Thursday, April 26, 2012

Revelatory. This was the word that came to mind yesterday afternoon, when I reached my first significant milestone on the driving range. Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike, how everything clicked in one glorious instant? It was just like that, only this time, I had discovered the basics of golf: namely, how to get the ball off the ground with a reliable frequency.

When I took up the irons again last weekend, I sought to answer a question. How can I swing my clubs and have them deviate as little as possible from their arcs? The goal was reproducibility, and to this end I rebuilt my stance to be more relaxed–and easier to remember. The final piece was something I’ve been told to do before, repeatedly, but it never resonated until now. Keep my noggin completely still.

And just like that, my wormburners suddenly became the exception, rather than the norm. Those effortless hits, which previously had to be divined, now flowed freely. Not every shot was perfect, of course, and there were a few flubs. On the whole, though, it was like night and day. I even hit a duck! By mistake and not directly, obviously, but it was great to have another sentient being confirm my newfound competency. It feels like I’ve been admitted to a secret society, and I’m finally on my way. I can’t wait to kvetch about bad habits I’ve developed. I just need to develop them first.