It all started with “Jiffy Pop” popcorn.  This “instant society” could no longer wait for oil to heat up in a covered pan, for real kernels to actually pop their way into popcorn.  No, we wanted popcorn now. Somewhere between Jiffy Pop and the microwave, the concept of being patient was officially dead.

So what does all this have to do with golf?  It has to do with understanding how you can build a better golf swing and be more consistent. Be patient and persistent. The problem with all of us today is that we have been programmed to believe we can achieve a level of proficiency in a week, in a month, even in a year.  The sooner we understand how to learn and how long it will really take, the less frustrated we will be.

Last week my student said, “I am so upset.  It’s been two weeks and I don’t see my scores changing one bit.”  I explained that in 14 days, you can’t change a long term habit.  She had spent three years incorrectly straightening her right leg.  At one bag of range balls a week (50 balls to a bag) practicing 7 months out of the year for three years, my student had moved incorrectly 4,200 times, not counting being on the course.  I asked her to “pose” in front of the mirror to assure the proper position, with her right knee flexed, 30 times a day.  If she took my advice and worked on it a little every day, after 14 days, she would have done it correctly 420 times. 10 % improvement is what she should expect. At 30 times a day, every day for a year, my student would have done the perfect move 10,950 times. If you did something perfectly that many times, would it become a long term habit?

It’s a numbers game.  The more correct repetitions you do, the more comfortable you are, the more likely you are to move correctly on the course.  For those people who believe the swing will improve with one lesson, playing golf twice a week, and hitting a bunch of range balls without a watchful eye, I say ask the USGA.  The United States Golf Association has been keeping track of golf scores for years.  In the past 30 years, they have reported no real improvement in golf scores.  With better equipment and nicer courses, why haven’t people improved?  Because they expect too much, too soon, and don’t take the steps to assure a better swing for the long term future.

So I challenge you today.  If you are working on your golf game, commit to an everyday routine of working in the mirror.  Do many repetitions, and understand a good swing does not pop up in less than 15 seconds.  Good things are worth waiting for.

-Anne Marie Goslak