Fast or slow learning?
In a world of internet, microwaves and 24 hours news channels, getting somewhere or achieving something very fast has become normal, but is that good?
Certainly if I want to find out latest news or send important documents then internet and e-mail make much more sense than television and post but you wouldn’t necessarily say the same about for example food. A trip to McDonalds for christmas dinner? or a meal lovingly prepared over several hours at home? A relaxing holiday on the beach for just an hour or preferably a few days? How about a high-speed massage or slurping down a bottle of red wine in one go?
It makes no sense right?
There are also other things that need to be done slowly to have any lasting effect, most of us implicitly distrust fast weight-loss programmes or get rich quick schemes because we know that if it were really that simple everybody would be doing it.
Improving the mechanics of your golf swing is just the same, of course it’s possible to improve the look of your golf swing in inly a few minutes, it’s even possible to hit the ball better with a quick tip but is it really going to last? Thee are exceptions but I have rarely seen a quick lesson produce lasting results on the course under tournament conditions. I believe that just as a crash diet can actually damage your health, continual short term fixes can harm the long term progress of your golf game because after a while you become solely involved in short term ball striking and have virtually no long term plan.
Think long term about your golf game, what do you want this year? in what areas do you need to improve your score? Try to look beyond a slice or hook and figure out what really costs you shots on the course under pressure. You might find that your fade is your most reliable shot, why do you want to change it?
Find an instructor who can help you plan long term, someone who watches you play not just hit balls and formulate a plan for this year and most importantly, learn to sacrifice short term gains for long term improvement.
We are having lamb for our new year’s dinnner, five hours in the oven until it’s wonderful and tasty, want to join us? or are you off to McDonalds and then a crash diet?
