature. But it can ruin your game. We try this swing, then that swing, rotary swing, stack and tilt, one plane swing, two plane swing, the A swing, swing the clubhead, swing the handle, the list goes on and on. All to hit the ball better while still “Looking right.” Look right schmook right. It ain’t pictures, it’s numbers!
You be You
We get caught up moving from one idea to another, never giving any one method time to settle in. You must find what most often works for you, no matter your current level, and stick with it. Develop it and perfect it. That’s where having a coach is critical. A trained eye can shorten the path to your best swing. A coach can keep you on track when you start drifting back to old habits or get tempted by the latest tip guaranteed to lower your score by five strokes.
Listen to Mr. Lee
The martial arts legend Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Find what works for you most often and practice that swing 10,000 times. Perfect it. Trust it.
To Quote Mr. Hogan
To quote another great, Ben Hogan said, “The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball.” In other words, it doesn’t matter how aesthetically pleasing or technically sound your swing appears to be if the ball doesn’t go where you want it to go.
Technical Perfection is not the Goal.
Jim Furyk is the only man to shoot 58 in a PGA Tour event. Furyk has won 17 PGA tournaments, including the 2003 US Open, along with that fantastic feat. That is a successful record, no doubt. He also has a swing, described as looking like an octopus falling out of a tree. Don’t believe me? Google it. LOL. You have to be you.
Read Carefully what Mr Hogan Said
The quote from Mr. Hogan is a reminder to focus on the outcome rather than getting caught up in the mechanics or aesthetics of technique. It encourages golfers to be results-oriented and adjust their swing based on how the ball is flying rather than how their swing feels or looks.
That sounds good, but how does it jive with the modern teaching that says you should not be concerned with the outcome but rather focus on the process? This school of thought suggests positive results follow if your process is good.
The two ideas mesh if you take the time to examine what Hogan said. He said you should focus on the outcome but didn’t say you should be concerned with the outcome. The result of the shot defines the swing. Concern about the outcome would imply nervousness over that ball at address, worry, tension, and all the negatives those emotions bring to the swing.
It’s Feedback. Use it.
The result of the shot is feedback. It tells the story of your swing. The good, the bad, and, dare I say, the ugly. Use that feedback to adjust your swing until the ball flies as intended, regardless of how your swing may look to others. Here again, a qualified coach can shorten that search considerably. I emphasize the word qualified. Your friends telling you to keep your head down or your left arm straight mean well but are too often doing more harm than good.
You have to be Yourself.
Golf is an individual game. Your unique method should be encouraged and nurtured. You may swing like someone else, but not exactly like anyone else. Embrace that idea. You’ll have a lot more fun and far less frustration.
Call me or any certified instructor to get started on your best path in golf.