Swing Thoughts

After retiring. Mark Gall was not ready to be in the real world. He suggested we take up golf, and go fishing. On the course at Laurelwood, Mark got me to make a pledge.

“Let’s agree not to take our play seriously. We are not in competition!”

A few weeks later, I take him to Jim Calkins X-Mas dinner where he meets a golf hypnotherapist. The next time we go to play, we both hit our drive out-of-bounds, almost in the same place.

“Your BAD golf shot had a subliminal effect on my shot. My golf hypnotherapist told me I must block your bad shots out of my mind so they do not affect my GOOD swing thoughts.”

I look at this atheist, and understand he has got religion. Good and Bad is key to forming a religion. Of course, I have no money to hire my own golf hypnotherapist, and take mind-fuck golf lessons. Gall’s next step into the light, was to take real golf lessons I could not afford, either. This guy is a millionaire! Why didn’t he pay for my lessons so we both can be GOOD golfers, and remain equal? Did I just ask a stupid question?

Fully armed, I got a full dose of Gall’s good swing thoughts every time he prepared to hit the ball. Fine, but his muttering did not stop – after he finally hit his damn ball. While I tried to clear my mind in order to drive my ball, he kept up his monkey-chatter, he not able to quell his out of control critiquing of his poor shot – and how it could have been better. Only when I brought my club back, was I able to enjoy two seconds of silence.

“Can you please keep your swing-thoughts out of my swing-thoughts?”

As we walked to our balls, his diatribe kept coming. As he muttered all over his ball, some more, I looked back to see fellow golfers with their hands on their hips. I could just make out their looks of disgust. Alas, when it was my turn to hit, I did so, QUICKLY,  without thinking, or caring, in order to be polite and obey course rules in regards to the clock.

“He’s a retired professor!” I shouted, I making excuses for him being rude and thoughtless.

They did not give a rat’s ass because Gall’s evil swing-thoughts infected the whole course. Everybody was hitting out of bounds!

Jon Presco

Today, good golf instruction should combine an understanding of the proper mechanics of the swing with an emphasis on creating an athletic, natural motion. To help accomplish this task, I’ve come up with some simple but effective thoughts that can help your swing become more natural, athletic and repetitive. Give them a try both during practice and when you’re on the course. After a while, whatever mechanical swing thoughts you might have developed over the years should be replaced with these simpler, more effective ones. Once your mind is free from distraction, you’ll be surprised how much easier it is to make good swings.