White Card
Swing low
There is one incredibly amazing feeling that occurs sometimes when you play golf. That is the feeling that you do not even hit the ball. The club swings down, the grip is incredibly loose and there is no sound as the clubhead passes through the point where you think the ball is lying. A small "clock" sound is all you hear, and to your big surprise you realize that the ball is actually flying in a perfect arc high up in the air and lands exactly where you wanted it to - or much closer to the pin.
This is the perfect swing that makes you want to hit the ball one more time and experience the same perfect moment again.
But the next time you try to hit the ball just as perfect and just as long, you fail. You are too concentrated on the swing, you think about the movement of your arms, the legs, the head and as a result of all this thinking, you are nowhere close to hitting the ball as well.
I can tell you about a short round I made with 3 golf clubs on the first three holes of the golf course with the result that I played those holes better than I ever had before. And the next day I was carrying all my clubs in the bag and was playing my worst round. The difference was in the head, with only three clubs I did not think that I would be able to reach the hole in anything like a par, but just that lack of expectation made my swing more relaxed and there was no thought what so ever about my technique or lack of it. The result of freeing my mind was a good swing.
The same thing happens when you want to, need to, hit the ball far. Let us say that you have already played the ball out of bounds and the ball is lying far away from the green, but with a perfect shot you may be able to reach it after all. And that is what you try to do. To catch up with the missed shot you decide to hit that little white devil further than it has ever flown before. You stare down at the ball, you concentrate on turning your whole body, the spine feels like a twisted rod of steel and you feel powerful. This time the force of the clubhead will smash through the ball with such a force that the ball has no alternative than flying straight and longer than Tiger Woods has ever dreamed about.
And what happens? The ball is topped because you tried too hard.
That is what golf is all about. If you free your mind, trust your swing and just enjoy the nice walk on the grass - and do not overswing - your game will improve and you will have a lot more fun.
