Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
David Mackenzie,
Mental Game,
Mike Southern,
Swing Mechanics
| Posted on Monday, October 18, 2010
As amateurs, we do not have access to all of these resources, or do we? I began to think to myself that if I wanted to become really good at golf, I need to start doing the things that professional golfers do and have to make a better golf game possible.
I have been fortunate to have Mike Southern from the blog Ruthless Golf as my Virtual Swing Coach for the past few months. My game has improved tremendously because of his teachings. I encourage you to browse around his blog. There is an abundance of great tips on how to approach the game of golf from an easy to understand and practical manner. He is a former tour pro* and an accomplished author with a knack for writing clever limericks.
Today I am happy to announce the newest member to Team Dexter, David MacKenzie, my Virtual Mental Golf Coach. David publishes Golf State Of Mind, a blog which "teaches the mental game, emotional and spiritual side of golf and will show you techniques and drills to most effectively get you on the path to your potential."
I was especially intrigued to read more of David's work when I read this description of his approach to golf...
"There is no perfect golf swing. Yes, you need to continually work on the fundamentals of the game, but your performance will always be determined by how you control your mind and your emotions. Learning the mental game of golf is the most effective way to improve."
This is something that Mike has told me in the past as well. Mike isn't trying to get me to make the perfect swing. He wants me to make more effective swings, but in order to do that, I need to believe that I can make one.
The great thing about cyberspace is that we have access to a wealth of knowledge. No matter what you want to do in life, it can be found on the internet. The information is out there. It's up to you what you do with it once you find it. I want to keep getting better so I will make the most of the knowledge that I have found.
As long as these fine gentlemen keep sharing their passions through their written words, I can continue to learn from them. Team Dexter is growing and as a result, I am confident that my game will continue to improve, one good thought and one good swing at a time. Have a great round and always hit your target.
*Editor's note. After reading this post, Mike wanted me to let the readers know that while he has competed in some mini-tour events, he was never a member of a tour. It was a mistake on my part as I misunderstood and reported incorrectly. Still good enough for me. I never played in a tour sanctioned event so therefore he still qualifies to be my swing coach. Also...the fact that he quickly pointed this out to me lets me know that I am working with an honest person:-)
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Just a quick correction, Dex -- while I've played in some mini-tour events, I've never been a member on a tour.
Truth in advertising, you know. ;-)
So I made an editors note to this post. Doesn't make a difference to me. You were good enough to compete in an event which means you were doing something right and so far I have been able to understand every instruction you have given me.
A lot of good teachers haven't played in any tour events. It does give you some extra perspective on the game, however... lots of things that work on the practice range are useless out on the course under competitive pressure.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. ;-)
I found this out after my last round. I don't think anything substitutes actually playing.
When I was in college I gave basketball lessons to kids on the side to make some extra money. We practiced and did drills but I took them to the basketball court with me from time to time and made them play with the "big kids."
They were scared at first and made a lot of mistakes but over time, you could see the confidence build and their skills improving as they continued to play.
And going back to not playing any tour events. I noticed that the best coaches in college basketball are the coaches/teachers who were 2nd stringers as players. They were the players that spent the most time with the coach. They played but they also learned a lot of strategy by sitting on the bench with the coaches. I don't think Michael Jordan would ever be a good coach because his expectations would be too high wanting everyone to play like he did..
Time to start mixing in a few more rounds. I'll be in Arizona next week so I'll be playing a lot with one of my buddies.
I have felt like that cartoon picture way too often. If only I had a personal trainer...
I still get that same look on my face from time to time, but it is a lot less frequently now. Golf is a hard sport and a lot of people forget to enjoy themselves. No matter what happens, it is just a game. Not a life and death situation. Thanks for visiting:-)