I was just writing an email to an avid reader when I realised the content of the email was similar to many others. So with a flash of inspiration I’ve decided to put the contents into a blog post. That way the info can be seen by everyone and I can forward future emails to this post. Pretty clever eh?
One of the big problems with Automatic Golf implementation is getting off to a good start and then losing the plot. This happens so often that this post is certainly overdue.
Standard email I receive:
“Cameron, I played last weekend and shot a fantastic score. I went out today and didn’t play so well. What did I do wrong?”
Answer – you didn’t do anything wrong. AG is not a miracle cure and you can’t just read the book once, take a lesson and then expect to play great golf all the time. It’s a process. It’s a mindset. And you’re going to need some discipline to stick with it.
Almost every golfer gets a moment of inspiration when they first implement. Removing the straitjacket and playing free from analysis is liberating. Your system gets a break and is able to do what it does best – hit the bloody ball. But the biggest problem from this point is you. In particular, Pesky is gunna get in your ear and start telling all sorts of stuff,
“Your swing was so much slower than normal”
“You kept your head down and watched the ball”
“You completed your backswing and didn’t rush from the top”
“That Cameron dude is a genius! This works a treat! You’re going to win everything from now on”
These are stories. They’re not real and a way Pesky can still feel good about himself. Entertaining any of these kind of things is going to break you. You’ll disrupt the flow and ruin everything. While you can’t stop Pesky totally, you can ignore him. This is the hard part. So you need to be strong and show a level of discipline that has potentially been lacking with your game. You’ve got to keep playing and following the automatic routine each time you play.
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- Do all of your thinking/planning behind the ball. I call this Einsteining.
- Walk to the ball without fuss/concern/worry about the upcoming shot.
- Hit the ball without conscious thought about HOW. Just hit the ball in a way that feels good to you
- Repeat. Like forever.
Some golfers can’t get to first base. They struggle right from the start and tend to give up way too soon.The problem is the same but in this case the golfer is too scared to let go of his old way.
Typical email:
“Cameron, this isn’t working for me. I can’t stop thinking so much and my game feels terrible. Can you help me please?”
If this sounds like you then you need to stop taking golf so seriously. You’re too focused on your score/handicap and worried about what others think about your game. Two points,
1. People don’t care about your game. They are too worried about themselves to be worried about you. So stop panicking about what others think.
2. It really is only a game. When you can learn to chill out, even just a little, you’ll get what you want. The stress and strain is not worth it. I know it’s “only a game” is very cliched but it sorta fits in with Automatic Golf.
[order_box_3 width=”60%” + border=”4px”]Sidebar: This doesn’t mean you don’t care and take pride in what you do. You need to learn to let go and stop burning through brain cells while executing each shot. Another point: You may need to back off a little. Take a good look at your course strategy and don’t be scared to play more conservatively. Learning to play Automatic Golf can be a bit like driving a car. At first you need to take it easy and then learn to speed up. If you hit top speed too soon on the roads it could get ugly.[/order_box_3]
The solution is the same as the four points above. They’re not a difficult steps but different enough to cause a stumble or two. You need to stay focused on your job and this little hump will not cause too many issues. You’ll start playing better and you’ll wonder why you made golf so difficult.
When you can stick with this, Automatic Golf becomes automatic. This is the mastery level of performance and truly makes golf no harder than most other skills we perform day to day. I’m going to cover this in future lessons.
Share your thoughts below.