Embracing change, grasping nettles and Gordian knots

 I’m not sure it’s that hard to learn a good golf swing. The problem is unlearning a bad one first.

My golf swing is like a Gordian knot of bad habits. My limbs have been wonderfully trained to go in all the wrong directions. And, despite my entreaties, they remain surprisingly reluctant to accept a new way of doing things.

I say that, but actually I think I’m progressing. My handicap this year confirms the trend, And the more I write of Dave and Steve’s book, the more I find myself saying: “Oh, so that’s what I’m meant to be doing!”

Comprehension, surely, must be half – well alright, a third then – of the battle.

And at least I’m embracing change mentally. I may not be able to do so physically yet, but I’m committed - mentally. I’m trying. I’m grasping nettles. Even if I keep getting stung.

Most players I see at the range seem to have a different philosophy. They’re not trying to change their golf swings. No nettles for them. Rather, they’re trying to force the ball, through constant repetition, to agree that their original method is the right one and that it – the ball – should drop its opposition once and for all and start flying straight and true.

It reminds me of Einstein’s definition of insanity – ‘doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result’.

I think Einstein is right. A lot of bad golfers, let’s face it, are absolutely crackers. It’s they who should be committed. To a mental institution.