Are you a Monkey on the golf course?

What’s a Monkey? A Monkey is a frustrated golfer that continues to get more frustrated every time they step on the golf course. So in desperation they listen to the tips presented to them from their playing partners – “You’re lifting your head” – “You need to stay behind the ball” – “You’re swaying” – You need to set your wrists” – “You’re coming over the top” – etc., etc., etc.

By the time the Monkey gets to the 18th hole they’re tired of golf because they’re so confused about their swing and so frustrated with their results – so they turn on the Golf Channel to find some secret insight that might be given out tonight. And you listen and watch, and then you listen and watch some more and then finally you see something that looks interesting and you say to yourself – “That’s me. That’s my problem – I need to watch this tip.” And there you are standing in your living room with a golf club trying to do the tip you’ve just witnessed being demonstrated by some guru.

So the next night after work you head to the driving range with much optimism about how well you’re going to hit the golf ball by using this new tip. You get your golf balls and warm-up. You’re hitting the ball fantastic and you haven’t even used the tip yet. Life is good!

Now you say to yourself – “OK, I need to start practicing this tip if I want to get more consistent with my swing.” So you think about … (insert tip here) and hit the next few shots only mediocre. So you say to yourself – “Well, like that Pro on television said – ‘I probably need to get worse before I get better.” So you continue to hit balls using this tip that last night and just a few minutes earlier was ‘the tip of all tips to help me become more consistent’ as you get progressively worse ever shot.

And as you get to the point after about 15 minutes more of hitting increasing worse shots, you say “to heck with this!” So you just tee up a ball a whack it without a thought in your head and to your amazement it felt really good and solid. I mean you knew you hit it well even before you watched the ball sail straight and long past the 250-yard marker. And as you go to tee up another golf ball, you say to yourself – “That’s it. I just don’t need to think. I just need to swing.” And you follow-up that first great shot with another equal or even better shot.

“That’s all I need to do. Just swing and let my natural talent take over.” And you hit another great one and another and another and then the next one is good, but not as good as the previous four shots. So you say to yourself – “OK, I better turn my shoulders a little more this next shot so I can get back to where I was on the last four shots.” So the next shot gets a little worse than the previous shot. And you say – “I better keep my eye on the ball a little better on this one.” And the next shot gets even worse. And you say – “I better stay behind the ball on this next one.” And the next shot gets even worse.

And then you go home with your emotions and enthusiasm 180 degrees from where it was on the drive to the Driving Range and once you get home you open up Golf Magazine to look for the next tip that’ll help you to become more consistent – as the scenario repeats itself again and again.

That’s a Monkey! A golfer that never gets better, not for lack of talent – you showed that you had talent on those 4 or 5 good shots. But because you feel you need to hit every shot perfect, you try too many things in your swing at once causing you to keep doing the same above scenario over and over again.

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
Golf Made Simple Inc.
www.GolfMadeSimple.com