Everything goes silent. Its over in an instant. You feel the ball strike the club and you look up to see a perfect ball in flight. Something feels satisfied inside of you, almost as if a thirst has been quenched. The ball lands on the green next to the flag…and stops.
Hitting great golf shots is addictive. And when you are striking it badly, you often feel like a drug addict needing a fix. It can be frustrating as hell. Depressing too.
What is it about hitting a golf ball?
I ponder this question often. Hitting a golf ball well does something deeply for us. Is it satisfaction and accomplishment or is it something more? Is it touching something locked inside of us that we are desperate for?
Moe thought so. But it was the accomplishment of a great swing that gives one the ability to get more satisfaction. Moe understood this concept. He probably hit more great shots than anyone who has ever lived. Just look at one of his old iron club faces and you will see a hole worn in the sweet spot. “Purity of technique” he would say, ‘It builds men”.
I agree with him. There is something great about building a great golf swing. Moe also said, “It might take work but the rewards are greater. You can’t buy it. You must work for it.”
As an instructor there is nothing I want more than for my students to feel this satisfaction. It is the reason I teach. And it troubles me when I teach students who are searching for a quick fix. These are the ones who don’t want to work, they want to buy it. Yes, I do believe there are short-cuts, but I don’t believe there are quick fixes for major problems. I do, however know that there is one solution to every problem – and you can quote me on this one.
Do what is correct until it is all that you know.
Can you do this? Are you willing to make the sacrifices to do this. The key is to plan on succeeding and then do whatever it takes. It comes down to a willingness, on your part, to do it. And don’t stop until you have done it.
Its the “I won’t stop until I got it” students that I am looking for. It is these students who Moe related to when he said “I gave myself a chance”. You need to listen to those words. Give yourself a chance and do what is correct and then work at it.
