Focus on remedies, not faults! – Jack Nicklaus

Ask any player and they can tell you exactly what is wrong with their swing. They use all the current terms and can describe exactly what is causing their challenge. Some use it as a crutch to not improve and others embrace their swing faults as a source of frustration. Words like casting, blocking, closed club face on impact, decelerate through impact, flip shot, and un-cocking their wrists are common terms thrown about at the 19th hole as players describe their poor rounds.

As always, the great Jack Nicklaus speaks volumes with just one sentence! The process of being a better golfer is about identifying your faults, but more importantly, focusing on the remedies that will make you a better player. If the same players above are asked how they plan to fix their faults, there is a very good chance that their silence would be deafening and awkward at the same time. If we did not know better, we would assess that they never thought to find solutions to their swing challenges and have accepted their current state of play.

I have never been one of those players to idly let my game atrophy; I have goals and dreams to always play better at my favorite sport. To make a change in my swing, it is important to first change my thoughts and then to have a plan to change my engrained poor habits. Both take time to develop and achieve; also we need the confidence that the end result of lower scores will be worth the frustration experienced while making changes.

The actual time it takes to break old habits and create new ones is unknown. Every person is different and changes come at different speeds. “But there are some steps you can take to increase your chances of success in the endeavour, including:

• Take small steps. Don’t try to do everything at once.

• Only try to change one habit at a time.

• Write down the habit you want to change, and write down specific plans for achieving that goal.

• Repeat the behaviour you’re aiming for as often as you can. The more a behaviour is repeated, the more likely it is that it will become “instinctive.””(How Stuff Works)

Time is a major factor when making changes to your golf swing. Depending on the amount of time dedicated to being a better golfer, if used effectively, can produce quick and positive results that lead to lower scores.

Focusing on remedies, not faults is a simplistic and profound process to being a better golfer. For those wanting to improve, time is a critical factor to success. Regardless of the amount of time you have, by following the process above, you will create new habits that will result in lower golf scores in your future!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!