Are You Holding Back Your Power?

One of my goals this year was to get back to playing golf more often (more often than twice a year).  But I also wanted to be better, so 30 years after my very first lessons and after buying a new set of clubs last year, I hired a pro to help me improve my game. He took me on the course and watched what I was doing, started making tweaks, and BAM! I started seeing immediate results.

One of the biggest realizations--he told me I was only using 20% of my power. When he showed me how to put more speed, power, and accuracy behind my drives, the change was incredible. I went to the driving range after my lesson to practice and I couldn't believe those drives were actually coming off my club.

He also taught me a lot about setting up better before each shot. How to consider which club to use based not only on wind and distance, but the condition of the grass where my ball was sitting and what would be my next shot AFTER that shot.

And if my shot didn't land exactly where I'd planned (like my putt rolled 5 feet beyond the hole) he taught me how to look at the good side of it, learn from it, and adjust.

You see where I'm going with all this? What a coaching moment this was.

Are you only using 20% of your power? How would things change for you if you could put more power, speed, and accuracy into what you're doing--without sacrificing more time or energy?

How would things change for you if you could learn to better assess a situation and respond more effectively? How would your life be if you could learn to use the right tools at the right time based on a better judgment of the current conditions. And put yourself in the best position to take the next shot....

If things don't go as planned, what will you learn from the experience and how will you adjust?

And one of the most basic things I learned...make sure you're standing in the right spot--your feet are grounded where they need to be to take your shot, and that you're actually lined up towards your intended target.  A slight angle off-target can make a big difference on how close you get.

And the final takeaway…invest in a mentor. For the past few years I’d been relying on self-help golf instruction.  It wasn’t tailored to me or my specific needs and I only got more and more frustrated.  That’s the problem with most self-help—it’s meant for the masses and it’s up to you to figure out how to apply it to your specific needs.  It’s like putting a band-aid on blindfolded or taking an over-the-counter drug just because it worked for someone else.  If you want to make real headway, invest in professional mentoring to open yourself up to new possibilities, new ways of seeing things, and see how far and how fast you can go.

Cheering for you!