Pratice for Fun!

There is something about golf that I believe is different than any other sport. It's kind of a love hate relationship. So yesterday I talked my 13 year old son into hitting balls. He had two options since football is over, either go back to Karate or play golf. Knowing that he doesn't have any interest in Karate anymore, I knew he would say golf, but with much animosity because he decided earlier it wasn’t cool to play the game. But I knew something about golf that he doesn’t know. Once you have been bitten by the “golf bug”, it’s very difficult to get over. I think I understand what an addict goes through!

Two years ago he had went through a few months of loving it and wanting different clubs and some of the cool apparel we all seem to enjoy. I know once I was bitten by this mysterious bug, I was hooked and haven’t even entertained the thought of quitting. But as 13 year old boys do, they constantly have different passions and go through changes.

Yesterday was an awakening for my boy. You see, he is a perfectionist. If he hits a few bad balls, he gets frustrated and wants to quit. So I had him start off hitting short 40 yard shots to a particular area to get his confidence going and by the time he began hitting his longer irons, he was hitting the ball well, so well I could tell he was enjoying his swing. You may have been there, just enjoying the feel of a good balanced swing and the ball going in the spot intended.

He is a sporadic golfer. By that I mean, he will play or hit balls maybe every four months or so or maybe longer. So for him to hit balls well yesterday was a plus, not only for him, but for me. You see, he doesn’t like me telling him how to swing, grip or anything, especially when he is not hitting well. So I began encouraging him to hit those short shots, not as a start but to see if he could hit the squirrel in this one spot. I tried to make it fun.

After he had hit about 40 or so balls, I asked him, “OK Bryce, you ready to go home?”

He looked at me with a confused look as I smiled at him as he said, “But…I don’t want to go, this is awesome”.

So I began my little talk with him. I said, “Bryce there is nothing like a great feeling shot is there?”

He smiled and said, “No dad, you’re right, this is the best…I think I want to practice so I can get good.”

Most of us understand what I am talking about. There is nothing like a great swing followed by a great shot. I have learned that is what gets us coming back. I am hoping that it will keep my son coming back. He has huge potential, but lacks work ethic.

But one thing is for certain, when you are driven by a feeling or more importantly an experience that is the catalyst that ignites the fire that will drive you to succeed. Success on the course is driven by your desire on the range. If I can get my son to enjoy the practice sessions, the rest will take care of itself. I remember Tiger saying on an interview with the Golf Channel that his favorite thing to do is his practice time.

So our tip for the day; Practice brings enjoyment to the game. I know a lot of golfers that hate practice. Every once in a while you will meet a person that can play well without practicing. But for most of us, practice is the only way to get better. So, the key to practice is to learn to enjoy it. Make up games on the range to have fun. If you have a friend that will practice with you, that’s even better. Play games against each other, so it doesn’t get boring. So next time you practice, enjoy the things you don’t usually think of, change things up and watch your scores drop.